bakwerirama

Tata Kinge: A Musical Tribute to Barack Obama

Within minutes of the announcement that Barack Obama had won the US presidential elections on that historic November night in 2008, Tata Kinge, one of Fako’s most creative artists, immediately went to work to write a song in honor of America's first-ever black president. The result was a scintillating traditional melody whose video was formally launched in Chicago during the July 2009 Fako America convention. Sit back and enjoy this masterpiece from the foot of Mount Fako.

To order Tata Kinge's video collection and new double album contact Stephen Effange at:

mafany27@msn.com
mafany_mafany@yahoo.com 
224-622-4202 

University Don Hails Tata Kinge

By Moki S. Mokondo (Originally published on Fako News Centre) 

 

The former pioneer editor-in-chief, MINAJ Broadcast International, Nigeria ,now senior lecturer, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Buea, Cameroon, Funge Diffang has called on Fako elites in the Diaspora to throw their weight behind a Fako based cultural artist Tata-Kinge. The university don explained that the artist has exceptional talents that can be exploited to sell the Bakweri culture beyond Cameroon. According to the acting Head of Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Tata-Kinge is endowed with talents that enabled him to transform a typical traditional dance chacha of the Bakweris into a hot piece that has taken over the stage of most night clubs and parties organised in Cameroon. 

No-Lingana (I Shall Love You) - A Song by Miss Lee

The story of Etekele and Princess Mboti or the struggle between true African love and loyalty to tradition. By Miss Lee

No-Lingana - Miss Lee

When I Fall in Love, I Talk about Buea (A Valentine's Day Poem)

By Joyce Ashuntantang

When I fall in love, I talk about Buea
One way street into my heart: from mile 17 to Buea Town

Luscious tomatoes, color of my lipstick smudged on his shirt
Remnants of kisses falling on fertile volcanic soil

Liengu's husband, Epasa moto*, part man, part stone,
Sole witness to nature's surrender.

Obituary: Kate Ebenye Idowu née Steane ("Auntie Kate")

it is with great sorrow that Bakwerirama announces the death of Mrs. Kate Idowu nee Steane whom we profiled late last year. Family sources say that Auntie Kate as she was fondly called, died in Limbe, Cameroon, on the evening of January 2nd 2009. According to one of her grand nieces,

Auntie/Grandma was born in 1919 and would have been 90 years old in September but the Good Lord brought her into this year and took her away into his loving and peaceful arms. We thank him for a life well-lived, especially at the service of others... We are blessed with all the wonderful memories of our auntie/grandma and wherever your Auntie Kate’s cookery book is, dig it out in memory of her. May her soul rest in perfect peace.
 

Bakwerirama extends its heartfelt sympathies to the Steane, Endeley, Martin and Idowu families.

Aunty Kate: The Cook, the Book, the Educator and Homemaker

By Gladys Ejomi Martin (Culled from Success Story Magazine # 011, July 2008)

Mrs. Kate Ebenye Idowu née Steane is known by family, friends, colleagues, pupils and in fact, everybody, as Aunty Kate.

 

She is one of the daughters of Charles Nako and Djara Steane, both of blessed memory,and is resident in Clerks Quarters, Buea, Fako Division. She was born in September 1919 in Victoria (now Limbe) and is still going strong at the ripe age of 89 years.

Traditional Bakweri Culinary Technology

Diagrams are culled from: Culled from Idowu, K.E. Auntie Kate’s Cookery Book (3rd Edition). London; McMillan, 1985.

Comments courtesy of Dorothy Ewusi, Minneapolis, USA

Auntie Kate:Equacoco (Equan) ya Mosaka

Culled from Idowu, K.E. Auntie Kate’s Cookery Book (3rd Edition). London; McMillam, 1985.

Bakweri Party In Progress (Buea Jan 2004)
(photograph courtesy of Mola Isaac Menyoli)

THE MBANDO

The Mbando was created by our ancestors a long time ago as a place where the villagers or designated elders could come to call unto "The gods" for guidance and support in times of crises such as: famine, war, diseases and unexplained deaths, and even in joyous occasions such as the "wesuwa"(wrestling), the "male"(elelphant dance) "the liwangi la fako (mountain race). It is generally located in a strategic area of the village, but does not neccessarily look like a shrine, thus one may pass by and not even notice.

