OROKO, Second Class Citizens

It may not be a good idea to voice it out but sometimes, these issues and situations are just heartbreaking or unbearable.I sometimes go into deep thought and the feelings of guilt, shame or disgrace are overwhelming to me as an Oroko Child.I often wonder why we have become second class citizens even in our very backyards of the Oroko Kingdom!I might be wrong again or just make a lot of noise, see things others don't see, hear what others don't hear or observe what others don't observe but take it or leave it, we are second class citizens even in our very backyard.Is it because we the Oroko are not enterprising or because we are just a bunch of lazy-drowsy dogs waiting to be hand-fed?
A couple of weeks ago on our way from Mbonge, we had a breakdown at Mabonji Bakundu,so we decided to relax at the local market square while waiting on the driver to have the car  fixed.To our greatest dismay, the bar owner was a non-Oroko,worse of all was that,even the guys who sold plantains and cocoyams by the roadside, were not Oroko.
This observation reminded me of similar cases and situations within the Orokoland in which we have to beg strangers inorder to feed, clothe, convey or house ourselves. Strangers have taken over all the businesses and entrepreneurial initiatives within the Orokoland, from Bamusso to Konye, from Toko to Ekondo Titi, we have become tenants and second class citizens in our very land. All the businesses, boutiques, tailoring workshops, hairdressing saloons, lodging facilities and transport vehicles are owned, managed and run by strangers. This has become so controversial such that even Oroko cuisine has been taken over by these strangers.

From the honey sellers of Fabe,to the ngakanga sellers of Dikome Balue, the nyamangoro sellers of Mbonge Marumba, the palm wine sellers of Bongongo 1 Barombi, the yam sellers of Banga Bakundu, the garri and waterfufu mongers of Bombe Bakundu, the wood merchants of Konye, the bush mango sellers of Toko, the clando drivers at Mbonge road (Mile 1 Motor Park) Kumba to the cashew sellers of Big Massaka, the cocoa carriers of Weme Balue, the bar owners of Mundemba, the cocoa buyers of Ekombe Bonji, the palm oil dealers of Bekora Barombi, the zwa zwa sellers of Big Nganjo and the mechanics of Ekondo Titi, have been invaded and in some instances overtaken by non Oroko.
An Oroko man can be president of Lobe Credit Union but what difference does it make if you intend taking a loan, paying back or if you fail to pay back?All the decisions are taken by strangers and management is run by strangers at their offices of Ekondo Titi, Lobe Estate, Bai Estate and Mile 17 Buea.All the branches are headed by strangers despite the fact that Oroko people are at the very forefront of this financial house. The demise of Therese Eboka a couple of years ago, was another darkness that befell the Oroko man in their quest for financial power. Auntie Therese was branch manager of MC2 microfinance establishment in Ekondo Titi, with she died the financial power we sought and now, we have remained beggars. Oroko people have no financial monopoly, they must beg from the northwesterners or westerners even during very precarious circumstances like back to school, elections, sickness, weddings, farm projects and funerals. All the financial houses and some 'njangis' are run by these strangers who impose severe penalties and conditions on the Oroko man in order to benefit from their services.The rumpi project came with a few digressions but what has become of them?Tell me, i have no idea!
Travelling within the Oroko has become a nightmare because this sector is manned by total strangers, just try arguing with Park Guys of Mbonge Road, Mundemba Park, Konye Park or the guys hanging around the Banga Bakundu Park, most of or all of them are strangers to our land,some don't even speak pidgin just French.Even the numerous Okada boys at Big Bekondo Junction, 3-corners Ekombe, Illoani Square, Ekondo Titi and those of Bafaka Balue Park in Bekora Barombi, are mostly strangers,so what has become of our Oroko youths and adults?Is it because we are not enterprising or is it because we don't have the means to or is it because we the Oroko are a bunch of lazy cowards waiting for manna to fall from heaven as in the days of Moses?

To these questions, a recent even comes to mind.About a year ago, i attended a meeting in Bombe Bakundu organized by an Oroko gentleman from Denmark.This meeting was aimed at brainstorming on how to create, run and manage an Oroko Bank Plc and it was coordinated by an Oroko banking professor at the Buea University.It was during that meeting that i got to know Oroko had such brilliant youths including an expert in banking who also doubles as a university professor.The events of this meeting still puzzle me till date and all i know is that, about 63 Oroko elites from all the clans were invited including chiefs, mayors, ministers, magistrates, lawyers, policemen,gendarmes, DOs/SDOs,parliamentarians,businessmen/women etc etc but to my greatest surprise, out of the 63 just 8 turned-up.The guy who had contacts in Europe and his coordinator in Cameroon, were very disappointed.Some of the calls and text messages, they received were very nauseating. I also got to learn of threats received from many Oroko stalwarts because they didn't ask for their concern and permission before taking such a step because, they were the policy and decision makers of the Oroko, little boys don't tell old men and women what to do or don't take decisions when old men and women are still alive.That is how, this good initiative was terminated and the young man returned to Denmark with his ideas and connections.
Many of such good initiatives have been taken by Oroko youths but have received stiff opposition and contrasting views from those who call themselves 'Oroko Senior Elites'.Many Oroko well-wishers have brilliant ideas but are killed along their paths especially if they disagree, jealousy, envy and witch-hunting jumps in.Sometimes, the very judicial system that is supposed to protect them, turns round to hammer them, the social system, the taxation system, the enam and council boys also contribute directly in planning your chute libre.
As someone once said to me, wicked people continue to enact evil because the few good people who exist decide to do nothing about this evil. It is time for Oroko people to become first class citizens, claim their right and push-out these people who continue to preach evil, who represent evil and who want the Oroko to remain in darkness.Yes, we can be like others, we can run our own businesses, we can be general managers of companies, we can start, run and manage our own banks, transport companies and manufacturing industries.
God bless the Oroko.

What Do The OROKO Stand For?

Oroko People, our identity is about our education, our upbringing and the Oroko values we are taught. 

No matter where we were born or where we choose to live today, we are Oroko. 

Nothing stands in the way of staying true to ourselves, no one should erase our identity and who we truly are. 

