Mola Mbua Ndoko: Wisdom and Ways of the Bakweri People

91. “Moto avene livatu la Ngando” !

Every body aught to own a dress presentable enough for use at public ceremonies.

 

Fables of the Animal World.

Lexicon:

livatu = cloth, a dress, an attire.

ngando = a public ceremony – a wedding, wrestling matches, canoe race, “eyuu”.

e-Ngando = Christmas Day, Christmas Season.

eyuu = a public feast/ceremony in memory of a wealthy deceased person.

Kaave/Mbgweya/Ngowa Wanga = names of wild animals.

ngoma  mbwaya = dance reserved for celebrities.

Yasi  nanu:   Mbweya  Nyame was very wealthy. Two rainy seasons after his death, his family announced an “Eyuu” in his memory.  Kaave  Nyame, a first paternal cousin to Mbweya was the administrator of Mbweya's estate. 

Eyuu is an occasion for a family to display in an elaborate manner how wealthy their deceased person was. Mbweya’s family under the administrative acumen of Kaave did just that. Guests were invited from Ewonji and Mungo clan, from Wojuwa, and from Mbenga  Mbowa. 

The ceremony was held in Wonyavio on a Wednesday (Liwo  la  Gbwa) in the month of July (Veyale) – the month that Mbweya died.  Four eminent sorcerers were engaged to keep away the rain. There was enough food and drinks to sustain guests for three days: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

On Wednesday at noon at the peak of “e-Ngoma Mbwaya”, Ngowa  Wanga emerging from a pond and dressed in a torn attire (ekovo) smeared with patches of mud, joined the dancers. The dignitaries stopped dancing at once and shouted:

“Ngowa  ekpwanyi  ene  na  ma-sanja  o-nyo”.
(This is a mad Ngowa).

271. The 1957 Historic discussions in Buea between the Governor-General of Nigeria and Traditional Rulers and Elite of Victoria Division concerning a Land Resettlement Scheme for the Bakweri.

When local British Colonial Officers of the Provincial Administration failed to convince the Bakweri Land Committee to accept a Government Land Resettlement Scheme the then Governor-General of Nigeria – Sir John McPherson - came to Buea in 1957 to discuss the scheme with the aboriginal inhabitants of Victoria Division with a view to persuading them to accept the scheme. 

The objective of the Resettlement Scheme was that in addition to land that was already occupied by Bakweri families Government would allot to every aboriginal head of every family in every village in Victoria Division a specific number of hectares of land excised from a CDC Plantation for resettlement and development.  Mr. A.G. Dickson was designated Head of the Resettlement Scheme

The meeting took place in Buea Customary Court hall.  In attendance were:

The Governor General, Sir John McPherson.
The Senior Resident Cameroons Province and Acting Commissioner of the Cameroons ,
Mr. D.A.F. Shute.
The SDO Victoria .
Mr. A.G. Dickson, Development Officer.

Traditional Rules of Victoria Division.                                                                     
Representatives of Bakweri Land Committee.                                                
Bakweri elite.

There was a heavy crowd of Bakweri people outside the hall – on the road and behind the Court Building.

Responding to the Governor-General’s appeal that the Bakweri should accept the Resettlement Scheme, Traditional Rulers, Executive members of Bakweri Land Committee and Bakweri elite, one after the other, repeated their earlier rejection of the Resettlement Scheme and furthermore re-asserted their demand that they the aboriginal inhabitants of Victoria Division be recognized by Government as the owners of all lands on which CDC plantations have been established. 

The Bakweri reminded the Governor-General of the enormous losses and the sufferings they the aboriginal inhabitants of Victoria Division have experienced, and are continuing to encounter following the establishment of plantations on their ancestral lands.

Summarizing the stand of the peoples of Victoria Division an elderly Traditional Ruler in charismatic manner speaking through an interpreter addressed the Governor-General as follows:

269. Eye witness narrations of sufferings of the aboriginal inhabitants of Fako Division as a consequence of expropriations of their ancestral lands, displacements and forced labour.

Source: ~ Oral History

Land Expropriations.
Oral history has it that for 24 years, 1890-1914 the aboriginal inhabitants of Fako were subjected to deeply distressing experience and shock when the German colonial administration in Buea carried out massive expropriations of most of the fertile and habitable ancestral lands in Fako for the establishment of plantations of banana, cocoa, oil palms, tea, and vegetable. 

The most notorious land expropriations and forceful displacements took place under the reign of Governor Jesko von Puttkamer, 1885-1907. 