In Buea Town For instance, the Mbando which serves its environs as well, is located at the "yombomba tree" (not sure of its name in English) in "Wonya-emongo", just south of the wrestling field.

This is a very simple explanation intended to create awareness regarding the significance of the Mbando. Mola Mbua Ndoko, should be able to fill in any gaps.

Ndaw'a Ngonja or Traditional "Mat House"

Click to enlarge the picture

This is the traditional Bakweri "mat house" or ndaw'a ngonja. We propose working on a project to photograph and film the process of building such a house from scratch, including collection of building materials. These days, most whakpe new construction consists of modern buildings with cement blocks and corrugated aluminium roofs. Construction of ndaw'a ngonja is now a dying art.

Auntie Kate: Cocoyam Koki 'Endeley Bread' (Equacoco a vekoo)

Culled from: Idowu, K.E. Auntie Kate’s Cookery Book (3rd Edition). London; McMillan, 1985
We ask readers to provide us with a short biography and picture of the renowned domestic science teacher and community leader, Mrs Kate Idowu (Auntie Kate). Future Auntie Kates are also invited to contribute recipes. Contact authors of the site.

Oso na Esu - The Parrot and The Owl

The story below is a Bakweri folktale culled from a collection of proverbs, fables, riddles, etc., put together by Carl Bender during his first stay in Buea between 1899 and 1919. These were later published in 1921 in a 122-page book written in German and Bakweri and titled: “Die Volksdichtung der Wakweli: Sprichworter, Fabeln, Marchen, Parabeln, Ratsel, und Lieder” [Folklore of the Wakweli: proverbs, fables, tales, parables, riddles and songs.]

The English translation of the story is by Mola Lyombe Eko

THE LEOPARD AND THE GOAT

AFRICAN JUNGLE TALES originally collected and retold by C.J. Bender
Haldeman-Julius Company, 1919

Again, we invite your comments on this story. Do you know a different version or interpretation?

The Leopard and the Goat were friends. One day they went out camping together. They built themselves a hut in a secluded spot in the jungle, where they could live and do just as they pleased.

After they had everything in shape, the Leopard went hunting. He met with unusual good luck and returned with much game. On this they lived for a number of days.

Then it was the Goat's turn to furnish supplies. But instead of going after the game himself he went to a hunter and bought what he wanted in the line of food. He also bought a leopard-skin which the hunter offered for sale.

When he reached home, the Goat hid the leopard-skin back of the hut, but the meat he took along inside.

Movie Trailer - Kuva Likenye and the Bakweri Armed Resistance to German Colonization

AFRICAphonie (with an OSIWA support) Presents Kuva Likenye, a historical Documentary. Directed by Kome Epule Mathias. Editor: Njukeng George Njukeng. Script Consultant: Dibussi Tande. Narrator Muema Meombo. Executive Producer: George Ngwane.

For details on how to obtain a copy of the documentary, contact:

George Ngwane
Executive Director
AFRICAphonie
Tel: 77 66 84 79
E-mail: gngwane@ yahoo.com or Africaphonie2000@ yahoo.co.uk

An African Explains Witchcraft: Bakwiri, British Cameroons

Information from A. S. Njoh (In Africa, Vol. 8 no. 4 of October 1935; 547-48.)

Witches are people believed to possess invisible powers, that nobody can explain, to do harm to others. This power is said to be in the heart of one so accused and it is not quite certain whether he knows of it himself. To prove that one is a witch or wizard the root of a certain herb (pwave) is mixed with water in a bowl and given to one to drink it. If he does not vomit he is said to be a witch, but if he does he is not a witch.

It is believed that the witches go about looking at all men in the town, and those they think will rise above them they try to find a way to quarrel with so that can destroy either them or their property

University of Buea Choir - Bakweri Medley (Video)

Why the Weaver Bird and the Woodpecker are Enemies

Comments Invited

This and other stories that are going to be posted here in the coming months were collected, retold and published by Rev Carl Bender in 1919 under the title: "African Jungle Tales". Many of of us listened to some of version of these same stories as children. Bender clearly wrote for an American or European audience, and although his writing is on the whole sympathetic and very progressive, some of today's reader might consider some of the language dated by today's standards. We would like readers to comment and "reAfricanize" the stories. A lot of folk tales had accompanying songs. If you remember the wordings of the songs, please post them too.

