The sociopolitical landscape of modern-day Cameroon is the result of maneuvers instituted by the Berlin Conference (1884–1885). The purpose of this study is to help put in perspective the roots of “identity blurring” that is often cited, rightly or wrongly, as one of the reasons why international law cannot apply to minorities and indigenous peoples in Cameroon. On the one hand, we discover that the Berlin Act produced a profound change in the civility of the peoples of Cameroon by legitimizing certain nontraditional practices such as expropriation and deportation. By de-territorializing certain groups, these practices contributed to their uprooting and to their alienation from their native identity. On the other hand, despite timid attempts to raise awareness, national public authorities in independent Cameroon have been unable (or unwilling) to repair past injustices. The implementation of modern law to the detriment of the traditional system appears to have contributed to the prolongation of the deconstruction of identity that began during the colonial era. Overall, the issue of land ownership in Cameroon has intensified rather than mitigated the sense of urgency regarding the need to address the affairs of the country’s minorities and indigenous peoples.