[ti:Lawyers, Teachers in Cameroon Strike for More English] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51VOA.COM [00:02.36]Protests over the English language in Cameroon have grown violent. [00:10.24]A strike, called to increase the use of English, [00:16.88]has spread to schools and universities in English-speaking areas. [00:24.60]Lawyers and teachers, supported by young people, [00:30.20]refused to call off the strike as protesters clashed with members of the military. [00:40.16]The governor of Cameroon's North-West Region says [00:45.32]at least one person has been killed in the clashes. [00:51.92]"Investigations are ongoing to establish the responsibilities," [00:57.84]said governor Adolphe Lele L'Afrique Deben Tchoffo. [01:04.04]But media reports suggest that as many as four people were killed. [01:12.04]The protesters are demanding greater rights for English speakers [01:19.32]in a country that has both English and French as official languages. [01:28.12]The current strike has created more debate ¨C and caused more concern [01:35.56]¨C among government officials and local rulers [01:39.72]than any other issue in recent years. [01:45.24]The roots of this strike go deep. [01:49.00]English speakers make up about 20 percent of Cameroon's population. [01:58.40]The constitution says that English and French [02:03.48]¨C languages that come from the colonial period [02:07.52]¨C should be equally important. [02:11.92]However, many official documents are written only in French. [02:19.16]Some government ministers give speeches in French, [02:23.68]even in English-speaking areas. [02:27.20]No English speaker has held an important position, [02:33.28]such as minister of defense, finance, or territorial administration, [02:40.28]in Cameroon's nearly 60-year history as an independent country. [02:48.36]Lawyers have been at the front of the strike. [02:53.44]Harmony Bogda, spokesperson for the striking lawyers, [02:59.42]says that after discussions lasting 72 hours, [03:05.44]lawyers left with the idea that the government does not want to listen to them. [03:13.84]As such, Bogda says, the strike will continue. [03:21.72]Ben Muna is a lawyer and a member of the Cameroon Bar Council Association. [03:30.24]He says his colleagues are angry because security forces [03:35.60]increased tensions and beat them for demonstrating peacefully. [03:43.04]Communication minister and government spokesperson Issa Tchiroma [03:49.48]says the government is unable to approve some of the requests. [03:56.56]He says the lawyers are responsible for the recent violence in English-speaking areas. [04:05.28]"Those who are responsible for such abuses must know that nowhere in the world, [04:13.72]disorder has ever led to anything constructive. [04:18.44]We therefore call on all our compatriots to show proof of reserve, [04:24.32]self-control, high sense of responsibility and citizenship in a spirit of dialogue." [04:33.20]Schools have remained closed since the clashes started last Monday. [04:40.20]I'm John Russell.