Bakweri Clan: “Mbenga Mbowa” and “Wojuwa” villages.
Bakweri (Vakpwe) clan is one of the five clans of the aboriginal inhabitants of Fako Division. The other clans are:
Valongi (Balong).
Mungo.
Bimbia.
Molondi/Wovea (Bota).
However since the creation of Bakweri Land Claim Committee in 1946 the name Bakweri has assumed the status of a general reference to the ancestral lands of all aboriginal inhabitants of Fako Division. The objective of the Bakweri Land Committee (BLCC) is to pursue the claim that the aboriginal inhabitants of Fako Division be recognized as the owners of all parcels of land in Fako Division on which CDC plantations have been established.
Each clan except Balong speaks a dialect that is similar to dialects spoken in other clans.
Bakweri clan and indeed all clans in Fako Division are situated between e-Fako (Mount Cameroon) to the North and the Atlantic Ocean to the South. The Bakweri are therefore particularly familiar with the cardinal points, NORTH, that is, “lelu” and SOUTH, that is, “mbenge”.
Within Bakweri clan there is an area known as “Mbenga Mbowa”, and an area known as “Wojuwa”.
Mbenga Mbowa refers to the area situated south of Wojuwa Village Group. Mbenga Mbowa comprises:
(i). 18 villages in Wonjongo (Bonjongo) Village Group (Wonjongo Customary Court Area).
(ii) 12 Bakweri/Womboko speaking villages on the sea plain, west of Bota. They are the villages of Etome, Mbase, Vatoke, Vakingili and beyond to Vewonde (Idenua) and Sange.
The boundary between Mbenga Mbowa and Wojuwa stretches from the northern limits of the villages of Mafanja, Wonjongo, Wojoke, Woana, Wokeli (Sachenhofen Plantation) Ewongo and Wonya Likombo (Mile 4).
The settlement/village of Foo/Victoria/Limbe is not classified as a “Mbenga Mbowa” village. It will be recalled that “Foo” was founded by persons from “Mbenga Mbowa” and “Wojuwa” who could no longer continue to live in their respective villages of origin.
Even though the Clans of Bimbia and Molondi/Wovea (Bota) are respectively situated to the south-east and south of Wonjongo Village Group, villages in Bimbia and Wovea are not “Mbenga Mbowa” villages.
One would expect that the area north of “Mbenga Mbowa” would be called “Lelu la Mbowa”. The area is however known as “Wojuwa”.
Wojuwa consists of:
(i) 24 villages in Buea Village Group (Buea Customary Court Area) and
(ii) Some villages in Muea Village Group (Muea Customary Court Area). There are 21 villages in Muea Village Group.
The east of Muea Village Group Area is known as Lysoka and Vahwiya Village Group. 13 of the Bakweri/Vahwiya speaking villages have been detached from the former Bakweri Native Authority (NA) and are now attached to Muyuka sub-Division.
South-east of Wojuwa is a group of 8 Bakweri villages known as Mutengene Village Group. The villages have been detached from the former Bakweri NA and are now in Tiko sub-Division. The villages are neither referred to as “Mbenga Mbowa” nor “Wojuwa” Villages
The village of Ewonji (Ebonji) situated on the bank of a creek east of Mutengene Village Group is a Bakweri/Ewonji speaking Village.
Lexicon:
mbowa = a village/town.
Oma nanu. i-mba Mbua Ndoko.
P.o Box 38 Buea, South West Province
Cameroon, West/Africa.
Email:[email protected]
Website: http://www.mbuandoko.com
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