Despite the current atmosphere of uncertainty reigning in Anglophone Cameroon, caused by the crisis, a situation that has rendered many villages underdeveloped because annual general meetings of village development associations can no longer be held to raise funds and chart the way forward developmentally, some communities are still braving the odds to shun fear and hold such annual meetings though with a remarkable drop in terms of attendance, activities and financial contributions.
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| Traditional Items Exhibited at an A.G.M |
It was a common practice before the advent and subsequent escalation of the current crisis that every Easter, sons and daughters of various villages in Mbengwi Central Sub Division, Momo Division in the North West Region of Cameroon always returned home from the towns and abroad to reunite with their families and hold Easter meetings. As such, Easter Saturday used to be very appropriate for the holding of such A.G.Ms. Same day, one could get members of Bome Area Development Association (BADA), Mbengwi Elements Development Association (MEDA), Guneku Development Association (GUDECA), Njindom Cultural and Development Association (NJICCUDA), etc meeting at the same time, in their respective villages. Due to the crisis and other factors, a good number of these villages have changed their annual meetings to the Christmas season even though the extremism perpetrated by both warring faction knows no season.
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| Mbengbu/Wumnebit Dev't Association at 2019 A.G.M |
Among the few communities that have continued to hold their Easter meetings against all odds are members of the Mbengbu/Wumnebit Development Association. The association that saw the light of day in 2015 held its 4th A.G.M last Saturday April 20th 2019 in the residence of Pa Simon Tah, a notable of Wumnebit. Its national president, Fongoh P. Ayeh (who happens to be this reporter), while chairing the annual rendezvous for the first time, as it's just last year that he was voted into office, thanked the few mothers, fathers and youths that made it for the meeting while regretting the unavoidable absence of members in the South West and South region who couldn't make it home this year because of the crisis. The two aforementioned regions have the highest concentration of sons and daughters from Mbengbu/Wumnebit, resident out of home.
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| Fongoh P. Ayeh, President, Chairing the A.G.M |
Considering that those resident back home are mostly the elderly as almost every youth migrates to the urban areas upon maturity for greener pastures, the president encouraged such sons and daughters to endeavour to always return home at least once in a year especially during such Easter meetings to wine and dine with their fathers and mothers while they are still alive and not wait for when they pass on to come and give them befitting burials. To him, such hypocrisy must be discouraged at all cost.
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| Sharing Palm Wine |
Prior to the meeting, the association members/villagers were encouraged to dress traditionally and come along with artifacts that reflect their culture. Interestingly, the call was heeded to, reason why wooden bowls, calabashes, fibre bags, baskets and other olden days items were brought back to the limelight for the younger generation to have a glance of life in the yesteryears before the advent of modernism. Palm wine, kola nuts and porridge cocoyams mixed with plantains, the traditional delicacy of the Meta people constituted the menu of the day.
Financially, last year, the "little" association raised over a hundred thousand francs for development projects but this year, the amount dropped to nearly half considering the souring economic situation brought about by the crisis. The villagers however remained optimistic with the consolation that half a loaf is better than nothing. With this, the association plans to procure more plastic chairs and extend pipe borne water to Upper Wumnebit.
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