Malove too was a victim of need of a mere mbamba.
mbamba = a cowrie.
Mbaa-mba = grandmother/grandfather.
Yasi nanu: Malove was one of the most renowned wealthy men of his time. He had several wives, and children, and hundreds of herds of cattle. He owned a large farm of oil palms.
At sea, he maintained a fleet of canoes in which his palm oil was transported to Douala and to Calabar. He appeared to be a person who owned every thing and who would never, never be in want of any thing. That assumption was wrong. Malova did not own cowries (mbamba).
Malove was very pleased when his eldest and most charismatic son Ewane was responding very well to treatment he was receiving for a mysterious illness that had worried him for over six months.
When the Doctor was about to carry out the final phase of the treatment he announced that a cowrie (mbamba) was an indispensable component part in the treatment.
Malove had never considered it necessary to own a cowrie (mbamba). He did not therefore own a mbamba. Malova then became a victim of desperate need of a cowrie (mbamba).
Mbamba were not available in the local markets at that time. Malova then sent emissaries to various markets in far away areas in search of a mbamba and to buy as many mbamba as possible at all costs. Malova was completely distressed when his emissaries returned home and reported that they had not seen mbamba.
However, to Malove’s relief when it became known to a poor old widow, a neighbour to Malove, that the absence of a mbamba had blocked the carrying out of the final phase of the treatment to Malove’s son, the old widow kindly offered for free a mamba to Malova and wished the sick child quick recovery.
With the use of that mbamba Malova’s son was eventually completely cured of his illness. News spread out fast that in spite of all his wealth “Malova too was a victim of need of a mere mbamba.
(Malove mofe ame-ndeya e-mbamba).
In another instance, at nightfall, a seriously sick husband requested his first wife (Nyanga Ndavo) for soup spiced with “joove”. (ngonya joove). The Nyanga Ndavo who was by all standards considered a Gbwaata unfortunately ran out of joove that evening.
The “Nyanga Ndavo” was embarrassed and distressed. Here again it was another poor old widow who made available for free some joove to the Nyanga Ndavo, that night. It was a significant relief to the Nyanga Ndavo and her sick husband.
“Malova mofe ame-nde-ya e-mba-mba; si,
Gbwaata wofe we-nde-ya e-fonga joove”.
Literally: No person is self-sufficient. No body can afford to live in isolation.
Nyanga Ndawo = the mistress in a matrimonial home; the wife; the first wife of a man married to several wives;
gbwaata = a wife who has managed her marriage successfully for several years, and has hence become a symbol of dignity within her matrimonial home and beyond.
ame-nde-ya = he/she was in need.
joo-ve = a specie of a spice.
fonga a joove = a grain of joove.
ngo-nya = soup.
ngo-nya joove = soup spiced with joove.
Oma Nanu
Mola Mbua Ndoko
P.o Box 38 Buea, South West Province
Cameroon, West/Africa
Mola Ndoko,
Another very good one. Another translation: Joo-ve or joo-phe means black pepper.
Lyombe
Posted by: Lyombe Eko | June 15, 2008 at 10:05 PM