By the year 1899 the scramble for land for the establishment of plantations had become intensively competitive amongst German nationals and as at that date extensive areas of ancestral lands of the aboriginal inhabitants in Victoria/Fako Division had come under control of Governor Puttkamer.

Plantations grew very fast. Resistance to expropriations and displacements was met with the use of force by soldiers that the German Colonial Administration brought from Togo . 

Forceful Displacements of populations.
The German colonial administration in Buea forcefully marched aboriginal inhabitants of Fako from their respective ancestral sites to resettle in new locations that were not suitable for social development. 

At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, German nationals had established for themselves thirteen extensive and flourishing plantations and six trading and residential sites from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to the forest areas on the slopes of the Mountain (e-Fako). 

Throughout the Second World War 1939-1945, all the plantations and residential and trading sites came under the control of a Custodian of Enemy Property who was appointed by the British Colonial Administration.

Then at the end of the War the British Colonial Administration transferred control of the plantations to the State Corporation known as Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC). 

The CDC is an amalgamation of the plantations that were owned by German nationals before commencement of the Second World War.

The people of Fako located their villages near springs of water, or on the banks of streams, and because of their traditional methods of shifting cultivation villages were located far apart, leaving large areas of land unoccupied and available for farming and hunting of wild life. 

But in establishing plantations, the German Colonial Administration expropriated lands and displaced populations without regard for the suffering which the aboriginal inhabitants were bound to experience.  Some of the sufferings were and still are:

25. “Metoti, me-yoke-ya vaana; Vaana va li-ngani loke-ya o-metoti”.

Children like to play on level land

Maito, maito kaii  !  Fables of the Animal World.

metoti = low and level lands.

Ngomba/Ngomba  Nyame = a porcupine. 

Kaave/Kaava  Nyame = a deer.

mooli = a hill. 

mbee-mbe = a slope on the side of a hill.

looko = a game; plural, “maloko”.

Yasi nanu: Ngomba  Nyame and Kaava  Nyame were friends. Ngomba built his house at the bottom of a hill, on level land near a spring of water.

Kaava Nyame however built his own house at the top of a slope of a hill, from where, to his satisfaction, the house was see from the towns of Keeka (i.e. Tiko) Ewonji, Mesellele and far away Douala. 

It happened that children in the village, including Kaave's children, were fond of playing in Ngomba's compound during the day, and at night when there was moonlight. The children bustled about in the compound:
“choka, choka;
jemu, jemu,
so-oo” !

268. wa veleli, ave liya.

Eat, drink, enjoy and thereafter depart leaving behind all your worldly possessions.

Fables of the Animal World.

Literally:
(i).  wa  veleli = life; to eat, drink, enjoy.

(ii).  a-veliya = death;  dying and leaving behind all worldly possessions - wealth, fame, pomp, robes of office.

(iii).  a-leli  na  lila = He has had his turn and enjoyed enough good fortune.  He has basked enough in luxury.

Wolinyama = Animal World

Njoh  a  Nyame = a  leopard.

At that time in the Animal World Yongoole (chameleon) was the designated announcer of very important statements of public interest. 

When it was no longer a secret that Njoh a  Nyame had died, Yongoole climbed on top of the branch of a tall palm tree then shouting jubilantly “hoo, hoo, hoo”, at the top of his voice said:

“Wolinyama, listen carefully.  I have very good news for you.  The death has been reported of that monster, that thief, that terrorist Njoh  a Nyame.

He passed away in the early hours of this morning after the first crow of the cock. He shameless started to confess some of his crimes before he died.  Severe punishment awaits him in the next world.

24. “Inoni sali asi-nde-ya o-maliva”.

A small bird does not keep long in the pool.

Fables of the Animal World.

Isoli = one of the smallest specie of birds; plural vesoli. Isoli has a remarkably long beak, and very attractive feathers.

Yasi nanu:  When Isoli's babies were nine days old, she took them to a pool
o-Weeli to teach them how to bathe.  On arrival, they met several birds bathing in the pool. Among the big birds were Yuu-ngu, Woombe, Kaki Inoni.

Isoli bathed each baby very fast. When she too had bathed, she told the babies that all of them should accompany her and fly home together. Some of the babies were reluctant to leave the pool. 

They wanted to bathe again. They argued that they had been bathed too fast, and pointed out that the big birds - Yuu-ngu, Woombe, Kaki Inoni whom they met at the pool were still in the pool bathing.

Responding Isoli said:
“Inoni  Sali  asi-nde-ya  o-maliva”. 
(A small bird does not keep long in the pool).