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Alexandre Douala Manga Bell
Chiemseehering: new page, translatet from the German Wikipedia-Article "Alexander Douala-Bell"
'''Alexandre Douala Manga Bell''' (born 3 December 1897, † 19 September 1966 in [[Douala]]) was head of the [[Duala people]] in [[Cameroon]], German officer and French politician.
== Biography ==
=== Youth in Germany ===
Alexandre Douala Manga Bell - then named Alexander Duala Manga Bell - was born on 3 December 1897 in the Douala area as the eldest son of King [[Rudolf Duala Manga Bell]]. Cameroon was a German colony at that time. At the age of four Alexander was brought to Germany for education. In the First World War, he fought as a German officer in 1915 at [[Gallipoli]] in German-allied Turkey against the British and French.<ref>Nerius Namaso Mbile: Cameroon Political Story: Memories of an Authentic Eye Witness. Bamenda 2011, p. 243ff, ISBN 9956-717-77-0</ref> One year ago in Cameroon, his father, Rudolf Manga Bell, had been executed after a conflict with the German colonial administration on charges of high treason.
In 1919 in Hamburg Alexander Douala-Bell married Andrea Jimenez Berroa. She was the daughter of the Afro-Cuban pianist Jose Manuel Jimenez Berroa, professor at the Hamburg Music Conservatory, and Emma Mina Filter, descending of an old-established Hamburg family. They had two children, son Jose Emmanuel, born 1920, and daughter Andrea Tüke Ekedi, born 1921.<ref>Alexandra Lübcke, Stefanie Michels: Theoretische Überlegungen zu Erinnerungskonzepten. In: Elisabeth Boesen, Fabienne Lentz (Hg.): Migration und Erinnerung. Konzepte und Methoden der Forschung. Berlin 2010, p. 205 and 208, ISBN 978-3-643-10341-3</ref>
=== Life in France and Cameroon ===
Cameroon became French in 1919 according to the Treaty of Versailles. The French government now forced the moving of Alexandre Douala-Bell to France, expecting this would give a benefit to the legitimacy of the new French rule in Cameroon. On the other hand, the French government distrusted him because of his German background and insisted on "frenchifying" him before returning to Cameroon. In mid-1919, the couple moved to Paris. After some temporary stays, Alexandre Douala-Bell returned to Cameroon in 1922, but without his wife Andrea Manga Bell and the children who remained in Europe. In the following years he had to fight for his position in Cameroon, as well as for his family property, around which he led an 18-year-long lawsuit. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2W7xwWz Richard Joseph: ''The Royal Pretender: Prince Douala Manga Bell in Paris, 1919-1922.''] in: ''Cahiers d'Études Africaines'', Vol. 14, No. 54, p. 339-358, Paris 1974</ref>
During the Second World War, Alexandre Douala-Bell fought on the side of France and enlisted in Dakar to the French army. In the post-war period, all French colonial territories could send MPs to Paris. Alexandre Douala-Bell was elected to the Constituent Assembly of the Fourth Republic in 1945 as one of the representatives of Cameroon.<ref>Franz Ansprenger: Politik im Schwarzen Afrika. Die modernen politischen Bewegungen im Afrika französischer Prägung. Wiesbaden 1961. p. 65, ISBN 978-3-322-97922-3</ref> In the parliamentary elections of 1946 he scored almost a two-thirds majority. In 1951 and 1956 he was re-elected. From 1946 to 1955 he was a member of the MRP (Mouvement républicain populaire), in his last legislative period from 1956 until his retirement in 1958 he was one of the "Indépendants d'outre-mer". In 1952 he was a delegate of France at the UN General Assembly. He was also a member of the Territorial Assembly of Cameroon since 1952.<ref>[https://ift.tt/2ubcXws Assembleé nationale. Biographie d'Alexandre Douala Manga Bell]</ref>
=== Death of the son ===
During a visit of his son Emmanuel at Douala Alexandre shot him in a dispute on 15 September 1947. Alexandre was imprisoned, but released soon on 19 November 1947. The death of his son was classified as an accident and the French Parliament rejected the waiver of immunity.<ref>[https://ift.tt/2ubcXws Assembleé nationale. Biographie d'Alexandre Douala Manga Bell]</ref> Efforts by Andrea Manga Bell, to achieve a trial despite this, were unsuccessful.<ref>[https://ift.tt/2W7xz4H John Eichler: ''Die Entmenschlichung der Juliette Martens in Klaus Manns Roman «Mephisto»''] Eine Verteidigungsschrift für Andrea Manga Bell, ''Huffington Post'' 2. Dezember 2017</ref>
It was not until 1951 that Alexander Douala-Bell was enthroned as head of the Douala (''chef supérieure'').<ref>Jean-Pierre Félix Eyoum, Stefanie Michels, Joachim Zeller: Bonamanga. Eine kosmopolitische Familiengeschichte. In: Mont Cameroun. Afrikanische Zeitschrift für interkulturelle Studien zum deutschsprachigen Raum, No. 2, 2005, p. 11 - 48</ref> On 19 September 1966 Alexandre Douala Bell died. His successor as head of Douala was his nephew René Douala Manga Bell. .<ref>[https://ift.tt/2uiv2bP Emmanuel Batamag: ''Cameroun: qui était Son Altesse Royale le Prince René Douala Manga Bell?''], Le nouvel Afrik.com, 4. Januar 2013</ref>
== Notes ==
<references />
[[Category:Cameroonian traditional rulers]]
[[Category:Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic]]
[[Category:Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic]]
[[Category:Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic]]
== Biography ==
=== Youth in Germany ===
Alexandre Douala Manga Bell - then named Alexander Duala Manga Bell - was born on 3 December 1897 in the Douala area as the eldest son of King [[Rudolf Duala Manga Bell]]. Cameroon was a German colony at that time. At the age of four Alexander was brought to Germany for education. In the First World War, he fought as a German officer in 1915 at [[Gallipoli]] in German-allied Turkey against the British and French.<ref>Nerius Namaso Mbile: Cameroon Political Story: Memories of an Authentic Eye Witness. Bamenda 2011, p. 243ff, ISBN 9956-717-77-0</ref> One year ago in Cameroon, his father, Rudolf Manga Bell, had been executed after a conflict with the German colonial administration on charges of high treason.