We must build on our Oroko identity because Oroko belongs to us and we belong to our Oroko as it is about our identity, knowing who we are and our values.

Identity is not an individual quality, it is a shared value and we all share an identity. Politics that does not build our Oroko identity or value our Oroko culture is bad politics. It is about appreciating the value in each other.

The reason you are Balue, Barombi, Ekombe, Batanga, Bakoko, Mbonge, Ngolo, Bima, Balondo ba Diko, Balondo ba Nanga, Ekondo Kondo, Isangele, Bakundu and the meaning of OROKO, is an education that values the identity and culture we all share.

It is about building an Oroko tribe that brings all of our strength together.

The Oroko of tomorrow is ours and so i ask, what will we stand for? What will we be willing to fight for and even die for? We must want to live for something although a shared identity does not mean that we are all the same. 

But we do not differ in wishing for the well being of every Oroko Child and progress of our country, Cameroon.

Oroko people, let's always challenge ourselves to be better people as this will make us be more useful to ourselves, our families and our country.

Let's always think that we can be better, we can do it and that we the Oroko deserve it and if it starts with us, it’s even much better. 

If we have the tools in our hands and if we want to improve our life, why would we wait another moment to do it?

The Oroko should never expect things to come easy, because the chances are slim and if it happens, it never lasts.

I leave you with this song by our Brother Loma Lome called Miango (News or Stories) 

God Bless Oroko

OROKO Youths, Going Too Soon

When Oroko People raise their children, friends and family members, they never imagine they will die so soon. They expect them to grow into adults, marry and also bring forth their offspring just as their parents.

Looking back about a quarter of a century ago, life has not always functioned in that orderly manner for many Oroko families. Many parents have seen their young, vibrant, handsome, beautiful, intelligent, agile and aspiring children ‘go too soon’. Many parents have lost not one, nor two but sometimes all their promising children in appalling, tragic and painful circumstances. Decades ago, it was unheard of for Oroko children to die at such a young and tender age be it brutally or in strange circumstances.

Most parents would give their lives for their children in tragic circumstances but in cases where they are powerless and cannot change the death of their child, the additional burdens of despair and grief are heartbreaking. But when parents plan, it sometimes does not work out as desired since the child they plan for, can suddenly be plucked-off this earth without much warning.

Almost on a weekly basis, I am told about the death of young Oroko people who lived with their parents or far away from home. It is such a painful development for these parents as one of the most traumatic things that a parent can go through is losing a child to death.

These thoughts cut across and pierce my heart, even making me laugh a laughter of sorrow and anguish. Like a famous Oroko Song Writer/Musician Betondi James in his Bobe o Monyere (Evil in the World), I always find myself pondering over these issues. What is happening to the Oroko youth? Why is it so hard for us to live our lives into maturity and grandparenthood? Borrowing from Betondi James’s Bobe o Monyere (Evil in the World), parents gave birth to children such that they will be buried by these children but nowadays, it is the reverse within the Oroko with parents tending to bury their children in most instances .

According to the very popular Oroko proverb kabe emo yaka’a bana, ama e siko okor kor bekeli (the antelope procreated because it didn’t want to get wet from morning dew), parents would therefore want their children to stay alive, to clean the morning dew as the need arises but is that the case within the Oroko? When I asked, many replied that, the youths themselves share the blame because of the love for fast buck, fame and front seat. Some people also mentioned jealousy, hatred, vengeance and in most cases witch-hunting. Other opinions hold that, the rural to urban migration has no doubt created so many obstacles where Oroko youths easily trip and fall for good without prior notice.

Death is indeed something we will never understand especially when it involves young and vibrant Oroko people. No matter the cause, it is time for Oroko people to do something about these tragic and sudden deaths of young, energetic and intelligent Oroko youths.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the funeral and burial of Lokombe Barbara Bea, a beautiful 33 year old Oroko lady. Barbara was shot at close range by her husband while at her Crédit Foncier office in Yaoundé instantly killing her. As mourners streamed to their home that weekend, it was so difficult to comprehend how this charming and attractive life that was so full of vigour and strength with such a bright future could end so tragically. Hundreds and hundreds of colleagues, relatives and friends came to pay their last respects. It was a symbol of honour to see such a huge gathering paying homage to a young person.

The death of Barbara reminds me yet of the late Nasina Ebanja Philip, who also died tragically in very appalling and strange circumstances a few years ago. I also remembered Mami Ababa of Bongongo 1 Barombi who found it so distressful to bury the children she raised, so she also died a few months later.

Then I also recalled the sudden death in very strange circumstances of the young and fresh first principal of GSS now GHS Mbonge, he hailed from Dipenda Bakundu. His death also reminded me of the sudden ad mysterious death of the first principal of GSS now GBHS Ekondo Titi, who hailed from Ibemi Bakundu. The Oroko in Buea will always remember the tears of Mami Mwengela when her child passed-away and those hot tears of Mami Lobe of Ekondo Titi when her daughter, Maureen Lobe died.

The sudden death like a joke of Lobe Marie Mendoe of Dschang University still lingers on in the hearts of the Mbakwa Supe people, 17 years after. The people of Ekondo Titi are still to come-over the loss of Noromo Divine, Melvis Nganya Wa-kemba and Patience Illambo, all young Oroko youths working at the Ekondo Titi Health Services.

Mami Nasako of Mbonge still mourns the tragic loss of her young magistrate son Leo Nasako more than 10 years after. The people of Bongongo 1 Barombi are still living in awe at the tragic death of young Hans Ngute in a ghastly road accident along the north Cameroon roads, over 10 years ago.

The Oroko People of Buea and Mundemba still live in great consternation, fear, pain and tears after the sudden and mysterious death of the very beautiful and cute Dr Nanganoa epouse Moki a few weeks ago. The late Dr Moki as she was fondly called,was one of the few Medical Doctors of the Oroko and to the best of my knowledge, the only Oroko Dentist and the list goes on and on, on and on!

There are thousands of similar cases out there that still hang on in your memories and hard to let go. But all these examples are sad incidents involving children, whose parents looked up to in their years of aging as pillars to lean on that died under very tragic and sometimes inexplicable circumstances.

