Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Famlà
1.1 The Various Definitions of Famlà

In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Association of Cameroonians of Québec (Association des Camerounaises et Camerounais de Québec, ACQ), an organization with the objective of [translation] “facilitating … the integration [of Cameroonians] into Quebec society” and “promoting the Cameroonian culture” (ACQ n.d.), indicated that famlà is part of the [translation] “magico-secret societies of Cameroon” (ibid. 4 Apr. 2016). However, the same source indicated that it could not confirm that it was a structured organization (ibid.).

Other sources define famlà as a practice (Pigeaud 2011, 112; ACBC 5 Apr. 2016). In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Association of Cameroonians in British Columbia (ACBC), a nonprofit organization with the objective of facilitating the integration of Cameroonians in British Columbia and conserving their cultural heritage (CYLEX n.d.), explained that famlà was [translation] “a practice that could be compared to voodoo” (ACBC 5 Apr. 2016). The same source indicated the following:

[translation]

To my knowledge, that practice has a negative connotation in Cameroonian society. When it is mentioned, it is always associated with a murder or an attempted murder. (ibid.)

Peter Geschiere, who teaches in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam (UvA n.d.), describes famlà as “witchcraft of the rich,” which supposedly explains the success of some businessmen (Geschiere 2010, 240-241).

In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Cameroon Goodwill Association of Montreal, a volunteer organization that offers cultural and social services to members of the Cameroonian community in Montréal (Cameroon Goodwill n.d.), stated that famlà is not an organization and that it therefore does not have any members (ibid. 4 Apr. 2016). According to that source,

[translation]

“famlà” is a word that is used to describe a rich person suspected of acquiring their fortune through illegal actions. Among other things, famlàs are suspected of killing people for money. … Calling someone “a famlà” amounts to saying that they practise witchcraft for money. It refers to any kind of witchcraft. (ibid.)

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Rois et sculpteurs de l’Ouest Cameroun : la panthère et la mygale, a monograph published by the ethnologist Louis Perrois and the anthropologist Jean-Paul Notué, states that [translation] “famlà is surrounded by many beliefs and legends, often contradictory and sparking controversy” (Perrois and Notué 1997, 123).

1.2 The Objectives of Famlà and the Activities Associated with it

A summary of the collective work Glimpses of African Cultures, edited by Ngessimo M. Mutaka, states that the famlà is an association of people who come together and use supernatural forces to acquire, increase and retain money, power and longevity (Harmatheque n.d.). Sources also indicate that the objective of the practice of famlà is to make money (ACQ 4 Apr. 2016; Kaptue 24 Mar. 2014; Pigeaud 2011, 112).

According to the ACBC representative, [translation] “people practise famlà with the objective of getting rich, taking revenge or settling accounts” (ACBC 5 Apr. 2016).

Louis Perrois and Jean-Paul Notué indicate that

[translation]

Famlà (literally “the abandoned village”) is the name of a wealthy neighbourhood of Bafoussam that is so well established that the wealth of some of its inhabitants appears suspicious to the populace, which saw the mark of witchcraft practices or the intervention of a genie. (Perrois and Notué 1997, 122)

Sources indicate that, to acquire more money, people who practise famlà engage in human sacrifices (Pigeaud 2011, 112; Kaptue 24 Mar. 2014; ACQ 4 Apr. 2016). In Au Cameroun de Paul Biya, a work by Fanny Pigeaud, a French journalist who has worked for Agence France-Presse (AFP) and the daily newspaper Libération (Jeune Afrique 8 Oct. 2011), states that

[translation]

those who become rich quickly are suspected by others of engaging in magic practices such as kong (among the Beti), also called famla (Bamiléké), ekong (Duala) or djambe (Maka). According to popular opinion, this practice of witchcraft consists of killing people and reviving their bodies as zombies … This enslavement allegedly makes it possible to get rich. (Pigeaud 2011, 112)

The anthropologist Séverin Cécile Abéga and the sociologist Claude Abé explain that

[translation]

after dying, the victim is supposed to go to work in a far off country for a boss to whom their murderer sold them for a certain sum of money. A person who gets rich too quickly is accused of selling their family members in this way, especially if the mortality rate seems abnormally high among their relatives. (Abéga and Abé 2005, 35)

Similarly, sources indicate that, according to the beliefs associated with famlà, the person sacrificed, contrary to appearances, is not dead but works elsewhere, for example, on a plantation in order to make money for the person who sacrificed them (Kaptue 24 Mar. 2014; ACQ 4 Apr. 2016). Sources report that victims can be family members of the person who practises famlà (ibid.; Perrois and Notué 1997, 124; Bonaberi.com 24 July 2011).

