Academic Genocide of the OROKO

Each time I happen to calculate the amount of money invested on education by Oroko parents and the return obtained from these investments which are brought in by those who were educated, my heart sinks. I have thought about this for a longtime and each time, like many Oroko kids, I weep and sometimes shed warm tears of pain because the system has victimized us all. This academic genocide, has lasted for too long and it is time for the Oroko, to wake-up and reflect on their academic path, learning curve and professional career.

What most Oroko people do not understand is that, most students should be retained to study in Technical Schools or professionalize their skills, educate and develop their hands-at work knowledge. Those that go to study in general education or grammar schools should be the handful who failed to be bright and intelligent. On the contrary, these grammar people, are the ones the Oroko have been and are producing in the name of intellectuals; I hold a degree in this, in that or am studying that and that, only to come back after wasting all their youthful exuberance either studying, looking for “salaried jobs or writing “concours”

What really worries me most is that, this seems to be endemic for each Oroko village I try to assess from the little that is generated in that village. Most often than not, after a series of years, there is practically no return from what their hardworking parents invested on them. Maybe their parents wrongfully educated them or maybe due to the illusion sold to them by boisterous salaried workers from government-run professional schools in the City on Four Hills.

The burning truth is that, instead of training Oroko children in technical skills that permits them solve our everlasting problems, parents prefer the bureaucratic and certificate amassing system. This system which strives to instill hope in obtaining certificates with the pretext that, the more certificates the child obtains; the more his or her way is paved towards a highly paid job. Here, it matters not if you possess the skills necessary to build a house, mold blocks, wire a house, paint a house, multiply a plantain sucker or convert waste into renewable energy. In most of these villages especially in the Balue, Bakundu and Mbonge, what is taken into account, is the number of degrees you obtain; your certificate reflects your social status or portrays how much you will someday end as salary.

We, the Oroko, lack entrepreneurs, engineers, agronomists, foresters, plant breeders, geneticists yet, we cry everyday of lack of industrial development within Oroko land. This is academic genocide, mental redundancy and cultural servitude engulfing the Oroko land which has consequently reduced us to powerless noise-makers, complainers and materially poor in the midst of wealth. Furthermore, the Oroko are yet to contextualize and aspire breaking-out of the poverty trap through the education-development nexus, for over 49 years, we remain in a poverty trap. What is the necessity for all these certificates when we can’t use them to construct pipe borne water or teach modern farming and improve crop varieties that adapt to the changing climate in Oroko land? What added value do these certificates create or have created around Oroko villages? The indoctrination of children and sale of an illusionary paradise obtained from certificates, has not protected us from perpetual enslavement.

Over 49 years ago, we naively made a tragic error accepting a system of education that has repeatedly invaded Oroko land, looted its people and spiritually enslaved us. We can never refute the fact that, this system of education is some form of mental slavery. Why is this system not producing individuals capable of creating jobs, engines, banks, designs and Oroko companies? Honestly, this system solely produces employees not employers with generations upon generations of families enslaved towards salaried work. Oroko parents spend huge sums of money year in year out for an educational system where their children are taught how to manage banks but not how to create one; how to wear suits and jackets but not how to make one for themselves and how to become a doctor but not how to build a hospital or produce the drugs needed to run the hospital.

The Oroko have been kept at the bottom of the social ladder for too long, we need to stand up against this system and embrace one that serves our interest, one that creates wealth, excellent captains of industry armed with intelligence to play a leading rule in the key domain of wealth creation.  Most people will say that, the government is not doing enough to help the Oroko create its industries and become self-dependent. I don’t think that’s true because, we cannot study to the level of obtaining a university degree if it is valuable, and still talk like mentally dependent uncultivated people. On the other hand, our degree holders should stop complaining and accept the fact that, it is only through their initiative that they will break free from this poverty trap. Morso, free your minds from the notion that, everything must be free and that it is the responsibility of the state to take care for you.