 Whether that child is very young or an adult, the pain is still the same. It is especially hard on the mother, not that the father does not feel anything for the loss of a child but the grief that a mother feels is very bitter grief. The father will most likely hold back from openly expressing their emotions as a bereaved parent as it sometimes comes with a sense of guilt. It is very natural for both parents to feel this way when they lose their child but it would be wrong for a parent to feel like they have failed to do something that could have prevented the death. During a time when most people need as much support as they can get from family and friends, this is the time when a lot of friends tend to stay away. Because according to them, they are not sure what to say during this difficult time.

There is, however, no real textbook solution on how to cope with the loss of a child and it is unfortunately a thing that we have to deal with. But in my opinion, there is one thing that will help and that is the BIBLE for it is the only source that has proven to help those that are grieving.

Rest in peace Barbara, Maureen, Melvis and all those that died prematurely. I hope that something will be done by Oroko People to halt such sudden, mysterious and tragic deaths in youthful exuberance of our friends, relatives and colleagues.

Phantoms of the Oroko

Even when asleep, these thoughts torment me,no matter how hard i try to consider them as reveries or illusions but they are real and not virtual images of the Oroko.As much as i try to shy away from these realities and bitterness, these Phantoms of Oroko, keep coming back to jam my central and autonomous nervous systems.These phantoms appear as normal Oroko individuals,small or large groups but the nudity and perverseness they incarnate or represent is excruciating. Even when they appear in little or larger groups and claim an embodiment of a solid Oroko framework, platform and social cohesion or unity,it always turns out to be fallacious.
As much as am aware,most of these individuals and groups are spurious as they do these for selfish interests, personal gains and self aggrandizement.This has led and still leading to much confusion, blackmail, witch-hunting and distortion in the basic road map of the Oroko man.Moreso,the very basis of their existence and their constitutional properties have been misdirected.
I always ask myself why always the Oroko?Why do we always hamper positive vibrations plus guided thinking?

A famous example of such phantoms,is the Oroko Students' Association known by its popular acronym OSA. Maybe i don't understand Queen Elizabeth's language but as far i know, the contents of the constitution have been grossly misinterpreted.A couple of days ago,i received information about a would be "cultural week" at Masore Balue and i asked myself,why can't these Phantoms of Oroko just die and disappear for real!I maybe wrong but strongly believe the very basis of the existence of this organization has been misinterpreted by a group of individuals.
From creation some 35 years ago by those 10 loving Oroko gentlemen at the then Ngoakele till today,can someone tell me what OSA represents?What changes or impacts has OSA during all these years?Is it the meeting of those university boys with the secondary school girls or is it the support letters distributed to would be "elites" or is it just the dancing and eating?
OSA has not only brought shame but also disgrace and division within the Oroko with many factions coming into light.Names like nubasa, mboasa, baya, basa, nasa and you name the rest are all factions of  OSA created by disgruntled Oroko individuals or groups who didn't find a place to fit in within the broader OSA or whose views were denied by unscrupulous OSA executive members.
Cases of National Organizing Secretary receiving cash and drinks from a brewery industry and disappearing are not new;cases of a National treasurer parting with cultural week funds only after the Chief of Ibemi Bakunda intervened are not new;stories of how an organizing secretary claimed to have bought three planting coconuts for 30000 of our rare cfa francs or where two boys fight over a girl are not new.
I remember how it was difficult to reorganize OSA after the splitting of Ngoaekele and creation of other state universities and how the Ngoa guys didn't want to share power,claiming to be the "mother branch".And how after Illoani Balondo in 1993,it was only in 1996 that a group of strong,determined and powerful students revamped OSA with a cultural week at Big Nganjo and the following year at Matoh Butu.But what seemed a curtailed and solved problem turned into a "gang war" in 1998 at Bafaka Balue.According to the Ndian students,the previous two years had seen OSA at two Meme villages,so it was normal according to the rotatory agreement,for another Ndian village to host OSA in 1999.All hell broke lose because on a "passion problem" between a Bafaka Balue President and his predecessor,his nearest neighbour from Bisoro Balue. The Bisoro Balue man requested all Bisoro Balue students to boycott the Bafaka Balue cultural week.But according to reports,two bold students from Bisoro Balue defied the ban and attended.There was a gang war at Bafaka Balue between the Ndian and Meme students and OSA cultural week came to a standstill,OSA was divided,the Meme students had to call in the village chief (Late Hon Mokube) and his council of elders to "foma de beri",before a compromise was reached for Ndian to host in 1999,so that's how Toko came to host OSA 1999.
As far as i know,apart from planting of a "symbolic tree" at the host village,OSA has nothing to write home about after over 35 years of existence. OSA is a true representation of what the Oroko man is all about,it is where the would be elites are groomed by the elders on how not to bother or care for the Oroko man. Maybe you have seen an OSA symbol somewhere such as a signboard, office,a common souvenir shop or a quartier boutique,caps or tee-shirts on sale but i've not. Or has OSA ever offered scholarships to students?Has OSA assisted any village development project?Has OSA donated beds or medicines to any hospital?Has OSA published any calendar or is there a school run by OSA?
Last week,i still visited that rat and lizard-infested,dusty uncompleted library building at Ekondo Titi which also serves as church and a certain college.
I know am wrong again and talk too much when i consider Oroko Students' Association to be an Oroko Phantom. OSA is just like many other institutions or organizations of the Oroko,which appear to be real but actually ghost organizations with a view to divide rather than unite,with a view to self aggrandizement rather than "communal enrichment".
I don't care what your take on this will be but all i know is that,these Phantoms of the Oroko,should re-look at their real existential motives, paradigms of creation and road map as enshrined in their actual constitutions. It is needless to have such domain names without hosting platforms or build gates when there are no fences.These issues are dragging us behind and hindering our progress as individuals and then as a group. Everything we do or any mission we undertake, should be for our general welfare and not destroy us.