1.3 The Origin of Famlà and the Regions Where it is Present

Sources indicate that famlà began among the Bamileke (ACBC 5 Apr. 2016; Harmatheque n.d.; Cameroon Goodwill 4 Apr. 2016), one of the main ethnic groups in Cameroon (ibid.). According to sources, famlà is known under other names among other ethnic groups in Cameroon (Harmatheque n.d.; Pigeaud 2011, 112 ACQ 4 Apr. 2016). Sources indicate that famlà is present throughout Cameroon, particularly in the region of the Bamileke [western region] (ibid.; Harmatheque n.d.). According to a representative of the Cameroon Goodwill Association of Montreal, [translation] “the term comes from the Bamileke, … [but] [t]oday, everyone in Cameroon uses the expression ‘famlà’” (Cameroon Goodwill 4 Apr. 2016). According to Louis Perrois and Jean-Paul Notué, the [translation] “brotherhood” is “well known in southern Cameroon” (Perrois and Notué 1997, 122).

2. Recruitment

The ACBC representative noted that recruitment of new practitioners must [translation] “undoubtedly” exist “in order to perpetuate the tradition,” and explained that famlà was more a practice than a member community (ACBC 5 Apr. 2016). According to the same source, recruitment [translation] “is not done publicly” (ibid.). Louis Perrois and Jean-Paul Notué state that, according to popular belief, recruitment is not limited to those who are part of the family circle (Perrois and Notué 1997, 125). Sources indicate that famlà can be accessed on a voluntary basis, but it can also be involuntary (ibid., 124; Kaptue 24 Mar. 2014). Louis Perrois and Jean-Paul Notué state that [translation] “popular belief indicates … that people unknowingly become a part of famlà” (Perrois and Notué 1997, 124).

According to sources, people are recruited into famlà by borrowing money they cannot pay back (Geschiere 2010, 240-241; Kaptue 24 Mar. 2014). They are then asked to sacrifice a member of their family in order to settle their debt (ibid.; Geschiere 2010, 241).

Louis Perrois and Jean-Paul Notué cite the testimony of a Bamileke merchant regarding the recruitment of people against their will:

[translation]

“A merchant was introduced by his close friend into a simple association with the apparent aim of allowing the social promotion of the members and helping the whole community. At his first meeting, the merchant was very satisfied, especially since the admission fees for that association were limited to a rooster and a hen. At the second meeting, therefore, he brought a rooster and a hen to pay his admission fees. The people in attendance were astonished by such naïveté. He was then told that the “rooster” was his eldest and only son; the “hen” was his “mother” ... ; the remainder of the contribution was to be the sacrifice of other members of his family. In return, it was insisted, the famlà was to provide the merchant with everything he wanted and, if necessary, even prolong his life.” (Perrois and Notué 1997, 124)

3. Consequences of Refusing to be Initiated into the Famlà or to Participate in its Activities

The ACBC representative stated that it was [translation] “risky to refuse initiation into the famlà” and explained that the unsuccessful recruiter may fear being denounced by the individual to whom he has disclosed his famlà activities and may try to kill the individual to protect himself (ACBC 5 Apr. 2016). The same source noted that the recruiter could also threaten the individual with a curse, disown or disinherit him (in the case of a father who tries to recruit his son), or ruin his reputation (ibid.). According to the ACBC representative,

[translation]

if the unsuccessful recruiter is someone of influence (a tribal chief, a government official or a police officer, for example), the individual who refuses initiation would not be safe staying in Cameroon. (ibid.)

According to AFP, the governor of the Far North region in Cameroon, Awa Fonka Augustine, stated that once a person knows the secret of the famlà, they cannot [translation] “leave the organization” (AFP 3 Apr. 2014). According to Peter Geschiere,

[y]oung Bamileke often complain that the famla njangi [famlà credit associations] have become so strong that it would be futile to try and attack them. The only way to escape them would be to migrate. (Geschiere 2010, 241)

Sources indicate that, according to popular belief, an individual recruited by the famlà who does not provide the victims required for human sacrifices could themself be killed by members of the group (Kaptue 24 Mar. 2014; Perrois and Notué 1997, 124). Louis Perrois and Jean-Paul Notué state that [translation] “a number of deaths (especially accidental ones) are … attributed to the famlà, rightly or wrongly” (ibid.).

