SakerPride - "Telling the Saker Story & MORE"
MY WOMAN OF THE YEAR ...
I CANNOT FIND THE RIGHT WORDS TO WRITE COPIOUSLY ABOUT THIS WOMAN, SO I'VE SETTLED FOR ALLOWING THE CAPTIONED ALBUM BELOW (Which I have titled "THE RIVIERA JOURNEY") HELP ME EXPLAIN THINGS!
BASICALLY, HOW SHE GOT THIS:
HOW, IN GOD'S NAME, DOES SHE DO IT???!!!
TO LOOK LIKE THIS!!!!:
PLEASE CLICK ON PICTURE BELOW TO VIEW
THE RIVIERA STORY ALBUM!
So IMPRESSIVE, in fact, that I think she deserves, to finally be forgiven for the hideous "partings" (hair styles) she "crafted" on her hapless and helpless younger sisters' heads, as attested by the picture on the right in which this particular sister is constrained to only manage a smile through her teeth, as she bears the pain of the zillions of "chookers" and "clips" it took to achieve the chef d'oeuvre on her head!!
I definitely did NOT wake up last Saturday morning with any plans of going anywhere near my desktop computer, given that I had to put finishing touches to the end-of-semester exams I was setting. However, a "Man Proposes but God Disposes" kind of event got me sitting right in front of the computer screen, editing a text that had been sent by His Excellency,"THE GARRI PROVIDER" of this Household, for me to edit. I don't know about you, but I am totally and completely INCAPABLE, once I sit down in front of a computer, of leaving the instant I am done with the one task that took me there in the first place. I just HAVE TO "turn-turn and look place small before ah go"!! And that is how I wound up posting the following email, a box of kleenex and a titi pail of tears after:
From:
Egbe Monjimbo
Egbe Monjimbo Sent:Sat 1/11/14 11:51 AM
Sat 1/11/14 11:51 AMTo: Exsa-USA (exsa_usa@yahoogroups.com)
Exsa-USA (exsa_usa@yahoogroups.com)Hello there!
- IF You woke up this morning thinking the OBSTACLES you face are INSURMOUNTABLE,
- IF the countless examples of HORRENDOUS PARENTING that abound are beginning to make you think you should vigorously advocate for the inception of "A LICENSE TO PROCREATE",
- IF You are someone who just doesn't understand why or how anyone could be a "PRO-LIFER",
- IF You are one of those BLESSED to have been HAND PICKED to raise a SPECIAL NEEDS, so called "abnormal" CHILD, OR,
- IF YOU JUST NEED A POTENT REMINDER OF HOW RESILIENT THE HUMAN SPIRIT CAN BE, OF HOW FAR OPTIMISM, FAITH, HOPE, DOGGED DETERMINATION, & AN ULTRA POSITIVE ATTITUDE CAN TAKE A HUMAN BEING,
MAKE THE TIME TO WATCH THE VIDEO JUST POSTED on the WORTH SHARING PAGE ... AND LEARN FROM IT!
http://www.sakerpride.com/WORTH-SHARING.html (TOP OF PAGE)
Have a VERY THOUGHTFUL & GRATEFUL Weekend!
Egbe Mbiwan Monjimbo
Less than 5 minutes after, the first of what turned out to be a BUNCH of phone calls came through, from a Mom nursing her sick Special Needs child in a hospital thousands of miles away who, like quite a few others, had NOT even checked out the Video Clip itself yet! And then came the emails, TONS OF THEM, that spilled over into Sunday. Clearly, a nerve had been struck.
Well, the discussions that ensued from all the "communication" back and forth are what have "COMPELLED" me to go a little step further, and share yet another story, in an attempt to do the following:
* Further encourage the MANY who are just trying to make it through each day, weighed down by all types of PAIN - physical and/or emotional, STRESS, STRUGGLES, TROUBLES & TRIALS,
* "Dispel" any thoughts that the key to RICHIE PARKER'S ability to OVERCOME his extraordinarily unfavorable circumstances lies in the fact that he was BORN disabled, and therefore "predisposed" to cope, as he'd known no other life from day one; (as if we don't know hundreds of other "disabled from birth" AND ABLE-BODIED people who are completely submerged in bitterness and pessimism),
* PORTRAY WHAT LOVING & MARRYING SOMEONE "FOR BETTER OR WORSE; IN SICKNESS & IN HEALTH" really looks like, and what STAND-BY-YOUR-SIDE-THROUGH-THICK-AND-THIN, loyal, unconditional, friendship means!
* BELIE, (yet again!), the Biblically INCORRECT and grossly unsubstantiated, (yet widely propagated) idea, that being BLESSED and SPIRITUALLY UPRIGHT equates to PERFECT HEALTH, (except for slight catarrh and cough every leap year, ABUNDANT WEALTH, (3 "up stairs" houses minimum), A "YES MA"/"YES SAH" SPOUSE, A HOUSE FULL OF CHILDREN (with at least one set of twins), A MINIMUM OF TWO PhDs, and a NAOMI CAMPBELL/"SUPER MAKIA" FIGURE!!!, AND,
* RAISE BREAST CANCER AWARENESS which, SADLY, is what is responsible for THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE DEATHS RECORDED ON THIS WEBSITE'S IN MEMORIAM PAGE!!!
NOW, isn't it simply AMAZING that JUST ONE WOMAN'S LIFE STORY can accomplish "ALL OF THE ABOVE"???
Here, Ladies & Gentlemen, in 3 CANDID, AWE-INSPIRING, Video Clips, is the story of a PHENOMENAL WOMAN called JONI EARECKSON TADA, one of my ALL TIME "(S)HEROES"! Hopefully, by the time you're done viewing, you'd realize that the ANSWER to the QUESTION-TITLE of this posting sort of answers itself!!
"HEAVEN"
by Joni Eareckson Tada
"TULIPS"
by Joni Eareckson Tada
WILLIAM FRANKLIN GRAHAM Jr. aka
BILLY GRAHAM,
"GOD'S AMBASSADOR"
The REMARKABLE MAN, those of us who live in Charlotte, North Carolina are MIGHTILY BLESSED to call "NEIGHBOR", is now 95 years old, wheelchair-bound and ailing. In fact, his son and "Chop Chair", William FRANKLIN Graham III, made the following statement in an interview on WBTV, a local TV Station, about a week ago:
"His vitals are good, but [he] just does not have strength. For those that are watching, my father would appreciate your prayers. ... My father is ready to go to Heaven and whenever that day comes - he's ready. He's worked hard all of his life and been faithful to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ his entire life. And so he's ready to go home but I'm praying that The Lord will leave him a little longer."
Well, I'm certainly praying away, and would, in typical Cameroon fashion, have LOVED to take some fresh fish PEPPER SOUP over to "waka" this EXTRAORDINARY INDIVIDUAL, the likes of whom did not exist before him, and are NOT likely to EVER show up on this planet again!!! (I don't mean to be disrespectful, but he makes ALL the world's JOEL OSTEENs, BENNY HINNs, T.D. JAKES, T.B. JOSHUAs COMBINED, look like a JOKE!! They ALL, without exception, pale by comparison!!! I would even venture to say that, even OUTSIDE the world of "Preachers & Prophets", anyone would be hard pressed to find Human Being who has had the FAR REACHING and LONG LASTING IMPACT this MAN OF GOD has had!!)
Well, as I was saying before I digressed, I would have loved to go visit, but that not being feasible or possible, I did what I considered "THE NEXT BEST THING" (with my daughter in tow), and I'M INVITING YOU TO COME ALONG, CLICK, LOOK AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF IF ANY OF THE ASSERTIONS I JUST MADE ARE EXAGGERATED or FAR-FETCHED! And if you still aren't quite convinced, then watch the Video further below and read the Stats that follow it, bearing in mind that it was 1957, and that it was in NEW YORK!!!!!!!!!!!!
At his 95th Birthday in November 2013.
In his 20s! ON FIRE FOR THE GOSPEL!