The Spectator Kingdom of Oroko

May be i talk a lot, see things from the negative point, just another idle mind seeking for notice and in the quest for an appointment to a duty post.Your stance doesn't matter to me because am just doing what am good at,"talking".And even if i were expecting a "nomination au journal de 17 Heures", i won't possibly join a bandwagon of hand clappers, cheerers and banner flyers of the Spectator Kingdom.Yes,the Oroko are a bunch of spectators in their own country,region and divisions of Ndian and Meme.Oroko people have  reclined to the back seat in every activity within Cameroon even when the front seat is unoccupied, they are the first to buy tickets from their hard earned cocoa or to an extent "mbanga and rubber" money to watch games played by others even right inside their backyards.What is wrong with the Oroko?You are the first to send motions of support to headquarters, you are the first to clap, to cheer,hail high the vert-rouge-jaune as if this vert-rouge-jaune has anything to offer you.

From Konye to Dikome Balue to Mundemba via Toko to Bamusso via Ekondo Titi and Mbonge, eleven municipal councils in total,flying the banner of the ruling CPDM party since the inception of multipartism in 1990.Apart from Toko Council that tried the SDF from 2007-2013,the Orokos like fools are dancers of chacha meringue and bikutsi-styled assimba music,waving their palms,nodding their heads,moving their feet and shaking their buttocks,gasping for breath with eyes closed.Eyes that before they get open, the benevolence of the Royal King have been siphoned to other parts of the Kingdom.So,i ask you today,what is the necessity for all these clapping and cheering at a game you never play?Players you know nothing about and go about quarreling among yourselves about their "match bonuses" whereas you are mere spectators?Despite all the oil rich Bakassi peninsular, the rich mangrove fish swamps, the forests rich in timber,mineral resources, all the rubber and palm oil plus cocoa that you produce,when will you commence reaping the fruits of your God blessed lands?When will you start to play such that others will clap for you?Yes,some told me that "all of us must not be players while others went as far as to ask me that "if all us play,who will clap?Oroko people should be crying,gnashing their teeth,put on mourning gowns and not the other way round.We are the largest group of indigenous Cameroonians with over three hundred thousand people occupying two geographical divisions,why are we so far away from the angle of incidence and refraction?Why are we not close to the center or focal point?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSKJgEb4brw

Everytime i think about these,my heart breaks and my brain wracks while warm tears of pain, anguish and regret rundown my jolly cheeks.Worse of all is that, right in our own back yard of Kumba, a mokperi in the name of Joyce Endeley was appointed Director of our Oroko School (ENSET Kumba) and these hand clappers were there to cheer her.She might be an Oroko woman but tell me oh,until her appointment did any of you know that she is an Oroko child called Bayande Joyce Mbongo who got married to a mokperi?Honestly,i didn't not even when i walked into her UB office to request for information on NEPAD/AU scholarship,that lady never even made me understand that she was Oroko,she even refused me audience.It is a shame that such a person should be appointed to such a post in the name of the Orokos.Am waiting to see her list of admitted students,i will take the challenge if you won't find just ba kperi,bara ngbi and beh kpekeraka on her list.Prof, i challenge you and that your gate without a fence supporter Bokwe Samuel Ngoe who had this to say during your installation Finally, we are all very happy that the director of HTTTC Kumba has been appointed and installed. With the installation, we are hoping that the school will take off smoothly this academic year. We are very happy that President Biya has kept to his words and promise. We expect that she manages the school well and ensure that there is peace. We don’t want any situation of violence. We are here to show our joy that a child of Meme has been appointed. We thank President Biya for recognising that a Meme daughter can head this school. We give her our full support.Sourced from Cameroonheadlines of Sunday 15th June, 2014. 

Madame Endeley tell the ba kperi that you are an Oroko child,it is time you helped your people like the graffi do or as Prof Agbor Peter Tabi did during his days at minesup.You and minesup SG,Horace Ngomo,should challenge me.I will have a copy of the admission list when published and will revert to you,i promise you,Dr Ngomo and Prof Sakwe Dean of UB agriculture faculty,it's a promise.

The hand clappers were there again as the tv images showed,cheering as minister Sadi Emmanuel installed Joseph Otto Wilson as governor of Yaounde.Then i asked myself,who are they deceiving?How does his governorship profit the Orokoman or how did it profit the Orokos of the Septentrion during his governor days over there or of what benefit was his SDO days at Kumba?In 2006,i talked with that guy,has he started speaking English or let me ask even Pidgin?I still don't understand how a Manoka boy became a flag bearer of the Oroko until a"motion de soutien"was sent to the High Priest for maintaining and renewing confidence in their illustrious son,Son indeed!
I turned my radar towards the public service,no one apart from the SG of land tenure and higher education and the commonwealth headboy in a ministry with three other headboys (relations with assembly,islamic world and francophonie),yes papa,that is what is good for an Oroko man.As SG of water,mines and energy,we could not even have water,so what is the importance of land tenure to us?SG of minesup maybe useful as concours come up but am still to learn of his intervention somewhere.They say we have about three (Ebune,Mboke and Naseri) out of the 58 SDOs and about seven out of the 328 DOs,so the High Priest holds us in high esteem,am so shocked and dismayed when listening to these false prophets praise the high priest.Take a look at our universities,apart from this Oroko woman turned bakweri and the Dean of Agriculture in UB,Prof Sakwe Pierre Nekongo from Bisoro Balue,how many of you know these two
below?

  
I looked at international organizations,none not even the SNH and SONARA that are directly derived from Oroko land,we are not represented just the magidas,betis,bakossi and bassas.I looked at the diplomatic corps both in and out of the great triangle,badluck!I looked at public enterprises nothing!
Don't ask me about the acting GM of Pamol,he is merely acting over two years after the demise of the bayangi man.Even our own Rumpi Project was given to a bayangi man,does it mean we don't have competent Oroko people?That two years after the demise of the bayangi GM,our Oroko brother is still to be confirmed as GM of Pamol?When Mr Njalla Henry Quan passed on,his henchman Njie Frankline Ngoni was immediately confirmed and a couple of weeks later installed as GM of CDC.So why is it taking over two years for our Oroko brother to be confirmed and installed as Pamol GM or is another game of thrones being played?
What is wrong with the Oroko man even after all these years of hand clapping and dancing to the harps and tambourines of the High Priest?It is time we stopped these clapping,dancing and flag flying and become players.We have to join the game and let others sing our praises,let others clap for us and cheer us to victory.Oroko people enough is enough,stop living in a Spectator Kingdom and join the Game Kingdom #stopspectatorkingdom.We have occupied the back seat for too long while the front seat is vacant,let us take action and change seats.

