Cameroonians had anticipated seeing the veteran leader descend the aircraft gangway, as is his custom, to greet the powerful figures of the Etoudi Palace. Instead, they were shown only a hand. In the realm of politics, such an act is far from trivial. The hand, in political discourse, carries four distinct levels of meaning: the hand that takes life, the hand that deceives, the hand that blesses, and the hand that governs.

The hand that kills

In ancient Rome, the crowd in the arena would fall silent, their gaze fixed solely on Caesar’s hand. A raised thumb meant life for the gladiator; a lowered thumb, death. On Thursday, August 20, in Yaoundé, the dynamic was reversed. It was no longer the Emperor’s hand dictating the gladiator’s fate. Instead, it was the gladiator’s hand that had to signal to the ‘Empire’ that he was still alive. Cameroonians witnessed President Biya’s hand waving in greeting, a clear indication that he had returned alive.

The hand that cheats

When physical capabilities wane, one resorts to the hand to deceive. In 1986, Argentine football legend Diego Maradona famously scored against England using his hand, dubbing it the ‘Hand of God.’ Despite universal recognition of the foul, the referee validated the goal. Similarly, on Thursday, while everyone observed only a hand, the national broadcaster, CRTV, with its extensive crew of 200 filming the motorcade, nevertheless validated this ‘miracle’ for the nation.

The hand that blesses

Within religious liturgy, power is often conveyed through the hand. A priest lays on hands, the Pope bestows his blessing Urbi et Orbi, and a monarch is consecrated through anointing. Once anointed, the hand becomes a sacred relic. Thursday’s event presented an inverted liturgy: a relic-like hand emerging from behind a tinted window, much like a reliquary paraded on festive days, intended to sustain the faith of the loyal.

The hand that governs

This brings us to the ultimate dimension: the hand that signs. Throughout the 74 days of his brief stay in Switzerland, we were assured that the state continued to function. Why? Because the hand was signing – decrees, appointments, laws. The hand was present, even in the absence of the body. This is the most ancient legal definition of power: the manus, the hand. In Latin, manus signifies power itself. There are no longer grand speeches, no physical presence, no walks on the tarmac. All that remains is the signature and the wave. The hand that signs and the hand that salutes.

In Rome, the hand decreed life or death for others. In the church, it bestowed blessings. In Yaoundé, it primarily affirms that the one who wields it remains in power. After forty-three years of leadership, Cameroonians must now grow accustomed, for an indeterminate period—likely shorter than longer—to being governed by a hand. Cameroonian journalist Marie Roger Biloa offers a starker assessment: “Cameroon,” she states, “must prepare to face the definitive disappearance of a president who is already de facto absent.”