Dallas, TX- June 25, 2010: The administration of Dr. Henry Njie, which instituted the first ever Fako America Achievement awards during the 2009 Fako America Chicago convention, continued with this laudable tradition during the 2010 Dallas convention. This year, there were five recipients, four of them Fako America members, and one from Cameroon.
Mola Mbella Ndoko of Chicago, IL received an award for “for outstanding efforts to document FA activities in film and picture.” Mola Ndoko, has been the unofficial visual archivist for Fako America since the 1996 convention in Chicago when he began capturing the event in film and picture. Thanks to his volunteer efforts, Fako America has a treasure trove of videos and pictures chronicling its journey across the years. Today, most of these precious images are available online on Youtube. Check out Mola Ndoko’s Youtube channel.
Two Fako America youths who epitomize the future of the organization, Iya Molonga Lyonga and Mola Kale Liwonjo, were also recognized for being youth role models in FA. Last year, these two youths stepped in to fill in critical positions at a time when the executive was hampered by a couple of key resignations. Iya Molonga stepped in to fill the role of Secretary while Mola Liwonjo took over the planning of the cultural evening as interim Cultural Director. Iya Lyonga’s dedication was recognized during the Dallas convention where she was confirmed as Secretary, while Mola Liwonjo did a fantastic job in organizing and managing the cultural evening. These are without doubt the future of a new Fako America.
The final recipient of the FA Achievement Awards was Nyango Ewokolo Ekobena of Cameroon who has been at the forefront of attempts to standardize and preserve the Bakweri language in written form. Nyango Ekobena who is the author of the Mokpe/English diary (1994) and the Bakweri/English grammar book, Okoa li langa na litila Mokpe has also developed a "Mokpe" alphabet which is composed of 28 graphemes or letters.
It should be noted that in 2009 in Chicago, the FA Achievements awards were handed out to five individuals. From Cameroon, Mola Mbua Ndoko for his unrelenting efforts to promote Bakweri language and culture; Mola Njoh Litumbe his unwavering campaign to reclaim and preserve Fako Ancestral lands; and Mola Namme Menyoli for being at the forefront of indigenous business initiatives in Fako division. Two prominent FA members were also recognized; Mola William Nganje of Arizona for assisting Fako and Cameroonian students in the United States throughout his teaching and research career, and to Mola Dibussi Tande of Fako Illinois for his continuous dedication to Fako America and Fako matters.
Hopefully, future Fako America administrations will continue this tradition of recognizing those among us who have gone “above and beyond” to serve Fako America in particular, or the Fako community in general.
Henry Njie
Outgoing FA President
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