False Prophets of the Oroko

Many times i have wondered if these people are truly Messengers of Oroko or they are simply false prophets.I might not share the same view with you but everytime i have had to watch them display, grant a radio or television interview,chills run down my spine and i shed tears.Everytime i listen to their "dimabola" towards the King for "renewing confidence" on..........,my day crumbles like a butterfly under the wheel of bulldozer.I often ask myself if they are real Oroko People or they do this just to flatter the King because as far as i can remember, we the Oroko,live in anguish, live in poverty whereas we are soaked in wealth.
This ridicule, shame, disgrace and unending  mockery is gone beyond limits, has attained its pinnacle, threshold and must be curtailed.

Wonders of Oroko Land,Supe Bridge

Oroko people, we lag behind in everything even basic life support tools and basic social amenities even those that comes as our basic Cameroonian rights.SO, the ultimate questions i have always asked and ask today is why are we backward?Is it because our so called darling flag bearers are mere puppets, false prophets or don't represent our interests?I thought they say that"when ya broda dey untop plum,you go chop black 
one?" 

For so many years,we have had administrative and political jurisdictions attributed to us but how have these been  beneficial to us apart from enriching certain families at the detriment of the Oroko?I thought that when the "populist left" took over Toko Council in 2007,i was to observe eventual changes.But it went from bad to worse and then i came to the conclusion that,neither the far right,central coalition or populist left ideologies were not involved but that the Oroko Prophets were totally responsible for our plight.
I can't imagine for once that someone who claims to be an intellectual and a barrister at law with his own chambers could crumble a council when elected as mayor.I can't believe that someone who was revered for what he incarnates turned out to be the worst mayor ever,he sold all council vehicles, council workers went for months without salaries,took away council stamps/valuable documents after his defeat and traveled abroad.

Korup Hanging Bridge,an Oroko Pride

After having collected hundreds of our rare CFA francs from council funds, the former mayor had to wait for the youths of Mbonge to start burning down electric poles for him to negotiate and make proper arrangements but till now, Mbonge still awaits.
The Dean of the faculty of agriculture and veterinary medicine at the Buea University is an Oroko professor but the last time i checked the list of undergraduate students in his faculty,there were three out of over 217.When i asked why he didn't go around to sensitize and inform Oroko students plus parents, i was asked on who's budget and what for?The entrance exams will be launched again soon,prof do something to challenge me!
Yes,Pa may be dead but the memories of his haydays as director of scholarships at MINEDUC still linger on and his hatred for other Oroko villages will never ebb away.Memories of his preference to his native Dikome Balue children is not new,he was the basis of this "osa boraka proud" attached to the Dikome Balue people.I still don't understand how such a person came to be elected mayor.May your soul rest in peace pa but your Dikome Balue people will remember you for your good deeds and hope they erect your statue infront of the council.
There is this Oroko chief who was secretary general at the water ministry in Yaounde for over five years.But what baffles each and everyone of us is the fact that,there is no water in his council of origin not even in his home village.He drinks bottled water and bathes from water pumped-out of his bore-hole when visiting.Now,he has been appointed SG at another ministry and he even boasted at a central coalition meeting about what his has done for his people.
Take a look at the two Oroko Pa Chiefs, one as board chairman and the other Pa Chief group palms manager at Bota-Limbe.Not until manager was retired and board chairman died did the Oroko ever came to know about them,so who benefited?
Take a look at both Pa Chiefs, former and actual board chairman at Lobe Estate,how are or were these people beneficial to the Orokos?
Not until a couple of months ago coincidentally did i get to know that,the secretary general at ministry of higher education (MINESUP) is an Oroko professor.Mr SG,concours are out again and this time we have a school in Kumba,(K-town),take the challenge and prove me wrong.I heard your "sleeping mayor" now senator wants to do something and sent out a coded message to this effect.Is he working with you or is it his initiative because if it is,then it's another false alarm but he's another Oroko false prophet, a big one from his days at guichet unique,mayor and now senator.
Your so called Oroko "headboy" HEchiefDr has let his cows loose to devour the crops of his people from Bekora-Bongongo 2 Barombi-Mbonge-Small & Big Ngangjo-Kumbe Balondo-Mafanja-Dieka Bafaw and Bieanga.People have to fence their farms such as to ward-off his murderous animals in their quest for green grass.From his enam days and as a "commonwealth boy", i knew he doesn't represent the Orokos.There is even an "illegal" mixed control post infront of his royal majesty's palace in Bongongo 1 Barombi.Oroko people are harassed, molested and assaulted right under his very eyes,tell me where on earth or in Cameroon can that happen?Don't just think about the Bamenda Highlands because the so called law enforcement officers won't last a minute but it is accepted by a man who claims to be "Oroko headboy",please help us wipe this shame and disgrace.
I can go on and on,point fingers at all of you the so called honourables,senators,directors,chiefs,mayors and managers.But let your conscience judge you,let it pass its verdict and let us know if you are a true Oroko Messenger and not a False Prophet of the Oroko.
I maybe wrong in my thinking,hating and insulted as an idle person for the way i look at things but i am of the opinion that we have been betrayed by our representatives.Either they are afraid to channel and convey our problems to the appropriate quarters, are afraid to defend our problems, are ashamed to present the true image of our plight, are afraid to lose their positions or God knows what is wrong with them because others are bringing development to their people.But honestly speaking,i don't think anything has changed within the Oroko Land over the last 25 years or is it the council house in Ekondo Titi or the never available electricity that came from Kumba bypassed all other Oroko villages and only started from Bongongo 1 Barombi and the so called SG at that ministry an Oroko chief,stood by and watched?
And you tell me that something is not wrong with the Oroko Leaders or representatives?I disagree with you,please prove me wrong,maybe i have been carried away by emotions instigated by pain and anguish especially as the rains are around again.
Peace and Love to all Oroko People, one day we will crow!

