Festivity in Guneku Palace as Councillors Installed, Others Awarded

Festivity in Guneku Palace as Councillors Installed, Others Awarded

For years now since the advent of the Anglophone Crisis, hardly have cultural festivities been taking place in Mbengwi. The palace of Guneku has however distinguished itself from the rest in bringing back memories of the good old days by organising a semi cultural festival in which villagers were once again seen putting on traditional costume especially the famous "torghor". There were also traditional dances like "Kwem" and traditional meals like "Ngorm Tari" (porridge plantains). How did the event come about?

It was on Friday July 30th 2021 that the newly elected councillors from the 20 quarters that make up Guneku village rallied in the palace to be officially installed, after they were recently voted into office during an administrative reorganisation exercise that was called for by the Fon. For two weeks, the electoral commission toured the nukes and crannies of upper, lower and central Guneku to coordinate the villagers elect their quarter councillors. It was this exercise that culminated to the holding of the mini cultural event.

On High Instructions from the Fon, Tayong Fah Elvis Being Conferred the Traditional Title of "Ngam-Fon" (the Fon's Mouthpiece)

Before the installation proper, some leaders (president, secretary and treasurer) were first elected from the midst of those that had hitherto been voted in their respective areas (quarters) of origin as quarter councillors according to the four zones in which the village is divided. The electoral exercise was conducted this time around using local materials like seeds of corn, beans and groundnuts in place of ballot papers so much so that each candidate standing for election was represented by a seed and the voters then proceeded to cast their votes for those they want by using any of the seeds they each represent. 

At the end of the exercise, the results were thus:                                                                    For Zone 1 whose  quarters are Fun/Mbong, Ngong, Toh, Nyang, Nyeh and Tuengyie, Fomujang David emerged as President, Bah Andrew as Secretary and Lydia Munyam as Treasurer. For Zone 2 whose quarters are Njinebai, Njiningom, Benjoh and Njizam, Timothy Tembeng was voted as President, Muki Martin - Secretary and Evelyn Ngum - Treasurer. Meanwhile for Zone 3 whose quarters are Sang, Kimbot, Wunmenyeh, Tonmitoh and Bighebomi, Geh Humphrey won the confidence of the other councilors as President, John Ndakwe - Secretary and Julia Forkwen - Treasurer. Lastly, when time came for Zone 4 councilors to do same, their choices fell on John Agwetang as President, Anya Beltus as Secretary and Eni Julia as Treasurer. This zone is made up of quarters like Mbengeghang, Mbengtibat, Ngamungeh, Fringyeng, Fun Mbot/Mbot. 

Zone 1 Councillors

Zone 2 Councillors

Zone 3 Councillors

Zone 4 Councillors

After the electoral exercise and proclamation of results, the commission will then proceed to do the installation proper of the newly voted zonal council leaders that now automatically became members of the Guneku Traditional Council along side, a youth's representative, women's representative and all religious leaders shepherding God's flock in central Guneku. Some other 8 members of the Guneku Water Management Committee comprised of Sam Ndimasong, Fon Joseph, Choo Samuel, Tah Rene, Gah Daniel, Fondom Calvin, Gongho Onias and Tasi Elvis were also installed.

One of the high moments of the event was an address by the Fon, based in Germany to his subjects. In his recorded message to his people that was played from the sound system to the hearing of all, H.R.H Dr. Ticha W. Fomuki began by first revisiting some of the developmental strides successfully recorded in the palace/village in the course of the ongoing Anglophone Crisis. He cited the establishment of a library in the palace, introduction and revitalisation of fish farming, rabbit, fowl, and bee keeping in the palace and other quarters of the village, establishment of a loan scheme put at the disposal of villagers interested in pig rearing, restaffing and reequipping of all health institutions in the village, reawakening of the once existing organisation known as North West Fons Against AIDS that was and is still headquartered in the Guneku palace but now operating under a new name, provision of input materials to farming groups especially in Mbengeghang, rehabilitation of the road network in the village just to name these few. 