Let the Oroko harmonize their efforts and stand on the foundation of social capital, creating internal cohesiveness and generating riches necessary for our collective advancement. Education does not mean learning to depend on government, becoming a liability but acquiring instruments necessary to go from nothing to something, create riches and become self-dependent. No Oroko man can do remarkably well while working for others because the main function of their existence rotates around creating wealth for others. This is because salaried workers from one generation simply pass-over poverty to the next generation. Their children will remain as servants to the children of the person who owns the company they work for. This is how total subordination is created and transmitted for generations.

The Oroko situation will be radically different if, one generation decides to break or walk-free from this tragic vicious cycle of poverty programmed in advance. If one generation accepts to crack their minds, coordinate effort, work intelligently, create and manage their own company and free themselves from perpetual slavery working for others. Therefore, the future generations, will grow up seeing their parents generating wealth for the family through their own initiative.

Oroko land is in dire need of potential job creators, able to take control of our youths, industrial wizards endowed with knowledge of the fact that, if they are poor materially today, it is because they have not done what they are supposed to do to become rich. The Oroko man must take total responsibility of his failure and understand that, we are not poor because of our government but because we don’t want to get mentally mature enough to outgrow the cage of mental dependence that permits us to act like owners of ourselves.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2016

Long Live OROKO!

I will be back!

Through My OROKO Eyes

     The Oroko nation is one of the few that, no person is considered a stranger or discriminated based on birth, creed, race, ethnicity, and political coloration or otherwise. Every child whether born out of wedlock or unknown parent is accepted as a member of the family and community with equal rights, privileges and even rights to succession and inheritance. In other tribes, children born out of wedlock and their mothers are treated like outcasts. This is a fact not fiction. The Oroko nation does not have the lexicon `bastard` as every child belongs to the mother. Reasons why over 20% of Oroko kids born in the last 20 years do not know their biological fathers but bear their grand father`s name and 100% accepted. Is that conservative or liberalism? We have witnessed in many and several regions, property, families and businesses of non –indigenes burnt, destroyed, targeted, maim or marked for demolition. In other areas, lands are not sold to non-indigenes. To wit, until maybe recently, land in Mamfe was not sold to non-indigenes. It is common knowledge how they refused to give land to both Pamol and CDC for agricultural development but were the first to people and colonise CDC and Pamol and the biggest land owners in Ndian. (Maybe our generosity has been mistaken for stupidity and laziness).
The Orokos are the most liberal and tolerant when it comes to issues on inter marriage. Testimonies and eye witness reports are abound on how our sisters, daughters and even brothers are being treated by their in laws or host families. (I don` t wish to get emotional here).These are facts not fiction. 90% of civil servants, worker, immigrants who had ventured to Oroko nation have children free of charge with Oroko women and none has been harassed. Some have even had children with the wives of our traditional chiefs. Where else will such despicable acts take place? A majority of the female students impregnated by teachers . These are some of the victims engaging in petty trading and farm work to survive. If the men and boys are not in the farms and markets, they should be elsewhere.

    The fundamental, principle and guide to any research, study, learning or experiment is to start from the KNOWN to the UNKNOWN. Our KNOWN is our history, tradition and culture. Our cosmogony, culture and tradition are what define us, identify us and form our common laws. That is what makes us unique and different from others. There is absolutely no way, we can divorce gender from creation and origin of species. 