PLEASE CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE TO VIEW A PICTURE ALBUM THAT TELLS, AS BEST IT CAN, THE STORY OF AN INCREDIBLE MAN!
Click to watch some footage of The 1957 Billy Graham Crusade in NEW YORK which ran nightly for 16 WEEKS STRAIGHT!!
On the evening of September 11, 1957, Dr. Billy Graham faced the final and largest audience of his New York Crusade at an outdoor rally in Times Square. An estimated 125,000 people jammed Broadway from curb to curb and overflowed into a dozen side streets.
It was his one hundredth service. For 110 days, through 97 meetings in Madison Square Garden, he had battled the devil in the metropolis known as "the graveyard of evangelists." His only weapons were prayer and repeated declarations of God's love and eventual judgment.
He had fought a good fight. It had sliced eighteen pounds off his lean, weary frame. By midnight he was aboard the Piedmont Limited, hurrying home to his family in North Carolina.
His New York Crusade broke all records for organized evangelistic crusades. It ran longer. It attracted more people. It resulted in more converts. It cost more money, almost $2,500,000. Extraordinary figures document the story: Two million people heard him face to face at either Madison Square Garden meetings or other rallies. More than 56,000 men, women, and young people came forward and made decisions for Christ. Of these, 22,000 were under twenty-one. Over 2,000 were college students from the New York area.
*SOURCE: "GOD IN THE GARDEN; THE STORY OF THE BILLY GRAHAM NEW YORK CRUSADE"
Still preaching publicly at 90, in 2008. He still broadcast "My Hope America" in November 2013, from his home
"KRISMUS" CAME RIGHT BACK TODAY OH!!!
(Thursday, January 30th 2014)
Before this evening came along, if you said the words, "BLACK & WHITE" I am pretty sure the first thing that would have popped into my Victoria Chick head would have been the "SPOT" over there by the Community Field,(sort of between RAINBOW CHEMIST & DOWN BEACH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH), which used to be called "BAY SALOON" in my Saker Days! That has all changed!
Here's the story:
Yesterday & Today, because of icy roads, there was no school FOR STUDENTS in my School District, which means TEACHERS are EXPECTED to show up, - as wey na helicopter dem go take fly over de same road wey too "treacherous" for STUDENTS and BUSES for drive on top. Yesterday, God sorry me take me go, bring me back safely, as wey E surely check say na "TEMPORARY INSANITY" do me. Very aware that if I ventured out again today, he would tell my Guardian Angel to just CHILL and abandon me to my foolhardiness, ah remain me for house. A couple of hours ago, I remembered that I had not checked the mail so I opened the door and practically bumped into the Mailman who was just about to ring the door bell. De man show me paper say make ah sign; no be ah sign'am? He then put this PACKAGE in my hands and said "Have a Great Evening, Ma'am!"
It is when I opened the package that I understood just why my skin has been "heavy-ing me" to put away my Christmas Tree which I had already stripped of ALL its decorations, several weeks ago. BETTAH KRISMUS BE STILL DEY FOR ROAD DEY CAM, and E FINALLY REACH TODAY, AAAAAALL DEH WAY FROM SOUTH AFRICA!! Here's "THE BLACK & WHITE STORY", in Pictures:
A HUGE THANK YOU TO "WHOM IT MAY CONCERN" OH!!!!!!
For me, the "LITMUS TEST" for GREAT COMEDY is if the content is still able to send me sprawling on the floor with LAUGHTER the second, third or even 4th time I see, read or hear it. The "narrative" below was forwarded to me in CAMER FRENCH more than a year ago, and when I stumbled upon it again this morning, I laughed just as hard as when I'd seen it the very first time! Typically, I would have SHARED it INSTANTLY back then, but I did NOT, because I knew I would get tons of emails from all the "Mbanga French" speakers who failed to take MADAME SAILLOT & MESSIEURS NDAME, EYONG-TATAH, AGBOR-AMBANG and NYAMBOLI's FRENCH Classes seriously during their S.B.C. days.
WELL, PROBLEM SOLVED,'cause I've just decided to put what's left of my Advanced School of Translators and Interpreters skills to good use, and translated the "Write Up" into "PIDGIN-Y" ENGLISH, (or "ENGLISH-Y" PIDGIN), my only 2 regrets being:
1. That I am unable to acknowledge the ORIGINAL AUTHOR, for capturing and presenting a very common and familiar Cameroonian "EXPERIENCE" in such a vivid and humorous way, because I have no clue who he - or she is!!! and
2. That some elements in the original are bound to get "LOST IN TRANSLATION", since some things are just NOT 100% transferable from one language (culture) to another!
To remedy the "situation", I have therefore taken the liberty of EMBELLISHING ("spicing/beefing up"), MODIFYING and EXPOUNDING on the original, in an attempt to channel the FLAVOR of the piece, because, in this case, rigid FIDELITY to the original just wouldn't have cut it, in my opinion.
EN-TOUT-CAS, here we go!
Ah say eh, Mola! Have you ever traveled by bus from Bafoussam to Douala?
Well, let me explain how it goes:
First of all, you get to the Motor Park, let's say, around 9 o'clock. You go to the counter and ask wehda moto dey cam go small time. The TIE-MOP Nyango sitting there answers with: "Moto don already flop eh! Na only 3 chance remain"!
You go ahead and buy your ticket quick-quick, and dogoh, as in tokio,to the bus to reserve your seat.
Once you get there, you realize that all the seats are taken, and the only spot available to you is one njanga spot directly above the bus' wheel, and way no dey for even stretch foot! How man go do? Na ting for tie heart shiddon dassoh, especially since the bus will be leaving soon anyway. You wait, wait, wait soteeeeey; Moto no dey shake! Instead, Kind by kind traders dey cam: Grahnut oh! Small pikinToys oh! Suya oh! Bittah Kola oh! All dem dey try for force you make you buy someting!
Small time, you hear as moto dey shake; you tink say na go moto dey cam go; Instead, it is just the Moto Boys who are only now starting to load the bags on top of the bus! So you say to yourself, bettah ah go down small, stretch foot. Time dey pass, no man no dey shake. Finally, some person entah de bus, fire de engine - Vrooooom! Vroooom! E horn: Peeeem-Peeeem! All man run go entah moto, wey na only Moto Boy dey warm de engine!
Na 12:30 dis don reach! Finally, some wandaful Oga don entah shiddon for Driver's Seat. De man mash fire soteeey, we fear sey engine go explode oh! OKAY! This time, it is really the Driver himself! MASSA! He looks as if he has just come in straight from an off-License, with eyes that look like he has not NANG-ed, (as in SLEPT), a wink, in ages!! De man don nack some e jacket so wey go make you wanda wehda e no go just catch fire inside de heat.
Anyway, the bus starts to fill back up and you realize that, your tiny-space-above-the-tire predicament has just worsened significantly and critically, because the person who's going to be sitting next to you is a Mammy endowed with a makandi that is NO JOKE! Dis waka go turn-turn long oh!
Good! Everyone is now in the bus, and there is a MBÉRÉ KHAKI up front. De Oga don balance nayô for corner window, sotey e hang hand for upside.
It's now 20 good minutes since the bus' doors were shut eh, but moto no dey still shake. Wehda de Driver dey argue wetin wit de Moto & Bambe boy dem oh?
At last, he takes the bus' DOSSIERS from some Tara, hits the accelerator a couple more times, and then finally shifts into Gear One. You offer a sigh of relief, now that the bus is actually moving. It goes a distance of barely 100 m. and turns into a Petrol Station! Weh Keh! That is when you decide that someone is deliberately trying to make you lose your temper! With aaaaaaall the time spent in the Bus Station, no be dem for don buy dis petrol 'ere long???
In any case, it's already extremely HOT inside the bus; Pikin dem dey cry; Old Pa dem dey cough; Mammy dem dey Kongossa; ohda people dem dey talk for cell phone. MBOM, as in, Body Odor, dey cam suffocate person, and na da time you go know by force say some people dey only wash wata na once a year, for Krismus!! Haba!
