bakwerirama

Crossing the Mungo River: An Eyewitness Account

By Lyombe Eko - Iowa City, Iowa, USA

I have crossed many African rivers–both literal and figurative–but none of my many experiences prepared me to cross the Mungo river on a dugout canoe without a life-vest. It was with a heavy heart and a rather disorganized frame of mind that I arrived Douala on the evening of July 29th. It was about 5:30 pm. I set my sights for Buea, hoping to get there in time to take part in funeral services for my mother, who had travelled to the land of the ancestors a few days earlier.

A taxi driver at the Douala airport informed me that because of repair work on the Wouri bridge, taxis were not allowed to cross to Bonaberi. He offered to take me to the Mungo river crossing in his private car–at a hefty fee (about $30). Since it was getting late, I did not have much of a choice. I hopped into his taxi and we changed cars infront of the airport. We got to the Mungo river at about 6:45 pm. The skeleton of the collapsed Mungo bridge rose into view like a rotting elephant carcass as we approached the river.

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In Memoriam: Mola Ndeley Mokoso is No More

It is with deep sadness that the Bakwerirama team announces the death of prominent Bakweri novelist, poet, painter, journalist and politician, Mola Stephen Ndeley Mokoso, on June 9 in London, England.

According to news reports, Mola Ndeley:

... came to the UK a few years ago to pursue treatment for a long ailment, but his life here was full of activity. He continued his work of art and writing, seeking to perfect all the time. He won many friends among the retired who took after his inspirational talents. On the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee, he was hailed by the local press as the man who had on official duties brushed the Royal family in three different decades. Queen Elizabeth on her visit to Nigeria, Prince Philip on his visit to Cameroon and Prince Charles to whom he offered his famous painting of the Victoria Botanical Gardens.

In Memoriam: Poetry By Ndeley Mokoso

A SALUTE TO MOUNT FAKO

I stand at the salute
my right hand aloft and my head salaamed
to the great Olympus of West Africa
the colossus, citadel and sanctuary of the Bakweri-men of old
from the daring exploits of early despots in the name of
explorers and patriarchs
substituting native despotism for white civilization
and bringing Christendom into heathendom
from the traffickers of black gold
from the ruthless Hun with his sticks spitting out fire and death
the pogrom of a hostile and stubborn race
the rape of a people by a people
But KUVA LIKENYE stood his ground in complete defiance of the carnage
the hero of his emasculated people
and you roared, shook and fumed in wrath
belched out smoke, fire and brimstone
The terrestrial brotherhood scampered in panic and pitched
their bastion in Douala
but that was a long, long time ago
before my father's father
But there you are ! Moli mo FAKO! LAIR OF IFASA MOTO!
bulwark of ages
still dominating the scene
indomitable, majestically dormant
the Giant Pyramid of West Africa
I salute! I salute you!

Winner of the 1995 Cameroon National Poetry Award

Fako America 10th Anniversary Convention, Dallas July 2-4 2004: Travel Update

Fako America 10th Anniversary Convention, Dallas July 2-4 2004:  Fact Sheet No. 1

Preferred Airport

Dallas, Fort Worth Airport

 Official Convention Hotel 

Hampton Inn Hotel @ Walnut Hill
11069 Composite Drive
Dallas, TX 75229
Phone: 972-484-6557
Fako America Group Code: 83829870

Profits Support BLCC Advocacy

Panel Discussion on Bakweri Pregnancy Rituals to take place at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Professor Babila Mutia, of the University of Yaounde I and presently a Visiting Professor at Dickinson College, Pennsylvania, will on Friday April 16, 2004 chair a panel discussion on Bakweri pregnancy rituals at the 30th Anniversary Conference of the African Literature Association, currently taking place at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The discussion, which is part of the session on "Poetry, Poetics, and the Power of the Word”, is titled "Performer, Audience, and Performance Context of Bakweri Pregnancy Rituals and Incantations".

For more details visit the conference website at: http://africa.wisc.edu/ala2004/program/16-friday.htm

It should be noted that Prof. Mutia is the author of the groundbreaking article on Bakweri funeral songs, “Stylistic Patterns in Oral Literature: The Form and Structure of Bakweri Dirges”, which will appear on this site in the near future.

Bakweri Words of Wisdom: An Announcement

Please, I wish to bring to your knowledge that the programme entitled "Mbua Ndoko na meyana me Mokpwe/Bakweri words of Wisdom" will now be produced in two versions - a Bakweri version for broadcasts over Radio Buea and an English version to fakonet/fako_uk, and other media.
The two versions now share common serial numbers. The versions have in fact been sharing common serial numbers since the lst of January 2004. The new serials supersede the old serials.
I regret the oversight in failing to make this announcement earlier and for inconviences caused by the new arrangement.
Oma nanu: "Eyole ni inyo": Mbua Ndoko.

Fako America 2004: The City of Dallas is Ready!

All sons and daughters of Fako resident in the USA are invited to the city of Dallas during the July 4th weekend of 2004. Dallas, the Number One visitor destination in the State of Texas will be hosting the memorable 10th Anniversary Fako America Convention. Yes, it is time for another MBANDO. All is set for what is expected to be the most highly-attended convention in Fako America’s history.

Both the local organizing committee and the Fako America National Executive will be rising to the occasion. We are working hard to select venues that are most welcoming to participants and most conducive for convention activities. We are also drawing up a program that reflects our seriousness of purpose and quest for a new direction for our association. We should all look forward to a very exciting and memorable weekend.

The 3rd Annual Eyole Awards Program Launched

The Eyole Cultural Group of Northern California, USA recently launched its 3rd Annual Financial Awards program. The awards, which range from 80,000 FCFA to 100,000 FCFA per individual, are meant for the brightest sons and daughters of fako currently pursuing university education in Cameroon.

Bakwerirama Adopts Orthography Standard

Unlike the Duala language which has been written in standardized form for over a century, the Bakweri language still suffers from a lack of uniformity in its written form. So far, different attempts at the codification of Bakweri are largely unknown, with little system efforts being made to harmonize these disparate standards.

As Gertrude Ekobena points out in her book Okoa li langa na litila Mokpe,

there has been no systematic and sustained effort to write the Mokpe language… Proper co-ordination has been lacking as well as institutional support. As a result the existing works on the language lack uniformity and there is a strong need to standardize the written Bakweri.

Official Launch of Bakwerirama: March 1, 2004

Welcome:

The Bakwerirama team welcomes you to a comprehensive internet project that shall explore, promote and project all things Bakweri, and will be a cultural home for all our people regardless of differentiating characteristics (gender, age, politics, religion etc).

The web addresses for Bakwerirama are as follows:

http://www.bakweri.org
http://www.bakweri.com

Fako America to Hold Historic 10th Anniversary Convention in Dallas, Texas

Fako America Organization, the association that brings together the Fako Diaspora Community in the United States will be holding its 10th annual convention in the city of Dallas, Texas from July 2, 2004 to July 4, 2004. Although the convention program is yet to be made public, the Dallas Convention Organizing Committee is hard at work identifying and selecting appropriate venues for this landmark convention.

Mark your calendars now for this historic cultural jamboree. More details to follow.

Events Category

Bakwerirama announces the creation of an EVENTS category. Events that qualify to be announced are:
1) Bakweri cultural and community events worldwide
2) Bakweri businesses
3) Significant Personal or family announcements that require public information
4) Political announcements, vendettas and squabbles will NOT be given publicity

All announcements will be mounted free of charge on the website. Just click "Events" below categories on the left column