Water Management Committee

Installation of the Guneku Village Traditional Council

He will then proceed to make some appointments by maintaining Mr. Ndingwan Primus as the Chairman of the Guneku Traditional Council, Mr. Fodom Calvin as (Financial) Secretary and Mr. Amamuki Jonathan as Treasurer. To facilitate the smooth execution of the various tasks expected of this traditional council executive, the trio were each provided a brand new android phone so that communication between the village, the diaspora and external elites will be eased. Moreover, a brand new motor bike had also been provided by the Guneku Cultural and Development Association (GUDECA) European Union Branch to the traditional council with instructions for it to be used by the executive (president, secretary and treasurer) in running  errands across all quarters of Guneku especially as the bumpy nature of most of the quarter roads remain a call for concern.

In the course of his address which he did in the vernacular (Meta language), the Fon appreciated all who've been supporting the palace as groups and individuals in it's vision to gradually establish sustainable growth and development in the entire village most especially the various GUDECA branches worldwide. He also gave firm instructions for the traditional council to be meeting once in every month while zonal councils meet once after every two months and that all land disputes in the entire village must be solved only at the level of the village traditional council and after the final judgement is passed, a temporal (traditional) land title shall be awarded to the winner while waiting the subsequent issuance of an official land certificate by the state, this to avoid future resurfacing of such a matter. "In the mean time, all those who have (undisputed) pieces of land in all the quarters that make up Guneku have to declare ownership to the palace. A list will be compiled for all such landlords and archived, a document of ownership issued to them so that in years to come our children's children's children will use such for reference because most of those who quarrel over land and boundaries today have no backing document to justify their claim" said the Fon. 

The Executive Committee of the Guneku Traditional Council 
L-R: Fodom Calvin (Secretary), Ndingwan Primus (Chairman), Amahmuki Jonathan (Treasurer)

Villagers Attentively Listening to the Fon's Address Being Played from the Sound System

He further appreciated the positive turn out (over 80%) by various quarter inhabitants during the exercise to vote their quarter councillors with a good representation of men, women and youths. Talking  about the water crisis in the village, Fon Fumuki instructed that from now onward, they'll be a token levied on all water users to ensure sustainability because according to him, anything that's free hardly lasts as the tendency is always high for it to be abused. Those who won't pay this levy will be disconnected, same for those who shall be misusing the precious liquid, he insisted. 

Talking about community work, he said before, when such was called for, some villagers will come out for the exercise while others stubbornly stay away to follow their own private businesses. Others are those who allow their domestic animals like pigs and goats to stray, eating people's crops. On this, he passed a decision with instructions for the traditional council to effectively enforce it that from now henceforth, once community work is called and somebody absents, those that worked will at the close of the exercise pass in the person's compound, collect any valuable material from there to the palace which shall only be collected back by the owner upon payment of a levy charged by the council. "If you don't tether your goat/pig and it goes around eating peoples crops on their farms thus contributing to hunger in the village, it will be caught and taken to the palace. If after a given time frame the owner hasn't passed by to pay the fine levied by the council, the animal will be slaughtered and cooked to be served as food during the next community work to all who shall answer present." he added. Most of the Fon's decisions were received with great ululations by his subjects. 

H.R.H Dr. Ticha W. Fomuki, Fon of Guneku

Away from the Fon's address, another key moment that gave more weight to the event was the presentation of an echography machine to the public. One of the most renowned health institutions in Guneku in particular and Mbengwi in general is Open Door Medical Clinic located in Njinebai. It was established by an American missionary couple, Dr. John Hibbert and Omelda Hibbert. They had successfully  trained and graduated many physicians, nurses etc, constructed a giant modern standard structure to host the health facility with intentions for it to become a referral hospital but unfortunately the Anglophone Crisis came and forced them to return to their country of origin. At some point, the clinic was robbed by separatist fighters, materials, medication and money carried away worth millions. The clinic was forced to shutdown as it's medical personnel flee to other towns for safety

For over a year, it's doors remained closed, its staff remained unemployed, the population's health situation deteriorated because they had nowhere to go again. Discomforted by the suffering of his people, Fon Fomuki of Guneku ordered for the clinic to be reopened after the long break, pumped some good chunk of money into it to resuscitate the health unit. The founding missionaries too kept in touch with people they had worked with on the ground to make sure their dream doesn't die. This is how the functionality of the clinic was revitalized. As days go by nowadays, more are more sophisticated equipments are being sent to Open Door Medical clinic to maintain and improve its leading role in healthcare provision. 