Kwata pass one don reach, and I think we're finally heading to Douala. The bus is moving, air is circulating, and we can all finally BREATHE! Not up to 500m later, UP jumps a Mola with a black KWA:
"LADIES & GENTLEMEN, Fellow Passengers Good Morning, and welcome aboard this bus heading to Douala. I am Doctor "Cure-It-All". I am here to present my KIDNEY-CLEANSING product. Many of you suffer from impotence, infertility, premature ejaculation, back pain, miscarriages, etc. It is all because your kidneys are dirty oh! With this product, you can clean your kidneys and regain your health. It normally sells for 1,000 francs per bottle in our stores, but right now, I am willing to sell it at the giveaway price of 1,500 for 3 bottles ... bla, bla bla"! Mammies buy away!!!
Next thing: "PIP PIP"! It's the GENDARMES! Mola Dokta sits down RAPIDLY! No worries though. The MBÉRÉ sitting up front salutes his colleagues, and they pull away the CHUKU-CHUKU, designed-to-reduce-your-Michelin-tires-to shreds-should-you-try-to-escape, Iron rod from the road. As for the Driver, he still has his jacket on eh, and he is not saying a single word to anyone; not even to the MBÉRÉ sitting next to him. He starts to play a compilation of 1960s hits. Does he care if you don't like it? After all, it's for his own pleasure, not yours! And as for me, my bahind is in agony; the left "cheek" is CRUSHED by the Mammy with the Makandi Ma Manyaka, and the right one is wedged in the iron seat. Let's not even mention my legs; Cramps oh! Na die ah dey cam die!
Anyway, we make significant progress and get to the Weighing Station and a whole new scenario plays itself out:
"BOBOLO, BOBOLO BOBOLO eh, MAMMY! FRYING GRAHNUT eh, SISTAH! FINE SUYA eh, PAPA! SWEET CORN oh, TONTON! PINEAPPLE oh! COL' WATA oh! COCONUT oh, Aunty! ..." Of course, the Mammies launch into a buying spree, ESPECIALLY the one sitting next to me. As she chews away on the fresh corn, she is reaching out to buy the groundnuts, and e be don first buy 10 NGATTA Miondo, pineapple, ...! Ma Brohda! Even the tiny room I had to at least wiggle my toes is gone! In addition to the Mammy's Mbondo, I am crushed between Bobolos and coconuts. DOUALA FAR WAY, YOU HEAR ME??!!
Anyway, we are moving along, and you can tell we are getting nearer to our destination, because it's getting hotter and hotter, a situation made more unbearable by the LOUD chatting and cell phone conversations, in addition to the Driver's never-ending 60s music.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, a woman at the back of the bus yells: "DRIVER! AH WAN PISS!" Driver make e like say e no hear no noting. De woman HALLA again, and finally, Driver brake, park Moto. Moto Boy open door, and since the Mammy whose bladder was in distress was sitting right at the very back, EVERYBODY had to get up to let her through! And then, EVERYBODY decided they needed to pee too, so every body positioned themselves accordingly: Ladies facing the bush, Skirts lifted; Men relieving themselves, standing, just about any and everywhere.
It is 6:10 and the driver horns; people get back in the bus, the whole PEEING INTERVAL having consumed 20 good minutes of travel time. We're back on the road again, at least. We dey waka; We dey waka; No Douala! But Finally, around 8 p.m., we enter Douala. As you wan just try glad small so, na EMBOUTEILLAGE (as in traffic jam) dat don start for BONABERI! Nothing is moving, and you cannot even distinguish between the cars entering and those leaving the city. It is all one massive mess. Some Drivers have actually gotten out of their cars and are walking around. WE'RE STUCK!
We got to Bonaberi at 8 p.m., and the Bus finally made it into the Motor Park at 9:30 p.m., which means we spent a solid hour and a half in the Traffic Jam, and there are passengers who still have to catch another bus to go on to JAPOMA or o PK14 ... Make Dem Waka Fine!!!
THE END!
THE TRIP FROM BAFOUSSAM TO DOUALA!
By way of "ILLUSTRATIONS" I thought I'd just share these few picks from my 2011 Road Trips within Cameroon.
Also, for those whose language of preference is FRENCH, and for those who might be interested in rating my translation skills - or the lack thereof, (LOL), here's the ORIGINAL narrative as it was forwarded to me about a year ago.
CLICK ON ICON DIRECTLY BELOW!
REFLECTING ON YESTERDAY ... & TODAY - COURTESY OF FACE BOOK POSTINGS
YESTERDAY ...
About a couple of weeks ago, Chicago-based Ms Christy Menyoli posted a series of pictures from her teenage days and, SURE ENOUGH, the Class of '89-er included some SAKER GEMS in the lot! A few of them caught my fancy, so I BEGGED, and now I am BLUFFING!!!
PLEASE CLICK ON PICTURE ABOVE TO VIEW CAPTIONED 7 PICTURE ALBUM! THE SAKER MEMORIES ARE SURE TO COME FLOODING IN. MINE DID!!
EXCUSE ME DANCE!!!
MUSIC FROM WAY BACK WHEN ...
(INTERDIT AUX MOINS DE 40 ANS!)
It is FEBRUARY 11th, which means "YOUTH DAY IS AROUND FOR YOUNG CAMEROONIANS AT HOME & ABROAD" as the song goes! The day is very likely to bring back lots of MEMORIES, especially for those of us who don't quite fit into the YOUTH category anymore, AGE-WISE at least!
Today, what is on my mind though, is NOT really the events that marked the Youth Day itself, like the MARCH PASTS, (complete with the "Eyes Right" when you got to the "GRAND STAND", be it at BONGO'S SQUARE in BUEA, CENTENARY STADIUM in VICTORIA or COMMERCIAL AVENUE in 'BAKWA, or the OUTINGS - and the "TUNINGS" & "BRAININGS" that were an integral part of them.
My mind has settled much more on the MUSIC, which was, OBVIOUSLY different for every generation. While it is impossible to compile an exhaustive list of the songs that got GALANT BOBÉS, over the years, to ask some Lady to "EXCUSE ME DANCE" at a House Party, at a TEATIME DANCE (a la PYC/ BAY SALOON) or in the course of some NOCTURNAL ESCAPADE to "MANTOM", "SANSUI", "CLUB CENT", "MIRAMAR", "PALADIUM", etc. I have tried, on the spur of the moment, to include as BROAD a "SAMPLING" of the YESTERYEAR MUSIC - "records" actually, that REIGNED in the late 60s, the 70s and early 80s as I can! Hope you ENJOY it!!
OYA! CHOOSE YOUR CHOICE AND SEKELE LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW OH!
I already am!!
MY SWEETY, MY SUGAR (BUNNY MACK): http://youtu.be/f_8Jj2rkcv4
BEAUTIFUL WOMAN (CLOUD 7): http://youtu.be/KrXaasRDoDE
I’VE BEEN LOVING YOU (THE WINGS): http://youtu.be/nAs0k-xchmM
ZIBOTÉ (ERNESTO DJÉDJÉ):
VICKY SHAMA: http://youtu.be/w7ud54D8Rgw
MAKAMBO MIBALE (Les Bantous De La Capitale): http://youtu.be/sv7afN8GSwU
Marching down Commercial Avenue in my CCAST BAMBILI "Ceremonial Uniform".
Bamenda,
20th May 1982
Just behind Unity Hall, the Girls' Hostel at CCAST BAMBILI.
(1981)
THE WAY I SEE IT ...
THANK GOD FOR
ROLE MODELS & "SHEROES" ...
It's all about them for me, this INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY! (2016)
Here's my ROLE-MODEL PRAYER for US ALL, on the EVE of this year’s INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!!