The Woodpecker and the Weaver-Bird one day went on a hike together. When they saw that they could not reach their destination the same day any more, the Woodpecker suggested that they build huts for themselves in which they could put up for the night.

"All right," said the Weaver. And they went to work.

Book Review - Namondo (Child of the Water Spirits)

Originally Published in Summit Magazine no. 006

Ntemfac A.N. Ofege. Namondo (Child of the Water Spirits). Langaa Publishers. November, 2007. 360 pages (Paperback). Available from Amazon.com ($24.95) and African Books Collective (£19.95)

Ntemfac A.N. Ofege forays into the customs and traditions of the Bakweri people, the often unfathomable dwellers of the lands below the Fako Mountain (Mount Cameroon to put together a story that is beautiful in content, flowing in style, enthralling in meanders, fetching in intrigue and ethereal in plot. The plot of this book is bustling, fascinating and lingering. This page-turner keeps the reader wondering what next.

A Video Clip of Buea

Buea (A 10 minute video clip)
Directed by Isaac Menyoli
Produced by Samuel Sielen
Edited by Samuel Sielen for AE3 Architects
Raw footage from Dorst Dedia Works and Home Box Video

Starting with over 8 hours of raw footage this sub-10 minute clip was assembled by selecting a variety of shots to create an immersing visual exploration of the market in the town of Buea in Cameroon, Africa. Video shot by Dorst Media Works.

AFRICAphonie Produces Historical Documentary on Kuva Likenye and the Bakweri-German Wars of the 1890s

AFRICAphonie (with an OSIWA support) Presents Kuva Likenye, a historical Documentary. Directed by Kome Epule Mathias. Editor: Njukeng George Njukeng. Script Consultant: Dibussi Tande. Narrator Muema Meombo. Executive Producer: George Ngwane.

A new Cameroonian documentary film titled “Kuva Likenye” has been produced. “Kuva Likenye” is a 30 minute documentary that profiles the heroic exploits of a mountain King called Kuva Likenye who mobilised an ill-trained ragtag army to stand up in arms against German exploitation of the Bakweri people culminating in the Bakweri-German wars of 1891 and 1894.

Dr. Namanga Ngongi Announced as President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

Alongside Kofi A. Annan, A. Namanga Ngongi to Lead AGRA’s Work To End Poverty and Hunger of Africa’s Small-Scale Farmers

Accra, Ghana (14 November 2007) — The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) today announced the naming of Dr. A. Namanga Ngongi as its first president. Ngongi is in Accra meeting with Ghanaian government officials, after which he will return to AGRA headquarters in Nairobi.

Ngongi began his career in the fields alongside farmers in his native Cameroon, where he worked as an agricultural officer helping farmers improve yield and diversify and market their crops. His career has spanned involvement in international organisations, and has included serving as Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and leading the peace-keeping mission in war-torn Congo for the United Nations.

“Dr. Ngongi’s leadership will strengthen AGRA’s efforts to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families end poverty,” said Kofi A. Annan, Chairman of the Board of AGRA and former Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Gbea - A Poem

By Dibussi Tande (Culled from No Turning Back: Poems of Freedom 1990-1993 - Available on Amazon.com and Michigan State University Press)

I look at your sores
And I feel the pain of our misery
I walk in your squalor
And I sense our impotence
I witness your slow decay
And my soul slowly dies.

Dr. Jem Spectar Inaugurated as President of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

By Lloney Monono (Originally published in The Sun)

"I am confident that students from this institution under the guidance of Dr. Jem Spectar will make a substantial and positive difference to the world" - Nobel Peace Prize Winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu (click here for video message)

Dr. Jem Spectar who hails from Buea at the foot of Mt. Fako, South West Cameroon, was on Friday 28th September  installed as the 5th President of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in the United States.

Friday's inauguration at the Pasquerilla Centre highlighted a week of festivities to welcome the new president and to mark the university's 80th birthday.

