Ekema Patrick Of Buea Council & Some Anglophone Fons Preached One & Indivisible Cameroon In
- Linda EYONG Suzy
- Dec 1, 2017
- 4 min read
November 30, 2017 was a day in Sangmelima when all Fons from the South Region of the Republic of Cameroon came together in one of their annual conferences. Our reporters on the ground confirmed it was a very ceremonious day as he had witnessed fully loaded 70-seater buses arrived the town with Fons and their nobles from various localities.
It was a normal thing to find some people, especially Fons' colleagues and friends from other regions, leave key issues in their Fondoms to join the celebrants in such a traditional (though marked with political talks) event.
Interestingly was the fact that, anglophone Fons, chiefs and mayors could be spotted on the ceremonial ground dancing more than the celebrant. Our ground informant could easily identify Ekema Patrick Lysonge of the Buea Municipality and the following Fons from the North West region;
Fon of Akum
Fon of Nso
Fon of Nchomba
Fon of Bambui and the
Fon of Nkwen
These are people who are supposed to truly represent their subjects, but have failed to do so because of politics. There is no problem in celebrating with a friend, but a big problem with the political nature of the event and the kind of message these fons carried along. Our correspondent confirmed that the event was marked with political messages meant to praise the regime in power. The regime that has ensured the eradication of the very subjects of these so called anglophone Fons. The above Fons, mayor and other anglophones who attended the ceremony had preferably left their own house on fire to go preach messages of one and indivisible Cameroon in Sangmelima.
One of the Fons, who is the former principal of GBHS Bambili could be heard preaching a very lengthy message on Cameroon's unity though his subjects have been tortured, abducted, killed, illegally detained, and internet cut from them for over months, because they peacefully asked for what is their right.
On the other hand was 'King' Ekema Patrick, who carried the Bakeri Dance all the way from Buea to Sangmelima on the same grounds of one and indivisible Cameroon. Our ground correspondent could spot a respected traditional dance being desecrated and used on political grounds without any prior tradtional rules being respected. Below is a short extract about the Bakweri Elephan Dance and what is supposed to be done before such a dance comes out...
The evening before the annual dance of a society a bonfire is lit (ewond' a Male), and that night members are believed to enter their elephant bodies and trample through the bush. Next morning, as I saw one year at Mafanja, the damage is visible on neighbouring farms, although it must be said that the `elephants' seemed to have scrupulously avoided plots in use.
On the next day, usually nowadays a Sunday, the public is allowed to witness a dim reflection of these activities in the annual dance.
First there is a general dance of the members of the society dressed in head and waist cloths, with their bodies smeared with red mud and decked with vegetation of various kinds. This dance is known as Veambe and the participants, some of whom are quite young children, wind in and out of the village to the rhythm of the drums. This is said to represent the movement of the elephant herd through the forest, but some of the members almost seem to be dressed to resemble the forest itself. Most of the old meaning of this dance is lost and young members view it as an opportunity for bizarre fancy dress. Read more here >>>
Now, it might interest us to understand how people have given a terrible twist on our culture and tradition because of political gains, irrespective of the welbeing of the people they are supposed to represent. King Ekema and the Chief of Bakweri did not care to respect any of the traditional rules and regulations that govern this dance.
The question we keep asking are;
If close relatives of these people have been killed and detained like others, will they be preaching the same messages that they move around the country preaching?
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Bassona Nkeng
SC Blogger, Lebialem County
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