- LORD, give us the ability, like QUEEN ESTHER, to PERCEIVE, GRASP and, undaunted by any "nefarious" consequences, SEEK TO FULFILL THE DIVINE PURPOSE for which You have strategically placed us in the POSITIONS we occupy, in our HOMES, at our JOBS, and in our respective COMMUNITIES at any given moment in time. And should we ever have doubts regarding what exactly our "MISSION" is, please send us our very own "MORDECAI" to talk some sense into our heads and bring us to the realization that we were born "FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS", so that we do NOT miss out on being the instrument through which some part of your MASTER PLAN - no matter how tiny and seemingly insignificant, gets fulfilled!!
- PLEASE help us to be the CONFIDANTE and SHOULDER TO CRY ON that Dear MA ELIZABETH was to her Cousin MARY, Mother of JESUS. The Dear PREGNANT TEEN knew exactly who to "HURRY" to, - for MILES on foot, and stay with for 3 WHOLE MONTHS, away from all the wagging “e-don-go-carry-belleh” tongues in Nazareth!!. May we be that badly needed and sought after “SOMEONE” who can be TRUSTED to LISTEN – WITHOUT JUDGING; someone whom our friends – and even acquaintances feel comfortable confiding in, because they KNOW they will not find what they tell us in strict confidence TWEETED, FACE BOOKED and BROADCAST OVER RADIO BUEA the very next minute!
- PLEASE endow us with the PROTECTIVE DEVOTION towards our siblings that SISTAH MIRIAM had for her baby brother, MOSES, hiding amongst the reeds and watching the basket in which he floated keenly, to make sure he came to no harm, and having the audacity to accost Pharaoh's daughter and negotiate the best BABY SITTING JOB DEAL IN HISTORY whereby a mother wound up getting recompensed for raising her own son in the lap of luxury.
- LORD please make us as LOYAL, FAITHFUL and LOVING as RUTH who had such a good relationship and such a firm bond with her Mother-in-law, NAOMI, that she was willing to follow her to a land that was completely foreign to her, and make Naomi's GOD & PEOPLE hers! Even more significantly, please MAKE US THE KIND OF MOTHERS-IN-LAW NAOMI MUST HAVE BEEN, FOR RUTH TO BE WILLING TO MAKE SUCH A DECISION!
- LORD, grant us SELF CONTROL like HANNAH who, when taunted mercilessly by her "Mbanyi" Peninah because of her barrenness, did not retaliate, and who, when wrongly rebuked by Eli the Priest for being drunk, kept her calm and explained her problem levelheadedly and coherently, instead of saying "NO, HE DIDN'T!", and putting any KUNG FU/KARATE skills she might have had to good use!! Help us to be FERVENT and RELENTLESS in our PRAYERS like she was, in spite of the disappointment she experienced year after excruciating year while she waited on You to bless her with a child! Please also give US the ability to KEEP OUR WORD like she did in turning over her Baby Samuel to Eli to serve you as she had vowed to do.
- Do grant us the INTELLIGENCE, COURAGE & WISDOM of Mighty Judge DEBORAH, not so that we can have a whole PALM TREE named after us, as was her privilege, but so we can manage our own affairs as well as our various positions of authority judiciously and in a manner that would impact those we come into contact with, positively. And should we rise to great prominence like she did, may we still carry ourselves, vis-a-vis our husbands, in a way that makes it still alright for us to be, though NOT DEFINED AS, but comfortably referred to as our husband's spouse just as DEBORAH, even with all her might and her rank as JUDGE & PROPHETESS OF ISRAEL, still had "LAPPIDOTH'S WIFE" as part of her "credentials".
- May it please You to give us the heart and soul of DORCAS (TABITHA ) who was so CHARITABLE - GIVING and KIND that the grief and mourning by all and sundry upon her demise caused her to be raised back to life by Peter.
- May we be as INDUSTRIOUS, INFLUENTIAL & HARDWORKING as LYDIA of Thyatira, able to run our businesses successfully, and be just as firm in our BELIEF, fervent in our WORSHIP, and given to remarkable HOSPITALITY. May we be able to dispense MARTHA-quality HOSPITALITY, but, should we be confronted with choices that would distract us from pursuing "the essentials", help us to make MARY'S CHOICE, set our priorities correctly, and "sit at Your feet" instead!
- And should anyone try to "GUILT TRIP" us, or should we be tempted to allow ourselves to get mired in our PAST ERRORS, may we look to RAHAB, MARY OF MAGDALA, THE SAMARITAN WOMAN, & THE WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY, all of whom were forgiven their sordid pasts by You, and given a second chance to serve you effectively, morally REFORMED & REHABILITATED!
- May we, like LOIS & EUNICE, young TIMOTHY's GRANDMOTHER & MOTHER, be mindful of the DUTY that is ours to not just pass down to future generations our customs, traditions and family heirlooms, but most importantly, the FAITH OF OUR FATHERS & MOTHERS!! May it be said of our own Children and Grandchildren, with admiration and Thanksgiving, that they have taken after us!
- And when it comes to MOTHERING, may we emulate THE MADONNA who bore and raised THE ONE who was both SON & MASTER to her, with exemplary FORTITUDE, PATIENCE, UNDERSTANDING & COMPASSION, from Bethlehem’s Cradle to Calvary’s Cross! When we start to feel exasperated and frustrated at some of the things our children say and do, may it help us to remember that there was also a whole lot she did NOT understand about YOU, her Savior-Son either! I suspect she was taken aback if not hurt by some of Your curt responses and reactions, like Your reluctance to perform that Turning of Water into Wine Miracle at Cana, Your seeming “disavowal” of her and Your siblings when they came looking for You out of concern, and even when You “sternly” set the record straight at the Temple at age 12, as to whose business you really were supposed to be about! Yes, she pondered all these “strange things” over in her heart, but never did her love for You wane; PLEASE grant us the capacity to show the same UNCONDITIONAL LOVE to the offspring You have blessed us with, and to all the Precious Children You have seen fit to entrust into our care! AMEN!!!!!
2017 "ADDENDUM" TO WOMEN'S DAY PRAYER (2017):
... AND, FATHER:
- May we never be fooled, convinced or coerced into mistaking "BOLDNESS" for RUDENESS, FOOLHARDINESS, RUTHLESSNESS or AGGRESSION, for, by your Grace, we can, indeed be "BOLD" - outspoken, even opinionated, and much more EFFECTIVE, without resorting to any of these vices!
- May our "BOLDNESS" be FAITH-based; FAITH-triggered; FAITH-spawned. May it spring from our deepest and innermost convictions, and may it be rooted in the belief that our informed ACTIONS will be for the good of OTHERS/(WO)MANKIND and for your ultimate Glory.
LIKE:
. MIRIAM, (Baby) Moses' Older Sister, who BOLDLY & INTELLIGENTLY stepped out of the "rushes" to talk to PHARAOH's DAUGHTER about hiring Ma JOCHEBED to serve as a "Nurse Baby" to her own son in the PALACE, may we be PERCEPTIVE and BOLD enough to STEP OUT of our own "bushes" and SPEAK UP, CONVINCINGLY, FIRMLY, yet POLITELY, when those unique opportunities present themselves! (EXODUS 2)
. ESTHER, who TACTFULLY & HUMBLY intervened to save the Jewish Nation, may we, motivated by the GOOD that we KNOW our DEEDS have the potential to generate, have the COURAGE to take BOLD ACTION, even when/if it exposes us to the risk of facing dire consequences. (ESTHER 8)
. ABIGAIL, who, DIPLOMATICALLY went behind her husband's back and pleaded with KING-TO-BE DAVID to disregard the former's ill-advised bravado (aka "VOOM") and foolhardiness, may we be BOLD enough to initiate WISE, PROACTIVE and PREEMPTIVE measures that can avert calamity and save others from harm. (1 SAMUEL 25)
. "THE WOMEN"! Yes, those "WOMEN" we will, once more, be reminded of, in just a few weeks, on RESURRECTION SUNDAY. According to Dr. LUKE, "It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them ..."
