By George Esunge Fominyen
Recently, an Eden newspaper report that "about 300 inhabitants of Esele in the Limbe III subdivision have been asked to quit their village and cede land for the construction of a military barrack" stirred virulent reactions among members of the Fako (South West, Cameroon) diaspora. They mostly worried about how vulnerable their kinsmen had become in terms of losing their ancestral lands. As I followed the heated debates on the issue, I reflected on my interpretation of "The Lost Heritage", a story by Cameroonian writer, Fritz Ilongo.
This is a short story. True. With a very catchy theme - if (like Fritz Ilongo) you hail from the land that spans the slopes of great Fako Mountain to the "Mwaanja" (ocean). It is a depiction of an intense reality that has political and social ramifications which may supersede comprehension.Bakweris have a problem about their ancestral land. Sold privately or at a state level (i.e CDC)...
At first glance, I thought this story to be another rant on the lazy "mowkpé" (Bakweri) who sells his land to greedy "bwajili"(strangers). Then, I realised it was about one man's greed and selfishness that led him to push the self destruct dial.
Finally, I settled on the hypothesis that "The Lost Heritage" is deeper. The sale of Bakweri ancestral lands under the guise of privatisation of the CDC by a reckless government. A government that mis-managed, when it did not abandon a gift from God or nature.
A government whose irresponsibility, more smacks of Pa Njebodi: "But for all that the fertile mountainous soil produced, Pa Njebodi maintained a miserly profile, barely taking care of the needs of his twin sons, Mboma and Batoum who were brilliant upper sixth students at the Bilingual Grammar School Bolinge."
Aren't we all Mboma and Batoum. Products of a country with so much potential but left to ruin by heinous rulers?
A state that is ready to declare itself bankrupt- Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) - and swift to enter into shady negotiations with all manner of multinationals and businessmen to privatise (read sell)it's heritage. Just like Pa Njebodi who "went on making secret plans to sell off the vast plantations."
In real life Cameroon one wealthy person from the north of somewhere... Alhadji Baba Danpullo bought over the CDC Tea Estates from the state of Cameroon. Similarly, "one wealthy northerner, by name Usman Bello finally bought all the farmlands of the Kriyo family" in Ilongo's short tale.
The scandals that spewed from the CDC tea privitisation deal (e.g) the Niba Ngu vs CTE cases are depicted in the bank managers escape with the booty.
What a tragedy!
In Ilongo's story, the rightful owners of the land return and succesfully reclaim their land through the courts. Do I perceive a reference to the Bakweri land Claims committee, etc? Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go for the Bakweris in real life.
Art is a subtle an poignant means of delving into the hot-waters of reality without burns. The Lost Heritage is a testimony of that fact. But art is also craft. That is a bit lacking in this very realist piece. It may be an issue of style. Yet more colour and tone would have been useful to capture the reader's imagination.
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