One of Africa’s Earliest Independence Movements You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

When people talk about Africa’s independence movements, we often hear about Ghana, Kenya, or Algeria — but few know that Cameroon had one of the earliest and most determined liberation struggles.

In 1948, a group of Cameroonian nationalists founded the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC). Their goal was clear: real independence from colonial rule and the reunification of British and French Cameroons into a single nation.

Led by figures like Ruben Um Nyobè, Félix-Roland Moumié, and Ernest Ouandié, the UPC quickly grew into a mass movement. But in 1955, French authorities banned the party, calling it “subversive.” What followed was years of persecution, assassinations, and armed resistance — a hidden war that shaped Cameroon’s postcolonial history.

The story of the UPC isn’t widely known outside Cameroon, yet it captures something deeply African — the fight for true sovereignty and the heavy price so many independence movements paid.

👉 Read the full story here: Cameroon’s Forgotten Revolution — The Story of the UPC and Their Struggle for True Independence

Have you heard of the UPC before? Did your country have similar early independence movements? How are they seen or remembered today?