While the Apostles cowered in fear, these same women who had, unlike most, followed CHRIST all the way to GOLGOTHA, are the ones who woke up EARLY, and, spurred by an astounding and exemplary sense of LOYALTY and DILIGENCE, went out BOLDLY to perform a SACRED SERVICE, to honor THE CHRIST. They did not let their GRIEF engulf, subdue or paralyze them. Instead, they allowed their DEVOTION to Someone they cared deeply about, to trump and cast out all FEAR. (LUKE 24)
Please, instill in us the GRACE & FORTITUDE OF CHARACTER, to DO LIKEWISE!
AMEN!!!!
PLEASE CLICK ON ICON TO THE LEFT TO READ SISTER KATE LIFANDA'S VERY THOUGHT-PROVOKING BLOG REGARDING WOMEN'S DAY!
PALM SUNDAY 2014 TURNED OUT TO BE VERY BLESSED ...
After singing my "HO-SIA-NA" at the top of my lungs to Church and back, I picked up my just-arrived-via-DHL-from-Cameroon-courtesy-of-a-BENEVOLENT-Big Bro/CAT copy of NFON VICTOR E. MUKETE'S "MY ODYSSEY", and THE VERY FIRST PAGE that just "automatically" opened before my eyes is the one I have scanned and posted below. NO KIDDING!!! It features THE LIST OF THE YOUNG CAMEROONIAN MEN & WOMEN WHO ATTENDED THE VERY FIRST MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION OF CAMEROON STUDENTS OF GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND, HELD ON THE 7th AND 8th OF MARCH 1951 IN MANCHESTER!!! AND GUESS WHOSE NAME FEATURES AS NUMBER 8 ON THE LIST??!! Mr. GODFREY MBIWAN's!!!!!
This unapologetic holder of a "U" in "O" Level Math daughter of his couldn't figure out the Arithmetic mentally, so she resorted to her cell phone CALCULATOR, which revealed to her that said "GODFREY" was aged 26 at the time!! There is not enough space in this entire website for me to adequately express the THOUGHTS that came to mind upon seeing this page and ALL the names on it! I couldn't help REFLECTING on the fact that
- The average 26 year old in MY day, talk much less of today, is NOT preoccupied, like these LADIES & GENTLEMEN were, about the State of their Country. And on a PERSONAL note,
- I was reminded of Late Godfrey Mbiwan's decision, not much later than this, to let go of that first name, and be referred to henceforth as EBAI(CHUO) AGBORTOKO MBIWAN. And when his children came along, he MADE IT A POINT that we ALL bear CAMEROONIAN NAMES EXCLUSIVELY. Mind you, this was in the Late 50s (1958 for his first daughter) to the Mid 60s (1964 for this "last coco"), when the PRACTICE was practically NONEXISTENT! None of us, born to EBAI MBIWAN and his wife ELIZABETH EFETI MBIWAN nee MBONGO, could possibly count how many times we were asked, once we stated our names as "EBOB EVENYE", ACHA MUAKA", "NAMONDO KAYONGO" and "EGBE ETONDE", to state our "ENGLISH/CHRISTIAN" names!!! We would say we did NOT have any, and proceed to assure the "askers" that we were in fact very CHRISTIAN and duly BAPTIZED "AS IS" in the Presbyterian Church, thanks to a very opinionated, STAND-YOUR-GROUND DAD who, after sticking to his Presbyterian belief system through his years in a very CATHOLIC St. Joseph's College, Sasse, (while majority of his peers "converted" to Catholicism), had absolutely no qualms explaining to the respective "Sango Pastors" that "KONTRI" names and Christianity are not incompatible, nor are they necessarily mutually exclusive!! (And some people wonder where SOME of his daughters get their "trong head" from! LOL!) And just in case someone doubts my story ...
And then, to crown it all, in came my D.C. DIVALICIOUS SISTAH, Ms EKOKE TAMBE, her Precious CARAT in tow! Needless to say, "Monjimbo Cottage" has come alive ...
Time to say Goodbye (SNIFF!!) ...
Just hope someone notices the ExSSA-USA 2014 Convention Color-Code Compliant person in the picture ...
Cannot wait for "next time"!
MY THOUGHTS
THIS MOTHERS DAY EVE ...
May 10 2014
Please Click On Picture ABOVE to VIEW Snippet of the TRADITIONAL part of the Marriage Celebration.
MA YAAH Dr. ENAKA MARIE YEMBE WEDS Mr. ADIG NJOH
FRIDAY MAY 2nd & SATURDAY MAY 3rd 2014
IN MONROE, LOUISIANA
The Bride's Our Lady of Lourdes Classmates presenting their best wishes.
PLEASE CLICK ON PICTURE ABOVE TO VIEW THE "KONTRI MARRET" ALBUM.
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW PICTURE ALBUM OF CHURCH CEREMONY & PHOTO SESSIONS IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS.
MY MOTHER
by ANN TAYLOR
Who fed me from her gentle breast,
And hush'd me in her arms to rest,
And on my cheek sweet kisses prest?
My Mother.
When sleep forsook my open eye,
Who was it sung sweet hushaby,
And rock'd me that I should not cry?
My Mother.
Who sat and watch'd my infant head,
When sleeping on my cradle bed,
And tears of sweet affection shed?
My Mother.
When pain and sickness made me cry,
Who gaz'd upon my heavy eye,
And wept, for fear that I should die?
My Mother.
Who drest my doll in clothes so gay,
And taught me pretty how to play,
And minded all I had to say?
My Mother.
Who ran to help me when I fell,
And would some pretty story tell,
Or kiss the place to make it well?
My Mother.
Who taught my infant lips to pray,
And love God's holy book and day,
And walk in wisdom's pleasant way?
My Mother.
And can I ever cease to be
Affectionate and kind to thee,
Who wast so very kind to me,
My Mother.
Ah! no, the thought I cannot bear;
And if God please my life to spare,
I hope I shall reward thy care,
My Mother.
When thou art feeble, old, and gray,
My healthy arm shall be thy stay,
And I will soothe thy pains away,
My Mother.
And when I see thee hang thy head,
'Twill be my turn to watch thy bed,
And tears of sweet affection shed,
My Mother.
For God, who lives above the skies,
Would look with vengeance in His eyes,
If I should ever dare despise,
My Mother.
ANN.
Years later, in response to criticism, Ann Taylor suggested an alternate form for the last verse.
For could our Father in the skies
Look down with pleased or loving eyes,
If ever I could dare despise
My Mother.
She explained:
"Young as I was when the original was written, I did not see, as I do now, its incongruity in tone with those preceding it. Still, I believe that all moral evil is sin; that all sin incurs the divine displeasure; but vengeance is a word I would not now employ. "
PLEASE CLICK ON PICTURE ABOVE TO VIEW ALBUM OF THE WEDDING RECEPTION
This MOTHERS DAY EVE, (Saturday, May 10 2014), there is A LOT on my mind: THERE IS ...
- IMMENSE, INTENSE, GRATITUDE TO GOD ALMIGHTY, for the two INDESCRIBABLY PRECIOUS, BLOW-YOUR-MIND, OUTSTANDING Human Beings He gave me, who are the reason I am referred to as a MOM!
HOWEVER, THERE IS ALSO ...
- A PALPABLE SADNESS and an overwhelming feeling of SYMPATHY as I think about the PAIN in the hearts of women who, like LULU FAVOUR EFANGE's MOM, (Lulu was buried barely an hour ago), Ethel & Judith (Foyabo) CASPA's MOM, Sister Bertha Effange, Sister Prudentia Nyajro Ngwayi, & Mrs. Bonu, have lost (grown) children in the last month, year, decade or two, and as such, have NO CHILD LEFT, or ONE CHILD LESS to wish them a HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! My heart also goes out to those who do/did want Biological or Adopted children of their own, but do not (YET) have that BLESSING!
- A GROWING, GNAWING, INVASIVE feeling of Disbelief, Despair and Fury with regard to the CHIBOK ABDUCTION BY BOKO HARAM IN NORTHERN NIGERIA, not of some Bar-Hopping, Pole-Dancing, Fishnet Stocking/Stiletto-wearing, "asking-for-it", ADULT WOMAN (which would still be DEAD WRONG), but of 276 SCHOOL GIRLS whose only "CRIME" was showing up to take a PHYSICS EXAM!!!!!
