 The colonialism that Atangana had supported was ruinous in Cameroon . Production centred on enriching the chiefs , wooing of foreign investment , and the apparatus of colonial administration , and building only that infrastructure that would aid in the transport and export of cash crops . Nevertheless , Atangana 's story became part of Beti folklore . For example , Beti storytellers related his tale in oral poems and songs that took up to a full night to recite . His legacy was largely forgotten by the nation at large between his death and Cameroonian independence . However , the nationalist scholarship that blossomed after Cameroon 's independence in 1960 resurrected his story . Charles Atangana Avenue in downtown Yaoundé is named for him . A statue in his likeness tops a hill nearby , which had fallen into disrepair by 2000 . 