Growing Black in Nazi Germany: The Story of Mola Martin Ngeka Luma

On April 13, 2003, Mola Martin Ngeka Luma, one of the most prominent and most venerated sons of Fako of our times, died in Douala after a protracted illness. His death brought to a close one of the most fascinating lives of our time; that of a little Bakweri kid who grew up in Nazi Germany with a Jewish family and later became a minister in the Government of Ahmadou Ahidjo in Cameroon.

According to Mola's biography as presented by his son Peter Luma at his funeral:

The Late Hon. Dr. M.N.LUMA was born on 10th September 1927 at Tongo. His father Nako LUMA died three months before he was born while his mother Sarah Ngombe died six months after his birth. Hon. Dr. Martin Ngeka LUMA was adopted later in his life by a childless German Family ,the Reinholds. In 1929 he was taken to Germany by his adopted parents.

Man, Mouse, Ape and Water Spirit

Culled from “Belief and the Problem of Women” by Edwin Ardener (1975)

According to the Bakweri of Cameroon (in a male rescension): “MOTO, EWAKI and MOJILI were always quarrelling and agreed to decide by a test which of them was to remain in the town and which should go to the bush. All were to light fires in their houses in the morning and the person whose fire was still burning on their return from the farms in the evening was to be the favored one.

Moto, being more cunning than the others built a fire with big sticks properly arranged, whereas they only built with small dry sticks, and so his was the only fire that was still alight on their return in the evening. Thus Moto remained in the town and became Man. Ewaki and Eto went into the bush and became Ape and Mouse. Mojili was driven into the water and became a water spirit (This version was given in 1929 by Charles Steane, a Bakweri scholar to B. G. Stone).

The Eyu and Motio Rites of the Bakweri

Culled from: Edwin Ardener. Coastal Bantu of the Cameroons. (The Kpe-Mboko, Duala-Limba and Tanga-Yasa groups of the british and french trusteeships territories of the Cameroons). London, 1956. 116 pp.

Formerly it was the custom to hold a large supplementary rite (Eyu) for an important man [upon his death]. This would be performed as soon as possible after the normal rites, but might be delayed up to six months or perhaps a year.

When the decision to perform the ceremony was made, his heir would send word for all the dead man's relatives to meet together and fix their contributions of livestock (chiefly goats) to the celebration. Large numbers of these were necessary to make the eyu a big occasion.

The Spider as a Seer

By Lyombe Eko (originally published on Fakonet in 2001)

Mbosi o no titowe
Mbo mbosi mbo
Mbosi o no titowe
Mbo mbosi mbo
Ekuku lu'uwa
Mbo, Mboszi mbo

This chant is part of Mokpe folklore and philosophy. It is the chant that a sick person or a person who needs help has to chant before he or she is seen by the doctor or soothsayer. In Mokpe folklore, the seer or soothsayer is the spider.

Bakweri Industry and Handicraft in the Early 1900s

By CARL JACOB BENDER (Culled from Twenty Years Among African Negroes (Halderman-Julius Company, 1925)

The following excerpt is from one of the numerous publications on the Bakweri by Carl Bender, a German Missionary who settled on the Cameroon coast toward the end of the 19th century, and lived among the Bakweri for about 25 years. One cannot help but sadly agree with Mr. Bender’s century-old observation that pre-colonial Bakweri culture was dealt a fatal blow when it came in contact with European “civilization”. Read on:

The Liengu Cult (Mermaid Cult)

By Dibussi Tande

The Liengu cult is primarily as a medicinal rite that leads to the induction of the patient into the powerful mermaid cult. According to Edwin Ardener in “Belief and the Problem of Women”, the Liengu beliefs and rites actually consist of:

…various different combinations producing a patchwork of several women’s rites all of which are linked by the name LIENGU... they are all enacted, however, as a response to a fit or seizure that comes mainly upon adolescent girls but also upon older women.

Edwin Ardener (like Carl Bender, 50 years before him) distinguishes three types of Liengu rites:

Elephant–People: Negotiating Globalization, Religion and Local Cultures (Movie Review)

Reviewed by Dibussi Tande

Elephant-People: An African Secret Society in the Age of Globalization. Written and produced by Lyombe Eko. Narrated by George Thomas. Shot in Location in Fako, Cameroon. 30 minutes.

