MOHWA Buea Pays Courtesy Visit to PCC Moderator & Family

MOHWA Buea  in Family Photo with PCC Moderator during the ceremony

The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, PCC, the Right Reverend Fonki Samuel, has shown his admiration for  MOHWA (Manyu Women’s Association), Buea Chapter, and strongly appealed to  its members  to continue serving  as exemplars in  society,  in  promoting cultural values, development and unity, so that other women’s groups  in Cameroon can follow in their footsteps.

The Chief Shepherd of the PCC made the appeal during a courtesy call paid him, recently, at his residence in the Southwest regional capital by MOHWA Buea. 

“The purpose of the visit was just to commune with the Moderator and his family, because the moderator happens to be a MOHWA husband; his wife Rev. Dr.Mrs. Perpetua Fonki is a member of MOHWA Buea(being a member her husband automatically becomes our “husband”, Mrs Ogork Kate,MOHWA Buea President, said. “The second reason for the visit was because our sister and member lost the brother .So it was but natural that we should condole with her”

It was not the first time MOHWA was visiting the PCC moderator. All MOHWA branches in Cameroon participated actively during the induction of Rev. Fonki Samuel as PCC Moderator and later visited him to express their happiness and thankfulness to God for his election as the PCC Chief Shepherd.

Receiving the 64-member MOHWA Buea, the elated Moderator not only showed his love for the group but advised them to “continue to be the good Manyu Women that you are and always be one another’s keeper”

The PCC moderator, in pursuit of his open-door policy, told the MOHWA members to feel free to visit him, any time, not only as a group but even individually.

Rt Rev. Fonki blessed the group, hoping that MOHWA would continue to enjoy God’s favour in their activities.

The Visit to the moderator came after MOHWA Buea  on August 24,2019,  organised a  Manyu cultural jamboree at Mountain Hotel Buea.  The cultural jamboree was under the patronage of Southwest Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai and   had as theme “Handing Down the Manyu Culture to the Younger Generation,”

It should be noted that Mrs. Ogork Kate, who is MOHWA Buea Prseident is a PhD student of African Literature. She  is  Chief of Service of the Teachers’ Resource Centre and author of several books.

While MOHWA Buea dynamic Vice-President ,Mrs. Agbor Ndip Asek, is also an educationist with high experience.

Manyu Women celebrate culture in Buea

MOHWA women dancing at the cultural jamboree

By Christopher Ambe

Manyu women and   girls under the banner of Manyu Women Association (MOHWA), on Saturday August 24, at Buea Mountain Hotel, celebrated the cultural values of the Division, in a ceremony dubbed MOHWA Cultural Jamboree.

The event, placed under the theme” Handing down the Manyu culture to the Younger Generation”, had as special guests Doumbe Jean Marc,head of Division for Administrative and Legal Affairs at Southwest Governor’s Office, who sat in for Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai;MOHWA Partron,Senator Mbella Moki;Dr Ogork Ntui Besong,Managing-Director of SOWEDA;Southwest Regional Delegate for Culture, Mrs.Grace Ngoh Ewang.

In her welcome speech, MOHWA Buea President,Dr.Mrs Kate Ogork, said  the culture of Manyu is very rich and it is the duty  of the Manyu women to pass on such values to the younger generation.

She said since it was difficult now to take the children to the village in Manyu,”we have decided to bring the village to the children in Buea”

She hailed Senator Mbella Moki, who is a noted MOHWA patron and other MOHWA men for always supporting the association’s activities intended, among others, at encouraging academic excellence and empowerment of the girl child.
Dr.Mrs. Perpetua Fonki,a Mohwan, presented a talk on “Career Orientation” to  Manyu girls at the ceremony. She advised them to take their studies seriously and endeavor to distinguish themselves in whatever activities they undertake, and to value the sacrifices of their parents towards their upbringing and empowerment.

“If you are able to work hard, you will be able to have what your parents you liked and your parents could not give you”, Dr. Mrs. Fonki, who is a pastor and counselor, told her target audience. She advised them not to consider failure as the end of life but rather as an opportunity to concentrate more on their weaknesses, in order to succeed.

Dr.Mrs.Fonki further advised them: “Wisdom is very important. Listen to the wisdom of your parents plus your intelligence and you will all be distinguished Manyu women.”

After watching the cultural dances and exhibitions by MOHWA, Mrs. Grace Ngoh Ewang, Southwest Regional Delegate for Culture, affirmed that God has really blessed Manyu people with a rich and beautiful culture.

The Delegate said the main objective of the Ministry of Culture is to preserve, valorize and promote important culture.