- AN UNSETTLING, DISTURBING sense of DISAPPOINTMENT and yes, A MILD, TEACHER'S INDIGNANT RAGE directed at some of us MOTHERS, (and I use the term VERY loosely here), who equate Good Parenting with the Supply of MATERIAL THINGS to our children, with LITTLE or NO thought given to actually BEING THERE for them! Oh! You are a SINGLE MOM who has to work practically 24/7, 365 days a year just to put food on the table, clothes on your children's backs and a roof over their heads? I HEAR YOU SISTAH, and this Woman who has been a 3 fourths-of-the-year Single Mother for a Decade now, FEELS you! The SISTAH she does NOT get, is the one who insists on working 3 or 4 jobs, just so she can drive that JAGUAR, (when a nice Volkswagen would do just fine), live in an 8 bedroom MANSION (when a decent apartment would be adequate), BUY her child(ren) ALL the MOST RECENT ELECTRONIC GADGETS and BRAND NAME CLOTHING, (more as an "I HAVE ARRIVED" statement to the world than an "I LOVE YOU" declaration even), HIRE a NANNY/BABY SITTER to watch her child(ren) virtually all 52 weekends of the year and thus have the "freedom" to be the Community's SOCIAL BUTTERFLY EXTRAORDINAIRE!! This is the "MOM" whose child consistently shows up in my classroom without a single PENCIL, PEN, or HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT in his RALPH LAUREN book bag, dressed in the most stylish ABERCROMBIE & FITCH outfit, with $300 JORDAN sneakers on his feet, a MICHAEL KORS watch with CRYSTALS on his wrist, a SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 phone in his pocket, and $250 "BEATS" across his head and who, IRONICALLY, declares: "MY MAMA DON'T CARE 'BOUT ME"! WOW!!!! And you should have seen the SHOCK on his "MAMA's" face when that statement was revealed to her the day she FINALLY showed up (LATE) for the Parent-Teacher-Guidance Counselor meeting to discuss his poor Grades and even poorer Behavior!
Why don't I do a little "SHOW & TELL" to explain my point:
CHRISTMAS 1997 - First Christmas in the U.S.
- ALL Christmas Presents from DOLLAR STORE.
- "PACKAGING": 2 decorated TRASH BAGS from AMES.
- "2 inch" T.V. WITH ANTENNA in Background from THRIFT STORE
- Photo taken with 27 exposure DISPOSABLE Camera from WALMART.
- Christmas Tree so "microscopically" tiny, it does not show from behind the trash bag to the left!
CHRISTMAS 2012
- Presents from BEST BUY, MACY's, etc. Total cost higher than a whole month's RENT in the apartment on the left.
- Packaging alone costs twice the contents of both Trash Bags in picture on left.
- "1 million inch" Flat Screen TV from Best Buy whose cost Oga Monjimbo has kept a secret, in the interest of World Peace.
- Photo taken with Digital Sony Camera whose cost Ma Monjimbo shall not reveal for same reason mentioned above. (At least I had a Rewards Coupon!)
The 2 kids in the picture, (ages 5 and 3), who are now young adults, will tell you, without the slightest hesitation, that they have enjoyed EVERY SINGLE CHRISTMAS of their lives BUT guess which one they single out as THE BEST EVER?? You know what a Rhetorical Question is, right?
SAKERETTES at the Traditional Marriage
Dolly Lyonga Lambe, Sis Efeti Ojongtambia, Egbe Mbiwan Monjimbo & Didi Mbiwan Ndando
I have seen tons of Governors and other dignitaries extend a Congratulatory Handshake after awarding a Medal to some deserving person; Na dis extra DOFFING OF THE HAT AH NEVA SEE BEFORE OH!!! "CHAPEAU!" for real, BIG SIS!
Il y a de quoi oooo!
CLASS OF 1974's Mrs. EBOB MBIWAN TANYI
RECEIVES "OFFICIER DE L'ORDRE DE LA VALEUR" MEDAL
(MAY 20th 2014)
CONGRATS BIG SIS for this, and also on your school "producing" THE STUDENT WITH THE HIGHEST SCORE IN THE COMMON ENTRANCE, IN ALL OF THE SOUTH-WEST PROVINCE!!!
THE MODERATOR OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN CAMEROON & CHANCELLOR OF THE CAMEROON CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY, THE RIGHT REVEREND Dr. FESTUS ASANA & HIS WIFE Mrs. JENNY ASANA WERE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS YESTERDAY, SUNDAY JULY 27 2014 FOR THE INAUGURATION OF THE FIRST PCC CONGREGATION IN THE U.S.A. THEY ALSO ATTENDED A FUNDRAISING DINNER IN THEIR HONOR.
Here for your viewing pleasure, are some snippets ...
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW VIDEO CLIP OF THE CULTURAL DANCING THAT TOOK PLACE PRIOR TO THE MODERATOR'S ARRIVAL
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW VIDEO CLIP OF THE THE MODERATOR'S ENTRANCE, LED BY THE CWF WOMEN IN ATTENDANCE.
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO THE LEFT TO VIEW A "MINI CAPTIONED ALBUM OF THE EVENING
GLAD TIDINGS OF THE SEASON ...
Amongst the many SAKERETTES present at the wedding were: L to R: Ms Sisako Tamko, Ms Priscilla Egbe; Dr. Stella Nwigwe Anyangwe and Ms Joan Chuo
HAPPY CHRISTMAS BIRTHDAY
MARIE TAKUSI NJOWO (Class of 1982)
PLEASE CLICK ON PICTURE TO SEE A TEENY BIT OF HOW SHE CELEBRATED TURNING FIFTY 'N FAB!
CARAT CADET ACHA JIDE NDANDO turned 21 on December 21st and his SAKERETTE Mom, Cousins and Aunties were on hand to celebrate with him!
L to R: Didi Ndando, Marie Takusi Njowo, AJ Ndando, Sis Genevieve Ndando, Sis Edith Mbua & Nkemta Tchapet. Squatting: Sylvie Makoge Ejedepang-Koge & Ola Torimiro Eneme.
PLEASE CLICK ON PICTURE TO VIEW ALBUM!
SAKERETTE-CARAT BRIDE poses with her Mom, Class of 1980 RAT Ekobo Polle, and CAT Dr. Wilfred Mbacham.
CARAT WEDS SAKERETTE CARAT! Plucky Class of 1977's Gladys Egbe Ngwafor's Son, Edwin, Wed Brightened Teen Class of 1980's Ekobo Polle Mbacham's SAKERETTE Daughter, Dr. Sharon Mbacham on Friday December 26 2014 in Yaounde.
CONGRATS TO ALL!
Edwin & Sharon NGWAFOR
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW PICTURES OF THE FOYABOS 15th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Said the Cake Maker, SAKERETTE
VICKY ATTAH AMIN:
"Sharon & Edwin Ngwafor's wedding cake was the cake of my career. It carried 84 roses, 70 blossoms, 80 hydrangeas and 52 stephanotis flowers. It took more than a month to make the flowers. It was more than an honour for "VKEES CAKES" to be part of this society wedding."
TEL: +237 6 70 24 14 20
ENAKA "DIGS" ADIG
PLEASE CLICK ON PICTURE TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF WHAT TRANSPIRED ON WOMEN'S DAY 2014,
PARTICULARLY IN THE SAKERETTE WORLD!!!
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW THE WOMEN'S DAY 2015 PICTURE ALBUM!!!
CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW MORE PICTURES!