In 2004, Lyombe Eko made a pilgrimage into the inner core of the Bakweri “Mahlé” secret society which he describes as "the most enduring aspect of the Wakpe culture” which “survived 125 years of colonial and missionary effort to stamp it out”.

Melela: Oral Poetry, Chants and Recitations of the Malley [Mahlé] Society

Lifio li kendeke li fondoko wana wa ndembe: a dirge

Translation from Mbomboko by David Kombe Monono aka  moliki m’wangani
Rendering into poetry  by  Richard Moki Monono aka mbak’a moliki

The Molela is a recitation, of the Malley [also spelled Maalé or Mahlé] Society of the Bakweri/Bomboko tribe in general. Several Melela are sung before each celebration of the Malley begins. There are more than one hundred melela recited in the the Malley society and they occur in Mbomboko, Bakweri, Bakundu, and the many coastal dialects which use malley recitation and ritual. The Malley is therefore a very poetic ritual. Non initiates merely see the Malley as a dance society while the literary and poetic aspects of the society are not always well understood.

A Visit to the Maalé: A Festival of the Mokpe Secret Society of the Elephant

By Lyombe Eko (Iowa City, Iowa, USA)

We live in an age of mascots. Transnational political groupings, nations, ethnic and tribal groupings, organizations, companies and sports franchises all have social symbols or mascots that incarnate their values, ethics and aspirations. Not so with the Whakpe (Bakweri) people group of Fako division in the South West Province of Cameroon. The symbol of the Bakweri people is the elephant or Njoku. To say that the Bakweri have a mascot, which happens to be the elephant, would be an understatement. Indeed, the reverse is true. For the Bakweri, the elephant, a denizen of the rain forests of the slopes of Mount Fako, is not just a mascot.

Titi Ikoli: Sexual Insult and Female Militancy among the Bakweri

By Shirley Ardener

An excerpt from “Sexual Insult and Female Militancy.” In Shirley Ardener (ed.), 1975. Perceiving Women. London; Malaby Press, pp. 29-53

This article attempts to examine certain manifestations of female militancy in Africa, not only for their own interest, but also to see whether they can throw any light upon the completely independent modern women’s liberation movements with which we are now familiar in the West. The African ethnographical material, which is set out first, refers mainly to the Bakweri, the Balong and the Kom of West Cameroon. Besides oral reports collected from Cameroonians about traditional behaviour and on particular occurrences, for the Bakweri there is additional relevant documentation from Court records.

Book Review: Ewumbue-Monono’s Blueprint for Political Revival in Fako Division

Reviewed by Dibussi Tande

Ewumbue-Monono, Churchill. 2001. Indigenous minorities and the future of good governance in Cameroon: an inquiry into the politics of local governance in the local councils of Fako Division, 1866-2001. Buea, Cameroon: Center for Research on Democracy and Development in Africa. 345 pages (5000 francs CFA).

I had the opportunity this weekend to finally read Churchill Monono’s seminal book, Indigenous minorities and the future of good governance in Cameroon: an inquiry into the politics of local governance in the local councils of Fako Division, 1866-2001. It is, without doubt, the most comprehensive and most detailed book ever written on the political history of Fako division. Not only does it give a detailed chronology of local politics in Fako in the past century - with a detailed list of all councilors in Fako since 1935 - it also tackles head-on, the native-settler problem which has bedeviled ethnic relations and politics in the division for close to a century – a problem which now manifests itself at national level as the Northwest / Southwest problem.

JK: John Kale and the Lost Generation

By Moki Monono (Chiefs Palace - Great Soppo, Buea)

When JK first returned to Cameroon from the US, all of his brothers were abroad. Some people blamed him for returning. They felt that having arrived in the paradise of America he should have continued to live there. JK’s love for Cameroon was very strong. He kept on coming back to a country which did not merit his love.

he came, the only one who returned, to save
   the old family and its old house, to continue
the ancient line, a quite life
   a life of modest soups with a quiet woman

The Early Times in Victoria (Limbe)

By Joe Burnley (Originally published on the Hard Times Blog)

The city of Victoria was the solution to the vexing problem of Spanish harassment at Fernando Po. The Baptist missionaries who resided in this small island using it as a hub for their work there, and in the Cameroons, had finally lost patience with the Spanish authorities. The British had used Clarence as a base for their naval squadron from where their man o' wars patrolled the gulf of Guinea to disrupt the trade in human slavery, which had been abolished in England, but was still the main trade in that area at that time. They tried to encourage the more legitimate trade in palm oil. This occupation led to the creation of a Creole society at Fernando Po.