Information on possible killings attributed to the famlà could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. However, media sources report the existence of ritual crimes in Cameroon (BBC 25 Aug. 2015; Jeune Afrique 10 June 2014; Journal du Cameroun.com 10 July 2015).

4. Support from the Authorities

No information on the protection provided by the police to individuals who feel threatened by a member of the famlà and limited information on the possible relations between the famlà and the Cameroonian authorities could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. The ACBC representative stated: [translation] “to my knowledge, famlà practitioners do not have a privileged relationship with the government;” he stated that the government does not recognize occult practices (ACBC 5 Apr. 2016). However, according to the same source, [translation] “it would come as no surprise to learn that a government official, a tribal chief or a simple street merchant practised famlà” (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Abéga, Séverin Cécile and Claude Abé. 2005. “Approches anthropologiques de la sorcellerie.” Justice et sorcellerie. Edited by Éric de Rosny. Yaoundé: Éditions Karthala and Presses de l’Université catholique d’Afrique. [Accessed 15 Apr. 2016]

Agence France-Presse (AFP). 3 April 2014. Reinnier Kaze. “Le groupe islamiste nigérian Boko Haram enrôle de jeunes Camerounais dans la zone frontalière.” [Accessed 7 Apr. 2016]

Association des Camerounaises et Camerounais de Québec (ACQ). 4 April 2016. Telephone interview with a representative.

Association des Camerounaises et Camerounais de Québec (ACQ). N.d. “Objectifs.” [Accessed 8 Apr. 2016]

Association of Cameroonians in British Columbia (ACBC). 5 April 2016. Telephone interview with a representative.

Bonaberi.com. 24 July 2011. Guillaume Ebanda. “Cameroun – Sorcellerie, rites ethniques, miracles : pourquoi croit-on au surnaturel?” [Accessed 4 Apr. 2016]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 25 August 2015. “Cameroun : crimes rituels en hausse.” [Accessed 8 Apr. 2016]

Cameroon Goodwill Association of Montreal. 4 April 2016. Telephone interview with a representative.

Cameroon Goodwill Association of Montreal. N.d. “About Us.” [Accessed 12 Apr. 2016]

CYLEX. N.d. “Association of Cameroonians in British Columbia, Surrey.” [Accessed 8 Apr. 2016]

Geschiere, Peter. 2010. “Witchcraft and Modernity: Perspectives from Africa and Beyond.” Sorcery in the black Atlantic. Edited by L. Nicolau Parés and R. Sansi. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. [Accessed 15 Apr. 2016]

Harmatheque. N.d. “Le famlà, association des sorciers chez les Bamiléké du Cameroun.” [Accessed 6 Apr. 2016]

Jeune Afrique. 10 June 2014. François Soudan and Michael Pauron. “Crimes rituels : sur l’autel de la puissance et de l’impunité.” [Accessed 8 Apr. 2016]

Jeune Afrique. 8 October 2011. Clarisse Juompan-Yakam. “Fanny Pigeaud : ‘Le besoin de dire les choses’ sur le Cameroun de Paul Biya.” [Accessed 11 Apr. 2016]

Journal du Cameroun.com. 10 July 2015. “Crime rituel à Bafoussam, un homme d’affaires pointé du doigt!” [Accessed 8 Apr. 2016]

Kaptue, Florian. 24 March 2014. “Comment on entre au famla.” Atelier des médias, Radio France internationale. [Accessed 4 Apr. 2016]

Perrois, Louis and Jean-Paul Notué. 1997. Rois et sculpteurs de l’Ouest Cameroun : la panthère et la mygale. Paris: Éditions Karthala and Éditions de l’Orstom. [Accessed 7 Apr. 2016]

Pigeaud, Fanny. 2011. Au Cameroun de Paul Biya. Paris : Éditions Karthala. [Accessed 11 Apr. 2016]

Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA). N.d. “About the UvA.” [Accessed 7 Apr. 2016]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Anthropologist, Université Paris 1'anthropologist, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense; Association des Camerounais de France; Association des étudiants camerounais de l’Université de Montréal; Cameroon – Ministry of Culture; Cartel; Centre culturel camerounais; Department of Anthropology, Université de Yaoundé 1; Université catholique d’Afrique centrale.

Internet sites, including: Africa Confidential; Africa Research Bulletin; Amnesty International; ecoi.net; Human Rights Watch; United Nations – Refworld; United States – Department of State.