     The Oroko cosmogony takes cognizance and recognizes that, Tata Obase created male and female and assigned them with different roles, responsibilities and functions. These belief and responsibilities are similar to those enshrined in Genesis in the Bible and Qur'an. The Oroko language have words or nomenclature to describe MALE AND FEMALE. There and distinct names for male and female, distinct names for male and female twins and distinct names for male and female gods, goddess and religious cults. The Oroko tradition and culture reserve and preserve everything associated with child birth to women. At death, women are responsible for washing of the corpses and men responsible for autopsy. Women are required to sit on the floor and mourn whilst the men take charge of other matters. moreka and ngondo are two distinct human beings. Male and female are a creation of God not MAN. Marriage is an institution created and sanctioned by God not Man. Animals, birds or plants did not go to Supreme Court before they start procreation. Adam and Eve did not go to any Supreme Court to seek permission to have a relationship. We cannot therefore be advocating for a genderless society. That will be challenging God and natural Laws governing the universe. If my dear brother friend wants to promote a genderless society, l will implore her to allow her male visitors to share the same room with either her daughters or sisters. (Hahaha!!!!)
The backwardness, underdevelopment and challenges faced by the people are a creation induced by the state against the Oroko nation for obvious political reasons based on results of 1961 Plebiscite. It is not as a result or borne out of the mental, intellectual or physical inability of the OROKO nation to transform and conquer her environment. To wit; 90% of the roads in Ndian were constructed by the people and developmental unions. Such a people could not be described as lazy or layback!!! The number of persons or genders present in markets or farms should not be used as a benchmark or barometer in measuring productivity, alertness, laziness or responsibilities. Farms and markets are just a segment of the economy. Even in more endowed nations, communities than the Orokos, trading is still gender bias. It would have been a concern if Oroko voice rhetorical conclusion, would have been ` where are the boys in our secondary , High schools , colleges, Polytechnics and Universities not farms and markets which do not require any professional or intellectual competence to get involved?
It is instrumental for us to know where we are actually coming from. The Oroko nation as a people have no history or records of any of their villages, hamlets being a commercial nerve centre in the ancient , past or present like we have in other regions and empires. The Orokos have been mainly engaged in farming and selling of cash crops to middle men or buyers. There are no known prominent families of Oroko descents that were engage in commercial trading. The few who were into commercial trading were associates or apprentices to either Igbos or other local tribes.
It is a truism that, education is the key that opens the second door to freedom. Nnamdi Azikiwe has posited that, the educated are always the leaders and pathfinders of their community or nations. Our cursory and comparative analysis of historic facts should give us an insight on our odyssey and our current position.
Recall that, from 1916 to 1961, the Oroko nation was a British colony and administered as part of Nigeria. CMS Grammar School, Lagos the oldest secondary school in Nigeria, founded on 6 June 1859 by the Church Missionary Society (156 years old)
2. Methodist Boys High School, Lagos (1878) (137 years old)
3. Methodist Girls High School, Lagos (1879) (136years old)
4. Baptist Academy, Lagos: 1885
5. Hope Waddell Training Institute, Calabar, 1895 (120 years old) Hon Mbile Alma mater.
6. Wesley college of science, Ibadan (1905),
7. Methodist Boys’ High School, Oron (1905).
8. Abeokuta Grammar School, Ogun (1908)
9. Kings College, Lagos (1909)
10. Alhuda College, Zaria (1910)
11. Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Ogun (1913). (102 years old)
CAMEROON.
1. St Joseph College Sasse 1939 (77 years)
2. CPC Bali (1942) (73 years)
3. QRC Okoyong (1956) (59 years old) (My senior sister Bridget Alma mater 1972 BATCH)
4. PSS Kumba (1963) 52 years.
5. Saker Baptist College Limbe, 1962 (53 years)
6. GSS Mundemba (1975) (40 years).
In spite of our late head start and with few Junior primary schools and senior primary (standard 5 & 6) except in Ikassa, Dikome and Mbonge, no secondary schools or TTC our sons and daughters were able to mark present as foundation / pioneer students in GTC Kake( 1925), Hope Waddell Calabar, Govt College Umuahia, Kings college Lagos, St Joseph College Sasse, CPC Bali, Yaba College Lagos, University of Ibadan.
The Balues a forest tribe have more graduates and professionals than the Bafaws, Balongs ,Bassosi combined is a clear testimony of the resilience of the orokos . MERRY CHRISTMAS

   

   Written by Sango Atabong Albert Motale in response to my post (Where are the Orokomen?)

Where are the Oroko men?

Without being sarcastic, I know the Oroko land, its people, its dialects and its cultures to my fingertips as well as nails.  Notwithstanding all our problems and challenges, Orokoland is arguably the best place on earth to live and die. Many of you out there, will accept with me that, we need to fight to make our Oroko Kingdom a better place for the survival of the Oroko tribe!

But one of the greatest questions that I often ask myself and which continuously pops into my mind is, what is happening to the Oroko Men? Where are the Oroko Men?