Chieftaincy among the Kpe (Bakweri)

Culled from Edwin Ardener. Coastal Bantu of the Cameroons (The Kpe-Mboko, Duala-Limba and Tanga-Yasa Groups of the British and French Trusteeship Territories of the Cameroons). London: International African Institute, 1956.

The political unit among the Kpe is the village, which has a chief (sang'a mboa, " father of the village ") descended from the founder of the village by the most senior branch in the patrilineal line, as far as the exigencies of the succession (q.v.) permit. Other patrilineages may also be descended from the founder in junior lines, or from those who accompanied the founder (even the descendants of the latter, however, often claiming descent from the founder).

A Bird's Eyeview of Buea in 1970

Courade Georges, Magouët T.P. "The Urban development of Buea : An essay in social geography". In La croissance urbaine en Afrique Noire et à Madagascar. Yaoundé : ORSTOM, 1972, 27 p.

I. NATURE, HISTORY AND PEOPLE IN THE FORMATION OF THE TOWN

BUEA is a small town of 11,000 inhabitants situated at 55 kms (35mls) from DOUALA, 2Okms (12 mls) from VICTORIA as the crow flies, spreading at an altitude of between 800 ms (2,600 ft) and 1,100 ms (3,600 ft) on the slopes of the Cameroon Mountain.

(c) Isaac Menyoli

At present the capital of the Federated State of WEST CAMEROON, it attracted the Europeans very early owing to its temperate climate and the absence of malaria, this town being at a latitude of 4'09' North.

Notes on Bakweri Funeral Customs

By M. D. W. JEFFREYS [Originally published in African Studies, Vol. 20, no. 1 (1961): 61-65.

Sometime before 1920, Bakweri historian ESASEA WOLATAE made very detailed notes about Bakweri funeral customs. Around 1946 he handed over these notes to M. D. W. Jeffreys (pictured). Spurred by the realization that "old customs and manners are disappearing [along] with the generation that still remembers how the old customs were performed", Jeffreys submitted these notes to the African Studies Journal for publication in 1961. Today, some 45 years after its first publication, and close to a century after Mola Wolatae jotted down his notes, Bakwerirama offers its readers this unique "refresher course" on Bakweri funeral customs from the perspective of a master of pre-colonial Bakweri culture.

Bakweri Beliefs About Mount Fako

Angoweya Fako yasu (Take Care of of our Fako Mountain)

By Lucas Ngale Wolete (Mountain Porter)

Mola Lucas Ngale Wolete, a porter at Mount Cameroon Ecotourism Organization discusses Bakweri beliefs about Mount Fako during the Afropeaks Pan-African expedition (In Bakweri with English subtitles).

Introducing Mount Fako (Cameroon): A Unique Ecotourism Site

By LIFAFA Tourist and Travel Agency - Buea

This lovely volcanic mountain welcomes visitors immediately they arrive Buea. It stands majestically along the background of Buea Town. The Mountain spreads from Bomboko to Bakweri of Buea and down to the Limbe Beach. It is 4100 metres in height.

A visit to Mount Cameroon is always an exciting experience both in the rainy and dry seasons.

Efasa Moto, the God of Mount Fako

By Wose Yangange Martin

To young Bakweris, Efasa-Moto is either a fairy tale or a frightful phenomenon beyond their comprehension. Otherwise, it is a myth handed down from generation to generation and usually told elderly village folks.

Efasa-Moto is the folkloric god of the Fako Mountain. It is believed that he controls the entire "hill" from the West Coast to the border with Balondo land to the north east coast, and towards Meme Division.

