Mola Mbua Ndoko: Wisdom and Ways of the Bakweri People

274. Mokala Misoli.

A European Christian Missionary.

The first European nationals with whom e-Mokpwe was familiar with are the Portuguese, the Spaniards, the Germans, the British, and the French. More than 100 years after the advent of Europeans in Bakweri land the behaviour of the first Europeans in Bakweri land has left indelible impressions in the minds of the Bakweri up till today. 

e-Mokpwe attaches specific meaning to the name of each European nation.  Address some one as “Mokala  Potoki, Mokala  Panya, Mokala  Jamini, Mokala  Englisi, or Mokala Flenji”, a listening Bakweri audience will understand clearly the point you are driving to.

Early Christian European Missionaries in Bakweri land have also left permanent impressions.  “Mokala  Misoli” is a reference to a peaceful, non controversial person, someone who is not interested to be embroiled in disputes and intrigues and who shows no wish to take revenge.

A phrase with a meaning similar to the expression “Mokala  Misoli” is “mbo  esa  fanga  fao” = banana does not cause damage to a cutlass.

Lexicon:

Mokala = a Whiteman; a European.

e-Mokala = the White man.

Potoki = Portugal

Panya = Spain .

Jamani = Germany .

Engilisi = England ; Great Britain .

Flenji = France .

Misoli = a distortion of the word “mission/missionary”.

Misoli = missionary.

Mokala  Misoli = a European Christian Missionary.

Oma Nanu
Imba Thomas Mbua Ndoko
Dallas Tx, USA

26. “Luuwa laa fimba”.

The final phase of a traditional treatment is taking place or is about to take place 

Traditional Treatment is carried out in three phases:

Phase One:  The sick person makes use of four medications ordained by an ordained Traditional Doctor and commissioned to cure.   The medications are: mbgweli, eso, wosongi and moteya.

Phase Two:  Actual treatment commences if the patient responses well to Phase One of the treatment.

Phase Three: known as “luuwa” takes place when the sick person has fully recovered.

A patient who is satisfied with the results of Phases One and Two of a treatment decides to undergo or not to undergo the final phase (Phase Three) of the treatment.

It is when a Doctor is about to commence or has already started final treatment that it is said “luuwa  la  fimba”.

Lexicon:

Luuwa = Final phase of a traditional treatment that is expected to terminate completely an illness and give a new lease of life to a patient. One phase of a “luuwa” is the consumption by the sick person of a special meal called “Ito-to” prepared by a Traditional Doctor. 

“Ito-to” is composed of bits/slices of staple food - fish, meat, vegetable, plantains, palm oil, water, tubers, such as coco-yams, salt pepper, mushroom. 

The traditional Doctor boils the “itoto” in a clay pot and feeds the patient with a bit of the
“Ito-to.”  In the course of consuming the ‘itoto” the patient and the Doctor throw particles of the food outside the house.

“itoto” immunes a patient against possible infection that may be contained in any staple food that the patient may eat in future.

mbgweli = a medication powder to be licked.

eso = a liquid medication to be drank after the medication has been submerged for about an hour in rain water, in fresh palm wine or in liquid extracted from the stem of a plant called monda-ndo-wani.

moteya = a massage medication.

wosongi = medication administered in the form of enema.

“Luu-wa  la  fimba”.

Literally:

(a). An expression of joy and satisfaction in that at long last the plight (pains, oppression, prosecution, extortion) that we are living with is coming to an end or will come to an end soon.

(b) The devastating blow against the enemy/adversary/the monster/the witch is now being launched or is about to be launched.

Oma Nanu
Imba Thomas Mbua Ndoko
Chicago ILL, USA

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:

23. “Yosa, vele-li” !

Friendship involves reciprocal entertaining – food, wines

Maito, maito  kaii  !  It’s time to tell Fables of the Animal World.

molee-li = assistance given to members of a bereaved family.