Open Door Medical Clinic, Njinebai, Guneku

Presentation of the Echography Machine to the Public. That's it Lying on the Table Looking Like a Laptop

This thus explains why on the day of the installation ceremony, it was very important for the population to be kept abreast with what's new at Open Door. Dr. Bernard who works at the clinic did a presentation during the ceremony on the echography machine, explaining to the people especially women how it functions and what it's used for. He ended by encouraging all pregnant women within and without Mbengwi to from now henceforth visit the clinic to know the state of their unborn babies. Otherwise referred to as ultrasound scans, such machines are used to evaluate fetal development and they can detect problems in the liver, heart, kidney, or abdomen.

In addition to this, blood pressure monitors (OMRON Brand) were also distributed to all the health units in the village. Blood pressure monitoring is essential to preventing heart diseases and strokes. Away from the medical presentation, there was also an award of scholarships to some meritorious pupils and teachers of the newly created Presbyterian Primary School Guneku that scored 100% all in List A in this year's Common Entrance and First School Leaving Certificate Examination.

From 2017, schools were ordered to shutdown across the two English speaking regions of Cameroon as a tactic by proponents of secession to compel the Cameroon government to grant their quest for the independence of the former British Southern Cameroons which some now call Ambazonia. Schools that resisted the call and continued the teaching and learning process were from time to time burnt down to compel the rest to obey the order. In some areas, most government schools were burnt not even because they were still functioning but rather, just for the mere fact that they were government schools (mostly by name or on paper) because the structures on most of these school campuses were erected by the Parents Teacher's Association (P.T.A). The government only created the school but the community built them and equipped them and recruited teachers yet these non state armed fighters burnt them for being a government school.

Award of Scholarship. Each Pupil Received an Envelope of 40.000F as they Move to Secondary School

The impact on the school shutdown was greatly felt in the suburbs. Government (Primary) School Guneku and Government Technical High School, Mbengwi, specifically located in Njindom are some of the schools that suffered from arson. The charred remains of the GTHS Mbengwi School Bus that was bought by the P.T.A are still in Guneku, rusting there. "Amba Boys", a local appellation for non state armed fighters drove the bus from Njindom to Guneku and set it ablaze. This was in 2019. 

Faced with this quagmire, financially viable parents, to overcome the situation, started sending their kids to live with relatives and friends in the French speaking regions of the country like Bafoussam, Yaoundé and Douala to continue studies while the peasant farmers in the villages who had no such option and or financial means were compelled to stay at home with their kids and watch them grow into becoming "empty vessels". The school shutdown tactic received wide condemnation nationally, continentally and international as it trampled on the fundamental human right to education. By the 2020/2021 academic year that started in September 2020, the decision was reviewed by leaders of the struggle as they now gave room for private and mission schools to go operational on several conditions among which were that they don't wear uniforms, sing the national anthem of Cameroon, partake in national days like 20th May and 11 February, respect Monday ghost town etc. 

This was favourable to areas having such schools but in mostly the suburbs where only government schools existed, children here still had to continue staying out of school. In such areas, it was advised that community schools be formed to teach mostly kindergartens and pupils basic knowledge like spelling, writing, counting, arithmetic, pronunciation, hygiene, reading and common knowledge. Such schools were asked to hold in palaces, community halls, church buildings or other conducive structures away from the government school building in the area. The Cameroon government banned the formation of these community schools but didn't follow up to shut them down probably because it understood that at the end of the day, such were to an extent still better than nothing at all.

This was how the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (P.C.C) Meta Presbytery took advantage of the situation and stepped into Guneku to establish a Presbyterian Primary School there. Worthy of note is the fact that the whole of the Medig Zone of the Meta clan has no private or mission school. Medig is made up of villages like Tudig, Kob, Nyen, Njinibi, Mbemi and Guneku. At first many saw it as Guneku Community School but gradually, it came out that the Presbyterians own the school and it's certain this academic year, the school shall now become a full fletched and approved learning institution, registered with the state of Cameroon as Presbyterian School, Guneku. 

It was during this no school period that the Germany-based Fon of Guneku thought out of the box and came up with the initiative of establishing a modern library in his village to remedy the situation. Thus, the establishment of Presbyterian School Guneku and the library resulted to the brilliant results that were recorded by the pupils.