THE FIRST EVER CAMEROON CAREER WOMEN AWARDS
(CCWA) CEREMONY in LONDON ~ ENGLAND
SATURDAY, MARCH 14 2015
Mrs. Bridget Fomukong Tabe
FOUNDER/CEO CCWA
THE 2015 CCWA WINNERS
WINNER: FASHION & DESIGN
ROSE MBANGO
WINNER: BUSINESS
ROSELINE FONKWA
WINNER: ENTERTAINMENT
LA BALEINE BLANCHE
LATE ANNE
NKWAIN
NSANG R.I.P.
WAS RECOGNIZED FOR HER SERVICE TO WOMEN IN GENERAL, AND TO THE CAMEROONIAN/AFRICAN WOMAN SPECIFICALLY.
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Mrs. Margaret Nyuydzewira, wife of the Deputy High Commissioner to The U.K., was the “Matron” of the Night. Apostle Dorothy Nanga from the USA presided over the opening, and in attendance were The CEO of African Gas Association, Ms Ngozi Anne Etoke, Dr. Nellie Boma, Mr. Chris Nasah, Founder of Cameroon Forum in London and Dr. Arreymbi Johnnes, amongst many others.
WOMEN'S DAY 2017 EDITION!
SAKERETTES BEING BOLD FOR CHANGE AROUND THE WORLD ...
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW PICTURE ALBUM OF THE GLITZY & GLAMOROUS AWARDS NIGHT!
WINNER: THEOLOGY
BISHOP CAROLINE VANDO
Class of 1976's Bertha Bakata Ndoh (Special Adviser to The Prime Minister with rank of Secretary of State), leading the Parade of Women of the Prime Minister's office
PILGRIMAGE TO BIMBIA ...
Hi Ma Saker Pride,
I am just so overwhelmed with the wealth of information and knowledge I gathered yesterday about my beloved country's history. I guess a whole bunch of Cameroonians have no clue about the fact that Cameroon was a major exit point for the transatlantic slave trade which took place hundreds of years ago. Thanks to my dynamic senior sister Melissa Nambangi, CEO of MAWA Minnesota, I was able to reconnect to my roots in " Man O War" Bay, near Bimbia. In fact, I was born in " Man O War" Bay, Victoria while my late mother was teaching in the then Bilingual Grammar School, Buea which was originally located there. Since the age of two, I have never seen the place. The Bimbia Slave camp is worth visiting. Our Resource person was non other than Fulbright Professor Lisa Aubrey, who has done extensive research on the transatlantic slave trade in Cameroon. Consultant Mwemba Meombo (Retired CRTV journalist) stopped by to add more flesh to the wealth of information about Bimbia and the slave trade.
This tour was conducted in partnership with the Limbe III Council and girl! This whole tour was mind blowing and educative, Sister Melissa, Myself, Sis. Ebob Mbiwan Tanyi, Professor Lisa Aubrey, Jayne and Mariah Betow and a host of others ended up at the ALCEF Riviera Park after a 4 hour tour of the Slave camp site.
Here are some of the things we learned during the visit to the Slave camp at Bimbia:
> The camp itself was located right in the forest near the sea front.
> Slaves were tied with chains on the legs and made to feed from troughs like animals.
> The slave boats anchored very close to the settlements and the slaves were let into the boats through doors referred to as "door of no return".
> Most of the bricks which were found at the site were directly imported from European countries such as Britain. Some of the bricks are still marked with initials such as "JFK".
PLEASE CLICK ON THIS PICTURE TO VIEW ALBUM!
On Wednesday, April 29 2015, 5 SAKERETTES - Ms Melissa Nambangi - all the way from Minnesota), Mrs. Ebob Mbiwan Tanyi, Ms Esther Ashu, Jayne & Mariah Betow, all headed off to explore the BIMBIA Slave Trade Site, in the company of someone who knows her way around the area very well, African-American Fulbright Professor of African and African American Studies and political science, Lisa Aubrey.
Here below, is Esther Ashu's "COMPTE RENDU" of the days events, which is so well supported by the Photo Album posted to the right.
PROFESSOR LISA AUBREY,
FULBRIGHT PROFESSOR OF AFRICAN & AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES AND POLITICAL SCIENCE,
Interviewed by Ms MELISSA NDINGE NAMBANGI, VETERAN JOURNALIST & CEO OF (MAWA)
Who Led The Pilgrimage At The Request Of The ROOTS & RE-CONNECTION GROUP
PLEASE DOUBLE CLICK ON EACH OF THE 3 IMAGES TO VIEW THE RESPECTIVE VIDEOS!
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO THE LEFT TO VIEW THE SECOND PICTURE ALBUM OF THE BIMBIA SLAVE TRADE SITE TOUR.
(THE FIRST ALBUM IS POSTED FURTHER UP ON THIS PAGE, AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS "PILGRIMAGE TO BIMBIA" POST!)
bimbia v 3. from Egbe Monjimbo on Vimeo.
bimbia v 2 from Egbe Monjimbo on Vimeo.
bimbia v 1 from Egbe Monjimbo on Vimeo.
Professor Lisa Aubrey explains the importance and relevance of Cameroon's Slave Trade History
Professor Lisa Aubrey sheds light on the methods used to capture Cameroonian slaves. (Trickery)
Professor Lisa Aubrey gives her perspective on the commonly held and propagated belief that Africans sold their brethren into Slavery.
A VIEW OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2016, 2015, 2014...
Now here's a Video for you:
IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE ESEKA TRAIN ACCIDENT ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21 2016
MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN PEACE!
On Friday, 21st October 2016 a Camrail – Intercity Train derailment occurred at Eseka in the Nyong and Kelle Division of the Centre Region of The Republic of Cameroon. The Toll? At least 70 dead and more than 600 injured. (NPR) Those figures make this accident the worst rail accident ever, in Cameroon's history.
In the wake of this TRAGEDY, the President of the Republic Cameroon decreed that today, Monday 24th October 2016 be a day of national mourning but the hearts of ALL Cameroonians have been bleeding since the news broke on Friday (on the heels of the Yaounde-Douala Road incident, for which, (PRAISE GOD!), there are no recorded casualties), and they will continue to bleed long after the sun sets today!!! ANY LOSS OF HUMAN LIFE is painful no matter the circumstances BUT when those circumstances are the result of PREDICTABLE, and therefore PREVENTABLE (or at least CONTAINABLE/MANAGEABLE) human error, and not an "ACT OF GOD", hearts bleed TWICE as much!
The RAGE has been widespread and palpable, and the reactions have run the gamut from Strident Calls for Civil Disobedience to Please for Fervent Prayer and Fasting.
Some have taken a "TOLD YOU SO" stance, claiming that one prophet or the other had "predicted" the catastrophe which the KINETICS part of our SBC ABBOT PHYSICS Textbook could very well have "predicted" with even more precision and which the TRAIN DRIVER HIMSELF had misgivings about PRIOR to embarking on the fateful journey, given the 8 ADDED-ON CHINESE TRAIN CARS WITH DOUBTFUL/QUESTIONABLE BRAKES!
Others have insulted the "PROPHET FOLLOWERS" for being naive, "brainwashed" and downright "MUMU".
The "PROPHETS" themselves have not been spared; They have been called out for failing to be like the Prophets of Old who not just "FORETOLD" disasters, but provided SOLUTIONS, even if the "ACT OF GOD" itself were UNAVOIDABLE.
I, for one, would not INSULT or DISPARAGE the "PROPHETS" or their FOLLOWERS, but I definitely see where the skeptics are coming from! JOSEPH did interpret PHARAOH's "CHANGA & ENOMA"/FAT & LEAN COW dream accurately, letting the former know that there would be 7 years of Plenty followed by 7 years of Famine. HOWEVER, he did not stop there! He provided PHARAOH with a CONCRETE, 7 YEAR ECONOMIC PLAN to COPE with the unavoidable disaster! NOAH warned the disobedient people AND built an Ark into which people could have sought refuge had they chosen to. Still other Prophets and Men of God were able to BEG, PLEAD, INTERCEDE and STAND IN THE GAP for whole nations and tribes.
