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.
"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 Butu and the following year at Big Nganjo". Your analysis is exact but permit me draw your keen attention to a misplaced/reversed important detail elucidated above. We were truly confronted with the problem of leadership in OSA at the National Level at the dawn of the splitting of mother Yaoundé University into six others. OSA Yaoundé 1 lost its privileged position with a lesser enrolment vis-a-vis baby Universities like Buea and Dschang. This caused OSA its yearly cultural activities as no such event took place for 3 years or so bc of no central executive. As you rightly mentioned, Buea University burried this bleak period of OSA in limbo by resuscitating the yearly students' gathering. As head of OSA UB branch, I coordinated that very first cultural week that held in BIG NGANJO (1996) and not in Big BUTU as you cited above. The following year it was then organised in MATOH BUTU. The regretable events registered in subsequent years are just a confirmation of the complexity of our people, a people who are difficult to mould. Well, OSA will keep limping instead of walking upright because the elders who ought to keep watch and guard over the student movement (by way of dishing advice, maintaining equilibrum within it, proposing and following up its activities etc etc) are themselves organised? in no major organisation. Isn't it embarassing (and no one is taking the bull by the horns) that a huge ethnic group like Oroko does not have a cultural and development umbrella that assembles its sons/daughters yearly as it is the case with most tribes?
ReplyDeleteSir,thank you for the corrections,i've updated the post.It's a shame that we don't have any regrouping of Orokos except Oroko USA. Despite the "je m'enfoutisme" attitude of our would be elites towards a united Oroko,our contemporary generation is obviously heading towards a triumphant emergence and rebirth of the Orokoman.
DeleteGuys, regrouping the contents of your rich contributions reminds me of the great work already done by the Oroko People but left scattered , undocumented or without any follow ups and as such leaves a gap which appears as if we lagg far behind or are very divided and fragmented as a tribe. Lets keep on these discussions and consider a permanent way through. We can blame our past and the works of our leaders but we cannot continue to relly on those failures but instead correct ourselves and pave a better present and for the future. This must be rooted from individual commitment in targeting a clear road map towards achieving a goal that further undermines the blames of our past. On my part I am mobilising some human and material resources to achieving the Goal for the Oroko People and pray God guides us through.
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