I have spent most of my life immersed in the life of ordinary people, eating with them, dancing with them, working with them, walking the same paths as they do and taking the same okada, clando and hilux as they do, passionately engaged in understanding things. What is obvious and continuously baffles me is that, in all productive activities one only mainly sees Oroko women. From the farms to the markets, it seems like only women are working, doing something or producing something. Where are the men?

Almost all the food produced in Orokoland is done by women including all the agricultural workforce or small farmers, are mostly rural Oroko women.  Oroko women comprise the largest percentage of the workforce in the agricultural sector, almost all the traders in Fabe, Ibemi, Illoani, Ekombe Bonji, Sambalimba, Issangele, Mbonge, right up to Mokango infact, just visit any store or market and you’ll confirm that observation. It is very obvious that, agriculture and trade are in the hands of women, they still give birth to our kids through life while performing all household duties of the Oroko man from the kitchen to the bedroom.

In the Orokoland, women earn less than men while performing the same job sometimes more than 25% less than what their men folk would earn. Property wise, (lands, house, shares, stocks) women in the Orokoland own less than 5% though the government of Cameroon has been preaching the emancipation gospel. The issues of inheritance and marriage, remain an illusion for the Oroko woman. As a result of cultural norms related to gender and social inequality, Oroko women are sparingly allowed to get less involved in political and household decision-making processes which affect their lives. Oroko women have very limited access to land, possess no assets thus are economically poorer than the Oroko men folk. Also, the Oroko woman does most of the agricultural work and she also bears the unequal responsibility to feed her entire family.

The Oroko man’s belief in Polygamy, also makes the Oroko woman unlikely to get any wealth transfer because of marriage. Their condition is further worsen by the fact that in almost all the tribes, only men inherit lands and family assets. The impossibility for the Oroko man to enforce marriage and inheritance laws due to weak government laws, make the Oroko woman’s ability to acquire assets very unlikely. The Orokoman simply and quietly seizes the family assets and goes away without bothering about what becomes of his women family members.

One would be a fool to believe that the Oroko woman is poor because she is lazy or incompetent whereas over 90% of businesses and 80% of agricultural activities are carried-out by Oroko women. What about the proportion of Oroko women who die each day trying to give birth to Oroko kids? Oroko women most often are unable to sleep or sometimes sleep only for two hours a night because they have to nurture their new born which goes on for several months’ even years.

In Orokoland, the two major economic activities are agriculture and trade but how come the Oroko woman owns nothing? How come all the houses, cars and lands are owned by Orokomen? Is it because of unpaid labour, patriarchal connotation and child bearing responsibilities?

What baffles me most is why should an Orokoman own or accumulate so much wealth while contributing so little to economic emancipation of the Oroko? Oroko men run the Orokoland from 6pm to 7am sleeping almost 10hours per day. The Orokoman has or owns no industries, there is no manufacturing, no mining and the rate of unemployment is massive with almost 85% roaming our streets. The Orokoman shows no compassion for neither his kids nor his women, they have stolen their future, their lands, food and resources.

The Orokoman, still suffers from the pride of “am the master” and “you’re the slave” towards the Orokowoman reflecting his enclosure in the damned colonial society. The Orokoman rejoicefully locks-up himself in secret societies, witchcraft, cults, sects and strives to fight the rest of the Oroko. This rest of the Oroko society is offcourse made of the hardworking women folk, his kids and those poorer than him.The Orokoman never fights those above or richer than him less of all foreigners., he is a gate without a fence.

Orokomen are counter and unproductive usually acting as paper pushers in offices, touts for migrants and traders or if they’ve tried GTTC Mundemba! They don’t work in offices because all Oroko administrations are nonexistent; in politics the Orokoman is the worst politician in Cameroon or maybe on earth; in the armed forces, the Orokoman makes-up maybe 0.0001%; in the sciences and technology, these require special skills which the Orokoman is not yet prepared to acquire even if the training lasts for just a single day.

So of what use was, is and will be the Orokoman with respect to the emancipation of the Orokoland? It is time for the Oroko man to join forces with the Oroko woman for the development of the Oroko.

I will be back!