The most interesting part of the ceremony was the traditional decoration of Tayong Fah Elvis with the title of "Ngam-Fon" meaning the Fon's mouthpiece. Tayong Fah Elvis is a journalist and political commentator, a militant of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) party of Professor Maurice Kamto. Tayong, now nicknamed "the kangaroo man" is noted for his hard stance against the Cameroon government when on set during debate programs on TV stations like Equinoxe, My Media Prime, Afrique Media etc. As a son of Guneku that's taken the name of his village far and wide, he was thus distinctively recognized by the Fon who ordered for a traditional black cap with three cowries planted on it to be worn on the head of this young and vibrant gentleman.  

Cornered by Mbengwi Online after the recognition to give a word, he said "The title came to me as a surprise because in the course of executing my own duties, I was contributing my own small quota that I could towards the development of the village and towards the promotion of the culture of the people of Guneku not knowing that all of these were being taken note of." He went on to thank the Fon in these words "I appreciate the efforts put in place by our traditional ruler and I think that it's more of an assignment given to me, that more work still needs to be done" As a word of advice to others, Tayong said "For the time being I'll be trying my own best while calling on other elites to do their own quota because it's not necessarily money for everyone has been endowed with natural qualities in one way or the other to carry on with the development of the village."

While inserting the cap on the head of the new title holder in the village, Mr. Mbakwa Bernard, assigned by the Fon to do this task said "The Fon, Dr. Fomuki Walters has instructed me to give Mr. Fah Elvis the traditional title of "Ngam-Fon" for the good works he has been doing for Guneku village, for Momo division, for the North West and for Cameroon as a whole. What he has been doing cannot be quantified. In the past, we were giving these titles only to people who were able to shoot lions, tigers, leopards and bring to the palace but we now give it to people who can bring change, meaningful development and many more things to the village" 

Statistics have it that in the Meta culture, hardly are youths recognised with traditional titles irrespective of their achievements except they quickly rise to political prominence like becoming mayor, member of parliament or minister. However that was then as these days, the trend is changing. Sometimes in 2016, Seta Withgodep Wiert was also recognised by the 7 Fons of the Bome valley who conferred on him the title of "Eubor-Mufon" meaning the hands of the fons, this, for his humanitarian works in reaching out to widows, the destitute and orphans. He has brought up and is still bringing up over a hundred orphans since 2009 from childhood till adulthood where they get married, get enrolled in the public service or even gain self employment upon completion of training in skills acquisition workshops.

Mr. Mbakwa Bernard it should be recalled was the team leader of the electoral commission that was put in place by the Fon to go round the quarters of the village and conduct the reorganization of the councils. Having done and dusted the assignment that culminated to the installation ceremony, he gave his general appraisals to Mbengwi Online. Hear him "From my own evaluation, the general success stands at about 95% because there were challenges in that in some areas, we never met people but later on they came else it would've been would've been 100%. However, all the activities we planned were executed. The whole fondom was covered, all the people selected to make up the various councils have now been put in place"

In the Guneku Fon's palace, there's the office of an organisation which Mbengwi Online took advantage of covering the installation ceremony to go know more about it. Mr. Fomumbod Derrick is the coordinator  of Fons for Health, Education and Development (F.H.E.D), a new name for an old organisation that was created in 2003,  known as Fons Against AIDS. In presenting the organisation to Mbengwi Online, he said "Presently, what we are doing now is restructuring the organisation because Fons Against AIDS was created with the sole objective of fighting HIV/AIDS but now, with other pandemics that have come up like COVID-19, we deemed it necessary to restructure the organisation and increase the number of objectives. Because of the ongoing war taking place in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon resulting to so many displaced persons especially women and children, we have now included outreach to such vulnerable persons in our plan of action as we now lobby for funding to cater for these IDPs. We equally work with orphans, persons with special abilities and vulnerable children. Since it's an organization that also has to do with education, we focus more on the education of such children especially the less privileged in the community like initiating a community library where these children can go and study. We equally provide assistance to these orphans and vulnerable children and encourage communities to engage in sustainable income generating activities especially widows and the less privileged"

Having done and dusted the reorganization of his village, Fon Fomuki now looks forth to begin working with the newly elected councillors in making Guneku great again, this by ensuring the provision of health, education, food, farm to market roads, electricity, water and other social amenities that can in one way or the other improve on the livelihoods and living standards of all the villagers in all the quarters that make up Guneku, the biggest village in the Meta clan. It is expected that the example or pace set by Guneku will be copied by other villages especially those having as flimsy excuse that let the crisis first end. Guneku has been moving on in the heart of the crisis and is bent on continuing, crisis or no crisis.