Our Life and Times
By Kevin A. Barry and Mitch Weerth

Four months after a nationwide uprising that left 17 dead, the banana-producing region around the town of Njombe Pena remains on lockdown. Mayor Paul-Eric Kingue is still in jail, charged with incitement. His real crime: exposing how French-dominated multinational banana companies exploit the local population while paying no real local taxes. Workers are subjected to 12-hour days, with wages as low as $60 per month at the time of the uprising, this during a boom period for the banana companies. Working conditions are equally exploitative, with workers often threatened with dismissal for taking breaks in the tropical heat.

In February, nationwide strikes and riots broke out against the government of Paul Biya. Biya has held power since 1982 and is planning to change the constitution in order to run again in 2011. In Njombe Penja last February, crowds attacked the banana plantations, destroying equipment and looting warehouses. Foreign managers had to be evacuated by air. Chants like “This is our country! We are not slaves!” filled the air. In the police repression that followed, nine local youths were killed. In a belated concession, frightened multinationals have raised the monthly wage to about $75.