 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (October 2014) |
Martin-Paul Samba | |
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| Birth name | Mebenga m'Ebono |
| Born | circa 1875 |
| Died | August 8, 1914 (aged 38–39) |
Martin-Paul Samba, born Mebenga m'Ebono (circa 1875 – 8 August 1914) was a Bulu military officer during the Imperial German colonial period of Cameroon. M'Ebono became a favourite of the German colonials during his upbringing in Kribi, a coastal settlement in southern Cameroon. He was sent to Germany in 1891 to enter the German Military Academy; he was baptised Martin-Paul Samba while abroad. Upon graduation, Samba returned to Cameroon and accompanied German military expeditions across the colony.
Samba resigned his commission in 1902 and entered private business in Ebolowa. He began to plot an uprising against the Germans. He secretly contacted British and French forces to secure arms, but one such letter was intercepted. German forces arrested him and charged him with high treason. Samba was executed on 8 August 1914. Today, many Cameroonian historians view Samba as one of Cameroon's earliest heroes and nationalists.[1] His memory is commemorated by a statue in Ebolowa.[2]
- ^ DeLancey and DeLancey 236.
- ^ Linge, Par Idriss. "Cameroun: Les héros oubliés de la nation". Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2011.