Part Two:Towards a Disintegration of the OROKO Tribe

The OROKO are a Divided People....I pondered hard over this issue for a longtime and with lots of tears in my eyes as many sad events came to mind, both past and present like the Balondo claiming not to be Oroko pushing the Lower Balue people to request for their own subdivision, the Bakundu People fighting with the Mbonge and pushing the Bakundu people to request for their own subdivision with headquarters in Bombe, the pipe-borne water supply debacle between Big Nganjo,Small Nganjo and Mabonji Bakundu or the Pondo Balue people refusing bulldozers from digging the road to Bisoro Balue.

I entered into deep thought while thinking about the damage that this reality does to our progress and for some reason I remembered a story.

I was boasting to a colleague about the grandeur of the Oroko and our Unity.This i supported with pictures of our cohesion taken during the Bana ba Oroko meeting of 2012 in Kumba and that was the beginning of a moment I will never forget. She burst into fiery laughter and clapped her hands with teary eyes. “Do you know how many pressure groups, chieftaincy diputes, boundary wars and backbiting are within the Oroko as we speak? Do you know how many Oroko children are not in school? What unity do you people have?Is Kumba an Oroko town?Why do you always hold Oroko meetings in Kumba?Can't you hold Oroko meetings in Konye, Mbonge, Bole, Isangele or Toko?Don't these towns have the same facilities as offered by Kumba?If they don't, what have you the Orokos done to avert the situation?Nonsense!” She fired these questions at me and not being able to contain herself after having heard what seemed like the most absurd thing I had ever said or pictures i have ever taken, she continued “Abeg, let me go home before we fight but remember you are not more Oroko than i am'.

What she asked me is what has since plagued me and it is what I ask you today. “Why are we the Oroko so divided?What has become of the loving fraternity we enjoyed in yester-years as battoh ba oroko?

I vividly remember those days as students of GSS (grammar school) Ekondo Titi when we danced to the GLORY of the Oroko every 11th February and how we admired the Oroko Students Association (OSA).I recall the rural council pickups and tippers as we crammed into them just to be part of either the December AGM or July/August cultural weeks, the emotions, the fun, culture and sagesse of the host villages.The swimming in the local village streams,the gala nites, the traditional dances, the clean-up campaigns, the football matches OSA versus the host village and the excursions to a selected neighbouring village.

But as other schools came,the monopoly of GHS and SAR Mundemba, GSS Ekondo Titi were lost and with it the Oroko cohesion, fraternity and congruence.We all had been used to converging on one spot and were able to define and broker our identity but with educational, administrative and political dichotomy, came our divergence, incongruity and division of the mighty Orokos. This instability has been in one way triggered by political barons and baronesses in their quest for representative positions or our so called 'intellectual lot' who see themselves as the liberators and messiahs or historical Oroko pathway/lineage libraries.

Consequentially, the Mbonge parliamentarian or Senator, doesn't defend the interests of the Oroko but that of the Mbonge clan especially the Lower Mbonge he hails from;Chief Justice doesn't defend the interest of the Oroko people but that of his native Balue, Barombi or Balondo; Another amazing example is when a sango Oroko DO could not see any reason to pacify a boundary dispute between a Balue Chief and a Mbonge village until he was taken to court; that an Oroko Manager doesn't see the importance of defending his fellow kinsmen apart from those of his native Batanga; that an Oroko principal of an Oroko high school refuses to attend an Oroko students association meeting but attends and is even a matron of her native Mbonge all students association dubbed Mboasa are very severe cases portraying the magnitude of our Oroko new found or contemporary incongruity. Many instances can also be cited where preferential treatment is given to a clan member to the detriment of a tribal member but i rest my case.

My question is,what has become of the Oroko virtue?Where are we heading to?Are we heading towards the disintegration of the Oroko or can we still catch up?Because looking back at when we used to have solely the Oroko meetings or Oroko students association OSA, there was harmony,joy and the sense of belonging.Now adays, the field scenarios are different with factions from each clan, village factions and pressure groups. There exists little or no Oroko meetings within and without Cameroon.What we do have are Mbonge, Balondo, Ngolo, Bakundu, Balue, Ekombe, Barombi etc etc and such student groups as MBOASA, BYDA, BASA,NUBASA, NASU, BAYA and you name the rest. These all began as small factions from mighty OSA and have grown into mother branches within our college campuses and overseas even threatening the very existence of the Oroko cohesion dynamics.

It is time,we regretted the setbacks these dichotomous appendages have caused us, the retardation and backwardness.We occupy the entire NDIAN Division and 90% of MEME Division, endowed with all complex brains, talents and natural resources but where are we,what are we,who are we,how are we and where are we going to?We have a painful past,a doubtful presence and an uncertain or unknown future.So let's stand up as one man for the interests of BANA BA OROKO.

Oroko Tribe,What is in this Chieftaincy Title?

Maybe i worry a lot about trivial things or i just seem to have a different view to happenings within the OROKO tribe.
I don't know but i always find myself wondering about what's in this Chieftaincy Title,such that it continues to divide and rule the Oroko Man.Is it the "Pa Chief"; "Goats"; Women or the power to sell village land that causes this frenzy, commotion and uproar with daggers-drawn everlasting disputes?
Within the past twenty-five years, the Oroko people have witnessed an unprecedented upsurge in Chieftaincy disputes.From the Bakundus to the Mbonges, Balues to the Bimas,Ngolos to the Batangas, the chieftaincy title war game, witch hunting, fighting and killings are not new to all of us.Many illustrious Oroko children have lost their lands, homes, positions and lives as a result of these disputes.Countless people have either been duped or misled into chieftaincy disputes only to come out more impoverished than before diving into this duel.As far as i know, the Oroko people don't have this inheritance roadmap but that doesn't mean that,we should fight, divide and kill each other because of a mere TITLE".
As mush as i try, i still cannot understand, the reasons for this in-house gambit and how far people can go just to be come a village chief within the Oroko.Until three months ago, i had never known that Bole Bakundu had two chiefs and two villages in one.