Yasi nanu:  Monao expected  “moleli”  from Koo  a Nyame.  The “moleli”  was not forthcoming, so, Monao sued Koo.  Monao told the court:

“Koo is my cousin and a friend. When Koo's father died, I, Monao  mo  Nyame, arranged for the grave and paid the grave diggers.  On the day of the sassa
I offered Koo a substantial “molee-li”.  Kaava  Nyame is a witness.  When Koo's mother also died, I made myself available to Koo at all times until after the sassa. On that occasion I gave Koo another substantial “molee-li”.  Kema  Nyame is my witness”.

“Later when my father died, I expected Koo to stand by me, but Koo failed to do so, even though he was seen bustling about in town.  When my mother also died, Koo failed also to stand by me. 

If Koo was not able to afford a “molee-li”, he should have at least made some physical contribution, for instance, tidying up of the funeral premises, slaughtering of animals on the day of the sassa etc.

22. Osavi te mbasio, wa i-nja-ne-ya mato ma Mbgwa.

Examine the ears of a dog carefully to realize how a mbasio looks like.

mbasio = a “V” shaped piece of wood used to split wood; a wedge. 

mbgwa = a dog.
                                                                                                               
liseengi = the name of a tree.

Yasi nanu:  Nimonge complained to his friend Moluwa that he had spent the whole day in the bush trying to split planks from a liseengi log but to no avail.

Moluwa then asked:
“o-gbwe-ya-neya ‘mbasio’ ?
(Did you use a ‘mbasio’  ?{a wedge}

Nimongo replied:
“What is a ‘mbasio’ ?
I have never seen a ‘mbasio’.
How does a ‘mbasio’ look like  ?
(nasa-vi  ‘mbasio’;
ne  ‘mbasio’  ae-neya ?)

264. eva asuka o-kpweli.

A grudge against a dying brother or an already dead brother should be dropped.

Tradition requires that the living should bury the dead and that to facilitate effective discharge of this social obligation grudges against a brother in desperate need of assistance, for instance, a sick brother, a dying brother or an already dead brother should be dropped without argument, without debate, without delay. 

The slogan is “eva  asuka  o-kpweli” = grudges against a dying brother or an already dead brother should be dropped.

Custom and tradition puts the care and proper maintenance of sick persons, persons with disabilities and old persons in the hands of immediate members of their respective families. Funeral and burial arrangements are the direct responsibility of the family concerned. 

19. “Mwendi mo liyemba asu-ki-seve”.

A message accusing some one of practices of evil witchcraft should not be delivered.

Maito, maito  kaii  !  It’s time to narrate Fables of the Animal World.

Yasi nanu:  It was widely known in the Animal World that in his practices of evil witchcraft Esuu caused several citizens to suffer from various illnesses and death.  Nobody however dared discuss Esuu’s notoriety in public lest he should incur wrath from Esuu. 

When five different sorcerers informed Kangi  Inoni that he and members of his family had also become victims of Esuu's practices of evil witchcraft because Esuu was jealous of Kange's beautiful feathers, Kange decided to deal with Esuu diplomatically. 

263. The original home land of e-Mokpwe.

The original home land of  e-Mokpwe.

Oral history makes reference to two narrations concerning the original homeland of e Mokpwe.  The familiar narration is that ancestors of the Bakweri were members of a section of a family in Womboko Clan that migrated and then settled where the Bakweri are today. 

It is said that Njia  Tama  Lifanje, a hunter from a village in Womboko Village Group was the founder of the Village of Buea .  That is why Buea is sometimes referred to as “Buea  wo  Njia  Tama  Lifanje” - “Buea the Village of Njia  Tama  Lifanje”. 

It is said that at the time that Buea was found there were hundreds and hundreds of herds of wildlife, especially deer (kaave), in the forest of Bakweri lands, particularly in the forests adjacent to the savannah zone of the Mountain. 

Being very pleased with the remarkable success he made in capturing good quantities of wildlife, Njia  Tama  Lifanje  named his new found settlement  “ebgwe-ye  gbwe-ye”.  The name “Buea” is derived from “egbwe-ye  gbwe-ye”

262. Vato va Fako vama loma leene e-Mbenge a Vakala.

The first persons from Fako to visit Europe.

Oral history has it that Isuma  Nyoki of the village of Wova east of Buea was the first Bakweri to visit Europe. He lived in Hamburg and in Berlin. 

