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Rudolf Duala Manga Bell (1873 - 8 August 1914) was a Duala king and resistance leader in the German colony of Kamerun (Cameroon). After being educated in both Kamerun and Europe, he succeeded his father Manga Ndumbe Bell on 2 September 1908, styling himself after European rulers, and generally supporting the colonial German authorities. He was quite wealthy and educated, although his father left him a substantial debt. In 1910 the German Reichstag developed a plan by which the riverain Duala would be moved inland to allow for wholly European riverside settlements. Manga Bell became the leader of pan-Duala resistance to the policy. He and the other chiefs at first pressured the administration through letters, petitions, and legal arguments, but these were ignored or rebutted. Manga Bell turned to other European governments for aid, and he sent representatives to the leaders of other Cameroonian peoples to suggest the overthrow of the German regime. Sultan Ibrahim Njoya of the Bamum people reported his actions to the authorities, and the Duala leader was arrested. After a summary trial, Manga Bell was hanged for high treason on 8 August 1914. His actions made him a martyr in Cameroonian eyes. Writers such as Mark W. DeLancey, Mark Dike DeLancey, and Helmuth Stoecker view his actions as an early example of Cameroonian nationalism. ==Early life and reign== Manga Bell was born in 1873 in Douala in the German colony of Kamerun. He was the eldest son of Manga Ndumbe Bell, king of the Bell lineage of the Duala people. Manga Bell was raised to appreciate both African and European ways of life. His Westernized uncle David Mandessi Bell had a great impact on him,〔Austen and Derrick 126.〕 and as a youth he attended school in both Douala and Germany.〔DeLancey and DeLancey 168.〕 During the 1890s he attended the Gymnasium of Ulm, Germany, although no direct record of his time there survives. Manga Bell was made ''Ein-Jähriger'', indicating that he held a certificate for education beyond the primary level but below the ''Abitur'' earned for completion of secondary studies.〔Austen and Derrick 221 note 167.〕 When the prince returned to Kamerun, he was one of the most highly educated men in the colony by Western standards.〔Austen and Derrick 132.〕 He made other periodic visits to Europe, such as when he travelled to Berlin, Germany, and Manchester, England, with his father in 1902. In Manchester, he met the mayor at town hall and was mentioned in the October edition of the ''African Times'' (where the editor doubted that he and his father were actual royalty).〔Brunschwig 54; Green 23.〕 Manga Bell married Emily Engome Dayas, the daughter of an English trader and a Duala woman.〔 When his father died on 2 September 1908, Manga Bell succeeded as the king of the Duala Bell lineage. He was traditionally installed on 2 May 1910 by the paramount chief of Bonaberi.〔Ngoh 350.〕 Manga Bell inherited an 8,000 mark pension,〔Brunschwig 54.〕 cocoa and timber interests in the Mungo River valley, property and real estate in Douala,〔Austen and Derrick 130, 132〕 and a lucrative position as head of an appeals court with jurisdiction over the Cameroon littoral.〔Austen 14.〕 His father and grandfather, Ndumbe Lobe Bell, left him in a strong political position with Bell dominant over the other Duala lineages.〔 However, his father also left him a substantial debt of 7,000 marks.〔Austen and Derrick 132–3.〕 Rudolf Duala Manga Bell was forced to rent buildings to European interests and move his own offices inland to the Douala neighbourhood of Bali.〔Austen and Derrick 133.〕 He owned 200 hectares of cocoa plantations in 1913, a large amount by Duala standards;〔Clarence-Smith 157.〕 his debt had been reduced to 3,000 marks by 13 July 1912.〔Austen and Derrick 221 note 169.〕 Manga Bell's reign was European in character.〔 His relations with the Germans were largely positive, and he was viewed as a good citizen and collaborator.〔 Nevertheless, at times he ran afoul of the colonial administrators. In 1910, for example, the German authorities arrested him and accused him (with no proof) of collusion with a large bank robbery.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rudolf Duala Manga Bell」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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