Take a look at Bafaka Balue chieftaincy dispute that claimed many lives and where blood brothers were tussling for this title.What about the war between late Mr Ottobanje and the current Chief Mbotake of Ekwe Balue?What about the events leading to the enthronement and coronation of the Iboko Chief?What about the Somalia of the Oroko Land (Bekatokor Balue)?Years after the demise of its former chief, Bekatakor Balue still lingers without a chief?The issue here is that, the majority of the villagers migrated from Bafaka Balue.So a Bafaka Balue elite whose blood brother is also the chief of Bafaka Balue,wants to be the chief of Bekatakor Balue.From all my journeys around the world, i have never seen such a thing were two brothers rule over two separate villages,or maybe it's another Bonaparte Hegemony being enacted.
Take a look at Nganjo Titi or Small Nganjo,were the villagers had chosen their chief after their chief was struck by river blindness.Then,a letter arrived from the DO ushering in another person and even informing them of a coronation date without a prior consultation.

And what of Bekora Barombi after the death of chief Ndengi!It was a do or die for the Bagdad of Oroko to get a new chief. I vividly recall the days leading to the consultation, voting and installation of their new chief.Bravo to you Bekora Barombi, despite all the bombs and bullets,you peacefully have a new chief.How come Bekora Barombi of all could democratically select a new chief and places like Mbonge Marumba still have two chiefs?The situation of Mbonge Marumba beats my imagination because Oroko People don't have inheritance,therefore, it is the will of the people to select their chief.What is in this chieftaincy,please tell me.

The same goes for Big Nganjo where the current chief like Obiang Ngema of Equatorial Guinea had to dethrone,detain and eventually cause the death of his maternal uncle, just to take up the chieftaincy title.What of Dikome Balue?Ibemi Bakundu?Dibonya Bakundu?Mbongo?Toko?Pondo Balue?And what of Mabonji Bakundu whose chief after winning the chieftaincy title, has abandoned his Mabonji Palace to live with his wife in Ngongo Bakundu?

The complicity of local DOs and SDOs in these chieftaincy disputes have caused and continue to steer Oroko villages into a downward poverty and underdevelopment trap.It has caused and still causing a drop in our living conditions, fall in village revenues, internal and external elite conflicts and social strife hence a break in social cohesion.Great and promising Oroko villages plus their projects have come into a standstill because of poor leadership, wrong chiefs and his councilors. Much of our village lands have been sold out to companies or private individuals by these unscrupulous individuals whose aim is financially stocking their potbellies, waving brooms, trending red winter-caps, driving plush cars, building luxurious homes and feasting with bandwagons of council of elders while hundreds of villagers go without lands to farm on, build on, roads to pass or water to drink.

It is time for the Oroko to turn the tides, select and get the right chiefs to rule them,instruct the local ENAM boys to back-off and let peace reign within our villages.
Maybe am wrong again but i know that,for every ten Oroko villages just one will be happy with their chief and that, most villagers happen not to greet their chiefs because their opinions didn't count during his selection.But,do we really have chiefs and do they incarnate the typical OROKO Man?Do they live up to the task or are they competent enough or just band boys?Maybe,we should give women too the possibility!
Thank you for your comment especially with a different viewpoint and let's make the debate great.

Oroko People,WHY ARE WE SO DIVIDED? PART 1

I don't know or maybe am being too critical but one of our greatest problems is that, we Oroko people are too divided.....

Some say they are upper Mbonge and the others are lower Mbonge;some are upper Balue while others are lower Balue;some are upper Bakundu while others are lower Bakundu;the Batanga people say they are the masters of Toko subdivision and are at daggers-drawn with the Ngolos and Bimas for supremacy!

Likewise, the Bekondo customary court area is not happy that,they being the Intelligentsia and population of Mbonge subdivision neither have a mayor,a senator nor a parliamentarian and why should the people of Big Nganjo, take the mayor and senator seats?Why should a man from Dienyi be the chief of Mbonge Marumba and consequently the paramount chief of the Mbonges whereas this should be reserved for a "real son of Mbonge". Why should one person be a parliamentarian always whereas there are many illegible and competent people who can also become an MP?

Why should a mayor and his first deputy not talk to each other in a council like Ekondo Titi, a town the Oroko hold in high esteem?Why should people fight during the installation of the mayor for Dikome Balue, that of Konye, that of Toko, that of Mbonge and what is happening to Pamol?How could a company of that nature go for months without a trained medical doctor or why should a company like Pamol not provide basic hygiene and sanitation facilities to its workers?Why are some people in support of Herakles farms and others not?

Will the Oroko people ever enjoy a macadamized thoroughfare?Apart from the lucky people of Bisoro, Ekombe, Bekondo, ""DK city"" and Mundemba,will the Oroko people ever enjoy living water?

Oh!i heard the chiefs of Ekondo Titi subdivision want to build a mortuary and budgeted over 100 millions of our scarce cfa francs,what a paradox!They are talking about a mortuary when a 37year old small boy DO is terrorizing them and collecting taxes as if he's the taxation officer!Where on earth did you ever see a DO become a taxation officer or supervising clean-up campaigns!so what is the duty of a mayor?

Oh!i almost forgot the so-called Oroko "intellectuals, the elites and those in the so called "diaspora".Oh yes!i heard they started translating the Bible to Oroko in Big Bekondo but will a Balondo Man be able to read a book written in Mbonge?Oh sure, i heard books were donated by OrokoUSA to the Ekondo Titi Library project. Two months ago, i visited that library, thought i saw but Late Dr Zach Fomum's Church and a college?

And what about our politicians?Are they actually our representatives or a bunch of hungry stomachs in the quest for self gratification?The so called chief Dr,Hon chief, Chief board chairman, chief manager, chief GM, chief mayor, president honorable, principal councilor, chief councilor or barrister mayor, chief justice, mayor senator, chief secretary general, chief commissioner, DO this and DO that, governor this and governor that!what has been their role in the Oroko vicious backward quagmire and economic slump?