“What Manyu Women are doing here is just what we are crying for,” she said, adding that “we should not neglect culture which is the first thing God has given us”

Apart from traditional Manyu dances such as Moninkem and kokoma, thrilled the association’s members and guests,the  jamboree was further graced by poems,folktale, fashion parade,exhibition of Manyu artifacts and cuisine,as well as  award to prizes to Manyu children, who excelled at various public exams this year such as the GCE.

An elated gubernatorial envoy, Mr.Doumbe Jean Marc, who is also a senior administrative officer, extended words of encouragement to MOHWA, noting that he would attest to the richness of Manyu culture to his hierarchy.

MOHWA Buea President urges womenfolk to be cultural boosters.

The  President of MOHWA Buea( the popular Manyu Women’s Association),has implored the womenfolk of Manyu Division of the Southwest Region of Cameroon to be more passionate about their culture and serve as cultural  boosters wherever the find themselves.

 Mrs. Ogork Kate , a PhD student of African Literature and Chief of Service of the Teachers’ Resource Centre,Buea made the call ,August 24,2019, on the occasion of a Manyu cultural jamboree, organised by MOHWA ,which took place at Mountain Hotel Buea.

Organized under the patronage of Southwest Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai( represented), the event, which  had as theme “Handing Down the Manyu Culture to the Younger Generation,” assembled not only Manyu womenfolk but also male elites of the division  who included  “sesekou”,as well as national dignitaries such Senator Mbella Moki and the Managing Director of SOWEDA,Buea Dr. Ogork Ntui Besong

In her highly applauded welcome address, Mrs. Ogork justified the holding of the jamboree:

“Yes, we have to struggle to hand down our culture and tradition to the next generation so that they too can uphold it and eventuality pass it on to the succeeding generations.”

The dynamic MOHWA president expressed the hope that lessons learnt from the cultural come together would “spur parents and children themselves to become more passionate about issues of [Manyu] culture.”

But she lamented: “Just like many other cultures in Cameroon, we’ve realised that our tradition is gradually fading out. There are many aspects of our culture that even us, adults, do not know or do not remember.

“Today, rural to urban migration has taken so many people out of the villages, and so we cannot take our children to the village because the village has come to us.

“Civilization has caused many of us to abandon our prestigious native languages in preference to the Whiteman’s tongues; modern technology has caused our children to prefer wearing their trousers below their butts in imitation of American prisoners instead of dressing in our decent traditional outfits.

“We have all abandoned our sweet palm wine and delicious ‘tanchot soup’ to poison our system with hamburgers and other unhealthy meals.”

The President further regretted: “Parents have become so busy that moonlit stories or even night-time family get-togethers where mothers used to recount folktales to their children have become very scarce.”

Noting that culture is an aspect of humanity that makes life more gratifying and pleasurable, the soft-spoken Mrs.Ogork boasted that, the culture of Manyu people is very rich, thus a cause for celebration.

She disclosed that the Buea Cultural Jamboree was prompted by the fact that, Mohwa women “have looked at all factors that impede the continuity of tradition and decided that if we cannot take our children to the village, we shall bring the village to our children”.

She was thankful to MOHWA patron,Senator Mbella Moki Charles ,who  forwent  his trip to Yaounde just to attend the occasion.

 “Actually, we all know that wherever MOHWA is, just turn around and you’ll see the Senator, “she remarked before acknowledging the presence of other invitees from different regions and divisions, who joined MOHWA in celebrating the rich Manyu culture.

“In fact, when we talk about living-together, this population of non-Manyu people here present is proof of the fact that we Cameroonians support one another in everything.”

The president extended special thanks to the General manager of Mountain Hotel, who,she said, “ is a Banso woman by birth and Manyu woman by education” for being  very supportive  to MOHWA ideals.

Mrs. Ogork equally had kind words for Mrs. Grace Ngoh Ewang,Southwest Regional  Delegate for  Arts and Culture, adding that the latter “ sounded more excited about this event than even some of us and  has remained enthusiastic about it to the point that she had to postpone her trip just to be here”.

She urged MOHWA husbands to keep encouraging their children in matters of tradition and exposing them to all aspects of Manyu culture like Commissioner Takem Collins has always done.

The president  said MOHWA has  women of all walks of life:nurses,Judges  , divisional officers, medical doctors, academics  , educationists, business women  etc , all waxing strong in their various functions .She then challenged  Manyu girls to “use these career women and men as a catalyst for your future professions.”

The president noted that education is the Manyu man’s only weapon in life; reason why “we shall be celebrating academic excellence in this occasion”, by awarding prizes to students who excelled in their end-of-course exams such as GCE O and A levels.