By Joachim Arrey
For many years now, many have been wondering about the fate and future of the rich cultural legacy that our departed grandparents did bequeath to our aging dads and moms. Each time they reflect on this issue, they feel really depressed because our culture, which clearly defines who we are as a people, has not received proper attention from those who are supposed to protect it. Even the chiefs of Manyu Division who are supposedly custodians of this divine gift have done very little to make our culture more attractive and sustainable. Though the organizations have a huge number of intellectuals today, many of them are yet to understand that our culture could be a vehicle for economic development.
Some Empirical Observations
Over the last three decades, we all have viewed our most precious cultural groups such as the Ekpe Society, Obasinjom and others as status symbols rather than mechanisms through which we can revive our culture and innovate it where necessary with a view to fostering economic development and growth in our division.
The Ekpe Society, which was created many centuries ago, has been losing its value and membership over the last two decades because modern generations of Manyu citizens are yet to find this organization relevant to their ways of life. Many young men simply cannot cope with the manner in which the organization is run and many disagree with its outdated principles and beliefs.
Besides, with the deepening economic crisis, this organization has not been able to attract new members because of its stiff financial demands. Similarly, the principles and beliefs of this organization, which have worked fairly well in a parochial and traditional set-up, have remained the same over the years and are incapable of serving modern-day Manyu. This tells us that there is something wrong and there is a need to fix those things that are no longer working properly. What we have failed as a people to do is to recognize that times have changed and we need to modify our ways to suit the changing times.
The Ekpe Society of our forefathers has, unfortunately, remained static for many decades. Its current leaders seem to be bereft of innovative ideas. Some of them are simply impervious to change and this is adversely affecting the entire division. This organization whose hallmark appears to be the immediate consumption of whatever resources are available to it, holds no economic prospects for the new generation. Though this organization is today replete with many ‘enlightened’ members, many of these members are yet to find it necessary to introduce meaningful reforms that can help the organization to be relevant to the new generation.
To help this organization and others stand the test of time and to ensure that it remains attractive to all generations, its members must be innovative and open to new ideas. It is hard to believe that after many centuries and having attracted many scholars into its fold over the years, this organization still holds fast to outdated principles, which clearly spell out greed and doom.
It would be surprising to learn that some members of this organization would intentionally set up their friends and family so that they can pay fines; fines which will be used to purchase drinks for immediate consumption. This negative attitude is being frown upon by many, especially the junior members, but since the laws of this organization do not provide for protests or suggestions for meaningful changes, this organization appears to be outdated and it has, in certain circumstances, alienated some of its reform-minded members.
One would think that after many years in existence, this supposedly noble organization is supposed to provide some sort of insurance for its members, especially in times of illness. One would also think that in times of illness or other misfortunes, its members could fall back to it for some form of financial support or assistance. Unfortunately, this has never been the principle of the organization and it will never be for as long as the suggestion does not come from some of the blind dictators within the organization who have been leading it through suppression. This attitude is impacting the organization negatively, and this tells the world that some internal reforms are necessary and that if the organization has to survive the tough test of modern times, then it will be necessary to introduce democratic management into the organization. It will also be important for leaders of the organization to introduce an economic component into the organization so that members can see some economic benefits. Without such reforms, Manyu cultural organizations, like most cultural organizations in Cameroon, will go down the drain, and the people of this division will lose their cultural identity.
Strangely, until recently, it is common knowledge in Manyu division that some members of this organization even pray for some of theirs to die so that they can have an opportunity to feast. I think this is a great deviation from the initial and noble objectives that our forefathers set for this organization. When one learns of such eerie things, the first thought that comes to mind is that there is a greater need for meaningful reforms within this organization. It is hard for any organization to prosper and even develop if its own members do not trust each other. This should partly explain why this organization is still in its rudimentary stage. If we, as a people, do not depart from such an archaic mentality, we will be losing what is so dear to us. We need to imitate some of the best practices in the West. If these cultural groups were in rich countries of the North, the citizens and governments of these countries would have worked hard to transform these organizations into moneymaking structures. These organizations would certainly become great tourist attractions and a lot financial benefits would flow to its members if they belonged to Western countries.
The Obasinjom, for its part, has completely lost its value. This organization used to serve as the protector of Manyu citizens through its supernatural powers. In the past, this mystical being, the Obasinjom, could diagnose diseases, provide a prescription and even help ordinary citizens to prevent possible misfortunes. In recent times, it has, on many occasions, caused many to question its credibility and importance in a modern society.
In certain cases, it even tells stories that are clearly wrong and misleading. Sometimes, members of this organization commit atrocities in certain Manyu villages, and this is really unsettling. How then can such organizations be trusted when the integrity and credibility of its own members are questionable?
Opportunities, Potentials, and the Road Ahead
Sincerely speaking, if we had developed the powers of this organization and transformed it into a modern organization, I think we would have been attracting many visitors to Cameroon and the economy of our country would have known some great benefits too. How many tourists go to Israel each year just because of the presence of those sites that are considered as holy? How many tourists go to Egypt every year to see the great pyramids that Egyptian built many centuries ago? If we cannot improve upon the little we have, we will be unable to attract visitors to our own part of the world and our economy will certainly suffer. We must understand that the tourism industry is an industry that creates jobs too and those things that make up the industry are little things like the cultural riches we have.
The most devastating blow to this organization has come from its inability to attract new members. Many young men intentionally shy away from it because if they become part of it, the spirit that controls its members will trail them to wherever they go, even when they are abroad. Who will help them to put out the spirit when it takes control of them when they are out of the country? This is where we would have developed the organization so that we can export it and use it to make more money abroad. Our inability to develop whatever we have remains our greatest undoing. In North America, for example, almost all the people of the world have cultural groups and they use those cultural groups to inform North Americans about their countries of origin and these cultural events have helped to popularize their countries. It is obvious that the tourist industries in these countries where these cultural groups come from are benefiting today because of the effort their citizens abroad have made. However, for such an effort to be made, we as a people must first of all develop our cultural groups and we must take off the unrealistic cultural myths that surround these cultural groups.
This clearly tells us that our culture is begging for reforms. If this does not happen, some of our organizations will certainly disappear from the surface of the earth and this will be a severe blow to our moribund culture. As citizens of Manyu Division, we have to press for reforms within our cultural organizations. We must not forget that our culture is a function of our economic development and progress. We have to let the old generation understand that their old ways are militating against the development of the culture they purport to protect. If we do not act now, our own culture will become an endangered species and our children will never have the opportunity to see those things our forefathers founded.…© The Entrepreneur Newspaper 2009. All Rights Reserved
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