Dr. Herbert Endeley, University of Buea's Pioneer Registrar Laid to Rest

By Harry McYemti and Ben Nakomo in Buea (Originally published in The Entrepreneur)

The mortal remains of late Dr Hebert Nganjo Endeley, the pioneer Registrar of the University of Buea has been buried in his native Mokunda village in Buea Town, Cameroon.

Herbert Endeley who until his death was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) in charge of Research and Cooperation at the University of Buea (UB) died after a brief illness at the Reference Hospital in Douala on Tuesday, November 28, 2006.

Adieu Dr. Herbert N. Endeley

By Jerry Komia Domatob

As Dr. H. N. Endeley joins ancestors
Cheery with decorum and splendor
Admirers applaud his grand feats
Shinning like lights on mountain tops

Buea University captures global spotlight
Like Olympic winners on universal spotlight
As maiden Registrar, Dr. Endeley set standards
Both friends and foes emulate and salute

Tribute to a Fallen Hero: Dr Herbert Nganjo Endeley

By Ernest L. Molua

A Fako native is fallen
A Hero is fallen
Together in grief we join.
Nganjo is lifeless
Herbert is Breathless
Citizens in Fakoland together stand,
Citizens in Diaspora bemoan
Honor those who served.
Tribute to the fallen;
As in EML Endeley
Family of the fallen,
So too, Nganjo is fallen
Bears our debt in grief.
Today another funeral;
In Fakoland, one too many
Honors this one taken.
One man's duty done;
Prosperity continues.

Unraveling Conflicting Narratives about the Origins of the Isubu of Bimbia

By Dibussi Tande

The Isubu (also known as Isuwu) like many other African peoples, have different and sometimes conflicting narratives about their origins. Although it is generally believed that the settlement of Bimbia was founded by Isuwu La Monanga, a native of Womboko, there are emerging alternative narratives which reject the Womboko connection. These alternative versions may be termed the “Duala narratives”, since they emphasize on real or imagined ancestral ties between the Duala and the Isuwu.

Bimbia in 1893: From Colonial Grandeur ...

Letter to the Contestants for the Royal Stool of Victoria (Limbe)

By Mola Njoh Litumbe, Bakweri Notable

There has been lately some discussion in the press pertaining to the succession to the vacant royal stool of Victoria, following the death of HRH Chief Ferguson Billa Manga-Wiiliams.  As potential aspirants gird their loins for the contest, they would do well to have the benefit of history, as it relates to  royal succession in the city of Victoria.

Introducing Max Sako Lyonga: The Man with the Golden Brush

By Dibussi Tande

In October 2004, Cameroonian painter Max Sako Lyonga captured the imagination of the country and made headline news with a breathtaking and grandiose exhibition at the Blaise Cendrars French Cultural Center in Douala. The exhibition, which was titled “Letter to anyboby”, drew thousands of visitors and again confirmed, if need be, that Max Lyonga was without doubt one of the greatest Cameroonian painters of his generation, if not of all times.

According to a World Bank portrait of the artist, “[Max Lyonga’s] native Bakweri culture, the environment, social aspects of life, and intimate scenes and feelings dominate his artistic works which he expresses through abstraction and figurative works.”

Max Sako Lyonga in Images

Click the thumbnails below for a sample of Max Lyonga's paintings

Click here to visit the ARNET website to purchase paintings by Max Lyonga

Art Ambassador

By Simon Mol (Moleke Mo-Njie)

(The Second Renaissance; World Forum of Cyframatics - Villa San Carlo Borromeo, Milan (Italy), Nov’ 29-Dec’ 5, 2005)

On ALITALIA flight nr. 555 from Warsaw to Milan last Tuesday, Dec’ 29th, I picked a copy of the Financial Times and flipped through to the space reserved for Art critics – on page 10. An article written by Samson Spanier tilted The Critics, captured my attention. Somewhere between Spanier states and I quote, ‘Giambologna, the great sculptor after Michelangelo’s death, was said to care nothing for money because he wanted only artistic glory’. True to this line of thinking, here is what Simone Fortuna wrote to the Duke of Urbino in 1581 about Giambologna: "He is the best sort of man one could ever want to meet, not greedy at all, as one can tell from his being so poor: all that he wants is glory and his greatest ambition is to rival Michelangelo.