And the Oroko Students Association dubbed OSA, does it still exist on paper or does it actually reflect/stand for the development/unity as well as well-being  of the Oroko people?

So many questions with difficult answers,answers as difficult as going to Dikome Balue in the rainy season or obtaining land in Big Nganjo.
These are just some of the problems plaguing my mind when i return from work and my kids are asleep and their father is snoring beside me.My mind rovers as i wish and pray that my kids will have a better Oroko than that which i live in.
In the upcoming weeks, i will develop most of  and attempt to exploit these questions surrounding the Oroko people.Please if inspired, leave your comment.

Rise-up Oroko and be Proud

Some OROKO NAMES don't just make sense

In most parts of the world, names are known or thought to be a word or set of words by which a person, animal, place or thing is known, addressed or referred to. In other words, names are used by individuals to describe one another or a place.

With over 13 tribes and each having its own dialect, Oroko names are sometimes just horrible and they drive me crazy. I often ponder over these plethora of names from the Balue, Ngolo, Mbonge, Bakundu, Bima, Batanga and you name the rest. 

Moving around Cameroon, i understand that the Oroko people occupy a special place as concerns naming children. I don't know if these names are a representative of our diversity, cultural heritage,  beauty or tradition. 

Be they for remembrance of events, happenings or circumstances, some of these names are just crazy and of little value especially when we grow up. I often think that these names also accompany us and may become a major player in our future life, character, destiny and achievements.

Let's now take a look at some very common Oroko names that beat my imagination and keep me pondering.

Just imagine that because death had visited your family several times before your birth, they name you Merima (graves), Njikobiya (i will not run), Misodi or Misori and Bekeli (tears). 

Imagine that because your father is seriously sick and everyone thinks he's gonna die,so when you are born, they name you Bongor (fear). You were born when your family was undergoing serious financial difficulties, so they name you Ituka (suffering). Can someone tell me why name your child Mindako (blackmail), Besumbu (grass), Bea (leaves), Isselle (leave it), Ditake (let's talk), Njeya (road) etc etc?

Because your father was unable to repay his debts, so when you are born, he names you Marumbe (debts).  There is another name depending on how you pronounce it,it may mean something else Makane (resemblance), (prayers) but sometimes i hear people saying Makana (insults).

Some common names include Ngoh (Tiger), Isoh (shame), Museke (beak), Bosani (they stayed at home), Mokori (hill), Mososo (talk), Mosongo (a kind of earthworm), njuma (fight), Emeri (remembrance) and so forth and so forth.

All i know is that the Oroko people should rethink and reconsider their naming strategy because it does not actually go down well with some of our brothers and sisters.

I am sick and tired of these names, Oroko Rise Up!

Cameroonians and Titles, Necessity or Pride?

 I do not understand why this mad rush and frenzy about titles and attachments to names in Cameroon. From the foot of mount Fako to the banks of lake Oku; from the pigmies of Lobeke to the safari hunters of the waza; from Ngoaekele to Buea; from churches to mosques; from political parties to njangis; from driver unions to association des ressortissants du??????, just name the titles if you can! Presi, chef terre, grand, ton ton, la mere, chef, tantine, mon colonel, honorable, son excellence, father, prophet, dokta,  manager, prof, proviseur!

These names vary from titles that people give themselves or those that people call them. Infact in Cameroon, if you don't have any title at all, at least you find others calling you sister, aunty, brother, uncle, mummy or daddy. Never you try call someone especially an elderly person by name, maybe you end up in a police cell because you failed to call a commissaire, commissaire or you called a captain lieutenant, na die that!

What utterly baffles me is the fact that, some Cameroonians never introduce themselves without adding their titles. You always hear people introduce themselves as I am Dr, Chief, Justice, Prince, Pastor, Mr or sister this and that, na wa oh Cameroonians! The irony in all this is that, you do not find these titles on their birth certificate, so why insist that your name must be prefixed with a title? It has even reached a point where people who no longer hold posts cannot let go off their former titles even when retired. They claim that the title remains for life, that once a principal or mayor M. le Maire, always M. le Maire till you die! Cameroon, you too strong!

Even at work or school, people carry titles such as chef de service or directeur adjoint, dare you call a Prof, Dr in Buea University, scandal or you do not introduce someone as a master or PhD student, lecturer or try and refer to a DO as DO and not chef terre, you have violated and disrespected hierarchy.

Go to CDC, Delmonte and do not call Mr M or Mr B as supervisor, manager, field assistant or Dokta, you risk being suspended. Go to the ministries, banks, DO's office, hospital and don’t call those women as madame, tu ne sera pas servir.

It is also very common with the judiciary, just try and call Mr M instead of Maitre or Maitre M or Mr B instead of justice, president or procureur, commissaire, commandant or chef, you risk spending a night at the brigade, try and don’t greet a policeman or gendarme at control ‘chef’, you will pay 1000 instead of 500frscfa. Try and refer to Mr M without using M le comptable, M. le doyen, M le vice doyen, M le recteur or M l’ingenieur, M le Senateur.

It is the same phenomenon even in our churches, mami elder, papa elder, man of God, sister B, brother M, Reverend ministers, Prophets and Prophetess, Messiahs, Deacons, Elders, Fathers and combinations of two or more of these titles. You would have committed the greatest sin if you forget to add the title(s) of a person when addressing them.

Something I find amusing is an accumulation of titles, like M le maire maître, chief Dr, Chief Professor, Dr Mrs, Reverend Mrs or Reverend Dr, chief justice, His excellency, Honorable Doctor, Chief Mayor, Honorable Lamido, Honorable Fon, Honorable chief Dr.

Honestly, all these titles amuse me and I don’t quite understand the importance. Is it for necessity or mere pride? The actual value or importance in possessing several titles within the life of an individual beats my imagination and comprehension. I think either it is to increase the societal gap between the privileged and the underprivileged or just a means for them to force respect from other people. 

I find that imposing such titles on oneself sometimes creates a bridge between you and others. It does not make you very approachable and sometimes instills some fear in others.

What do you think?