In 1919 in Hamburg Alexander Douala-Bell married Andrea Jimenez Berroa. She was the daughter of the Afro-Cuban pianist Jose Manuel Jimenez Berroa, professor at the Hamburg Music Conservatory, and Emma Mina Filter, descending of an old-established Hamburg family. They had two children, son Jose Emmanuel, born 1920, and daughter Andrea Tüke Ekedi, born 1921.<ref>Alexandra Lübcke, Stefanie Michels: Theoretische Überlegungen zu Erinnerungskonzepten. In: Elisabeth Boesen, Fabienne Lentz (Hg.): Migration und Erinnerung. Konzepte und Methoden der Forschung. Berlin 2010, p. 205 and 208, ISBN 978-3-643-10341-3</ref>
=== Life in France and Cameroon ===
Cameroon became French in 1919 according to the Treaty of Versailles. The French government now forced the moving of Alexandre Douala-Bell to France, expecting this would give a benefit to the legitimacy of the new French rule in Cameroon. On the other hand, the French government distrusted him because of his German background and insisted on "frenchifying" him before returning to Cameroon. In mid-1919, the couple moved to Paris. After some temporary stays, Alexandre Douala-Bell returned to Cameroon in 1922, but without his wife Andrea Manga Bell and the children who remained in Europe. In the following years he had to fight for his position in Cameroon, as well as for his family property, around which he led an 18-year-long lawsuit. <ref>[https://ift.tt/2W7xwWz Richard Joseph: ''The Royal Pretender: Prince Douala Manga Bell in Paris, 1919-1922.''] in: ''Cahiers d'Études Africaines'', Vol. 14, No. 54, p. 339-358, Paris 1974</ref>
During the Second World War, Alexandre Douala-Bell fought on the side of France and enlisted in Dakar to the French army. In the post-war period, all French colonial territories could send MPs to Paris. Alexandre Douala-Bell was elected to the Constituent Assembly of the Fourth Republic in 1945 as one of the representatives of Cameroon.<ref>Franz Ansprenger: Politik im Schwarzen Afrika. Die modernen politischen Bewegungen im Afrika französischer Prägung. Wiesbaden 1961. p. 65, ISBN 978-3-322-97922-3</ref> In the parliamentary elections of 1946 he scored almost a two-thirds majority. In 1951 and 1956 he was re-elected. From 1946 to 1955 he was a member of the MRP (Mouvement républicain populaire), in his last legislative period from 1956 until his retirement in 1958 he was one of the "Indépendants d'outre-mer". In 1952 he was a delegate of France at the UN General Assembly. He was also a member of the Territorial Assembly of Cameroon since 1952.<ref>[https://ift.tt/2ubcXws Assembleé nationale. Biographie d'Alexandre Douala Manga Bell]</ref>
=== Death of the son ===
During a visit of his son Emmanuel at Douala Alexandre shot him in a dispute on 15 September 1947. Alexandre was imprisoned, but released soon on 19 November 1947. The death of his son was classified as an accident and the French Parliament rejected the waiver of immunity.<ref>[https://ift.tt/2ubcXws Assembleé nationale. Biographie d'Alexandre Douala Manga Bell]</ref> Efforts by Andrea Manga Bell, to achieve a trial despite this, were unsuccessful.<ref>[https://ift.tt/2W7xz4H John Eichler: ''Die Entmenschlichung der Juliette Martens in Klaus Manns Roman «Mephisto»''] Eine Verteidigungsschrift für Andrea Manga Bell, ''Huffington Post'' 2. Dezember 2017</ref>
It was not until 1951 that Alexander Douala-Bell was enthroned as head of the Douala (''chef supérieure'').<ref>Jean-Pierre Félix Eyoum, Stefanie Michels, Joachim Zeller: Bonamanga. Eine kosmopolitische Familiengeschichte. In: Mont Cameroun. Afrikanische Zeitschrift für interkulturelle Studien zum deutschsprachigen Raum, No. 2, 2005, p. 11 - 48</ref> On 19 September 1966 Alexandre Douala Bell died. His successor as head of Douala was his nephew René Douala Manga Bell. .<ref>[https://ift.tt/2uiv2bP Emmanuel Batamag: ''Cameroun: qui était Son Altesse Royale le Prince René Douala Manga Bell?''], Le nouvel Afrik.com, 4. Januar 2013</ref>
== Notes ==
<references />
[[Category:Cameroonian traditional rulers]]
[[Category:Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic]]
[[Category:Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic]]
[[Category:Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic]]
March 18, 2019 at 11:21PM
