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?)