Note:  There is also a village situated along the Wokoso-Muyuka public high way that is called Wova. Wokoso is the headquarter town of Womboko Clan.

Then, Burnley  Ekote  of Bimbia was the first person or one among the first batch of persons in the coastal plain that visited Europe. Mola Ekote studied music in Berlin and in Vienna.

He was the most celebrated pianist of his time in then British Cameroon now known as English Speaking Cameroon.  He lived for most of his time in New Town (Liyengu Mboke), Victoria.

Oma Nanu
Imba Thomas Mbua Ndoko
Chicago ILL, USA

17. “e-ngomo ya mo-ya-eli, o-mbusa litongo”.

Display of joy by a parent over the success of his/her children aught to take place behind the house.

Yasi nanu:  Iya  Ejose, the mother of Naliongo, pulled out one of her breasts in excitement and joy when Naliongo was once again declared victor of a wrestling contest. 

When Iya Ejoso was about to jump into the pitch to join the group that was dancing and parading the pitch in celebration of Naliongo’s victory her mother in law intercepted her and said:

“Ejoso  ee  !  Halt  !
You are not expected to enter the pitch. 

Do not enter the pitch lest your detractors and enemies should accuse you and Naliongo of usurping all the credits of the day.

You have opportunities to congratulate and salute the child at home quietly out of the view of your detractors/enemies. Your sisters and friends will dance the “fombowo” for us.

16. “Koote asi-leli te, Wolinyama vasi-le” !

Koote first then Wolinyama next 

Maito, maito kaii  !  (Fables of the Animal World).

Koote = the name of a bird.

Woli-nyama = the animal community; all animals.

Yasi nanu:  Concerned with repeating out-breaks of diarrhea at the beginning of harvest seasons, the Supreme Council of Wolinyama asked their eminent Traditional Doctors - (Mosongi  Inoni, Yongoole, Lisonjo, Yota  Ngule) - to work in concert and tell Wolinyama action to be taken to prevent recurrence of diarrhea. 

After consulting their respective oracles the Doctors informed the Council that diarrhea occurs when premature fruits and tubers are consumed.

The Doctors then recommended that Wolinyama should not commence to eat fruits and tubers from any tree or plant until after a Sanitary Inspector who had been duly mystically fortified against fruit and tuber poison had inspected and tasted the fruits/tubers of the tree/plant and made a declaration that it was safe to eat the fruits/tubers from the tree/plant.

12. Liyeme asa-le ee-Mbee.

Bear in mind that your monies that your debtors have not yet refunded to you cannot be of service to you to defray funeral expenses.

Maito, maito kaii - Fables from the Animal World.

Yasi nanu: Njika Nyame and Kaava Nyame were traders.Their principal business was the sale of farm tools.

Viewing a serious economic recession at that time Njika decided to dispose of his entire stock in cash at give away prices, and then invest the proceeds in new business. 

Kaave, however, preferred to quickly get rid of his entire stock by selling it on credit, in the hope that he would recover its full value in due course.

Kaave intended to reserve some of the proceeds for the funeral ceremonies of his father in law who was then very sick.

When Eso  a  Nyame got wind of Kaave's intention, Eso promptly presented himself as a buyer on credit terms.

He promised to pay the debt at the first appearance of the moon (o-woso  wo  mbgwe-nde), but did not specify the name of the month/moon. 

Without given adequate consideration to the implications of the ambiguity of the terms of the contract, Kaave handed his entire stock to Eso on credit. 

10. “Wuva Mwaana asa vanda Mbando”.

It is a risk to use a fowl that belongs to a child in ‘Mbando affairs.

Yasi nanu: Ngando was very sick and said to be a victim of Nyongo. 

The parents then accordingly invited a specialist Traditional Doctor (Nganga  ya  Yowo  ya Velinge) to administer treatment to Ngando.

The afternoon before the treatment, Ngando's mother spoke gently to Lifamba, a teenage boy and the younger brother of Ngando:

"Taa-ta  oo !
The doctor who will be treating your sick brother says he needs a matono ma  wuva 
(a chicken with contrasting colours on its feathers) for the treatment. Can we use your matono ma  wuva” ?

Lifamba answered "yes".  It was however not a sincere "yes".