The ire of yet others has been kindled against "The Powers That Be", the posters of GORY, GRAPHIC and INSENSITIVE pictures and footage of the victims, CAMRAIL itself and the disinterestedness of those who could or should have been FIRST RESPONDERS! Enough blame to go around, it seems ...
ALL OF THAT SAID, I believe the FOCUS right now should be DEALING with the CRISIS which has already occurred and LEARNING from the errors made so something this HORRIBLE and SENSELESS does not occur again. THAT way, the 70 & COUNTING who have PERISHED would at least NOT have died in vain, and those whose lives still hang in the balance might be saved!!!
FAST & PRAY, WE OUGHT TO!
TAKE CONCRETE ACTION, WE MUST!!!
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES TO VIEW THE WOMEN'S DAY 2016 PICTURE ALBUMS!!!
CLASS OF 1974's Dr. NESSIE NDIVE HILL (STA) with ABC NEWS Anchorwoman, Sade Baderinwa, (left) and Rev. Deneeze Nelson (right)
at the Trusteeship Council Chamber of the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
PLUCKY CLASS OF 1977's Ms IRENE TAMAJONG (President of ExSSA-UK) championing the move to Promote Gender Equality in STEM on IWD 2017 in KIGALI, RWANDA
PLEASE CLICK ON ICON ABOVE TO READ A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE EVENT
CLASS OF 1981's EGBE MBIWAN MONJIMBO (STA*) attending the CIWD Event at the INTERNATIONAL HOUSE in CHARLOTTE, NC with the Event's 2 Keynote Speakers, CHARLOTTE'S MAYOR, (only the 3rd FEMALE since 1854), JENNIFER ROBERTS (center) and 13 YEAR OLD ACTIVIST & PHILANTHROPIST,
MONGAI FANKAM (left)
CLASS OF 1984's Dr. PATIENCE FIELDING KAMBOU
(ExSSA-DC) at the Comparative International Conference in ATLANTA, GEORGIA where, in addition to discussing Education, there was discourse on Activism. On IWD itself she participated in the CARE International-organized March to bring awareness to their Walk in Her Shoes Campaign
AND WHO DO YOU SEE FEATURED DIRECTLY BELOW THE BELOVED MICHELLE OBAMA in the UNITED WAY picture below?????
OUR VERY OWN SAKERETTE-STA*LET,
KOUBE NGAAJE, M.A.
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Arlington Food Assistance Center!!!!!
P.S. Surely you have also spotted U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RUTH GINSBURG? (4th from left) SUPER IMPRESSIVE!!!
CLASS OF 1980's PAULYN AKO of the Cameroon Prime Minister's Office, clad in the 2017 Blue version of the Cameroon IWD Fabric!
PLEASE CLICK ON FLYER TO VIEW FULL CAPTIONED INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY ALBUM
LEFT: On Saturday, March 11 2017 in OTTAWA, CANADA, ExSSA-CANADA's PRO, Olivia Meyia-Takoukam, (aka Diane Mengue) moderated SYMPOSIUM on the Topic: Health and Immigration: keys for a successful well being.
RIGHT: On the same day, a panel of 8 Young Women, 6 of whom are SAKERETTES, participated in a FAITH-CENTERED TALK SHOW in HOUSTON, TEXAS which sought to EMPOWER WOMEN and exhort them to
BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD
PLEASE CLICK ON THIS IMAGE TO VIEW THE CAPTIONED ALBUM OF THE HOUSTON & OTTAWA EVENTS
PLEASE CLICK ON PLAY BUTTON TO WATCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE LADIES HAVEN TALK SHOW!!!
WOMEN'S DAY 2018
CLICK ON ICON!!!
THE SAKER~NAMIBIA BOND THICKENS ...
THE CLASS OF 1984 VISIT TO WINDHOEK
(October 2nd - 5th 2019)
From the time, back in 1976 when The Very Reverend NYANSAKO-NI-NKU - then UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSION FOR REFUGEES (UNCHR) Program Coordinator brought 4 NAMIBIAN GIRLS to join my Saker Baptist Form 1 Class, (after schools had already resumed), the CONNECTION between SAKER BAPTIST COLLEGE and NAMIBIA has continued to exist, WAXING and WANING across the 43 years that it has spanned.
Those first 4 NAMIBIAN GIRLS were:
MILKA KALOMO - Student #1220 who, before her passing (from Brain Cancer) in 2008, was a University Lecturer, Mother and Grandmother (R.I.P.),
SERAPHINA KAPALONDUA - Student #1221 who also succumbed to Cancer (R.I.P),
PAULINE HAUSHONA - Student #1222 who passed on in the early 90s (R.I.P), and
OTILIA IPINGE - Student #1223,the only surviving member of the group who is currently thriving as a Lecturer at the University of Namibia (UNAM)
Many other NAMIBIAN students were to follow these first 4: Esther Mathe, Ndilineke Shikongo, Libertina Kautwima, Rebecca Munyandi, Magdalena Kambangula, Ndahafa Mavulu, Helen Nahole, Eunice Mayumbelo, Helena Shimbudhi, Teresia Nailenge, Hilda Lukileni, Emilia Hangula, Ndeshi Hangula, Maria Hiyalwa, Martha Shifiona, Patricia Ausiku, Marie Owino Junias-Ameya, and most probably, a few others I cannot recall, who came to SBC after I left in 1981.
Incidentally, none of those first 4 "Namibian Girls" actually graduated from Saker Baptist College, since they either returned home or moved on to other institutions of learning in Cameroon, as was the case with quite a few others after them.
One of them, NDESHI HANGULA-SHIKWAMBI, did, however GRADUATE from SBC with honors, (after serving as Music Prefect in her Form 5 Year), and she has gone on to (currently) hold the position of: Control Administrative Officer: Public Office Bearer (Remuneration and Benefits) Commission Secretariat in the Office of the Prime Minister!!!! (AWESOME!)
She it is who facilitated and ably hosted the 17 Class of '84 ladies (and 2 Class of '85 members) and, (with her distinguished, top notch connections), made their visit the HUGE AFFAIR it truly was, in Namibia, covered on NATIONAL TV, in the NATIONAL PRESS and posted on the NAMIBIAN PRESIDENCY's OFFICIAL FACEBOOK Page!!!
To appreciate HOW FAR she has come, FROM THE BUSHES IN ANGOLA TO THE OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, PLEASE CLICK ON THE ICON BELOW and READ HER CAPTIVATING, RIVETING, EXTRAORDINARY STORY!!
Late Pauline Haushona Shilongo, (SBC Student #1222), one of the group of 4 Namibian Girls who first came to Saker Baptist College.
Late Eunice Mayumbelo (SBC Student #1422) who was a
French Teacher at Dawid Bezuidenhout High School (Nambia).
Libertine Kautwima (SBC Student #1341) at SBC Gate.
Eunice passed away on January 13th 2018 while on a visit to CHICAGO (USA) and the picture above SAKERETTES at he funeral in Chicago, laying roses on her draped casket.
A group of NAMIBIAN students who studied in Cameroon and who are now back in their home country. (2018)
Elizabeth Ndeshi Hangula (SBC Student #1516) in her SBC "Blue Sack" and brown sandals, at Spaceman Photo Studios located at 99 Church Street Limbe, Cameroon in 1981 and (top right), at her graduation from SBC in 1984
... And now, 38 years later, (October 2019), here she stands, as Control Administrative Officer: Public Office Bearer (Remuneration and Benefits) Commission Secretariat in the Office of the Prime Minister, chatting very comfortably with the PRESIDENT OF NAMIBIA, Dr. HAGE GEINGOB!
She's sure come a long, long way, Baby!!!
CLASS OF 1984 BLOOMING TEENS aka BLOOMING MAMAS WHO MADE THE TRIP TO NAMIBIA - From Cameroon, The U.K. and The U.S.A.
1. Agnes Agborsam
2. Anna Molongo
3. Anne Yakum Fondufe
4. Carolyn Fomuso
5. Cecilia Agbor
6. Ernestine Ngringeh
7. Hannah Njonjo
8. Heddie Burnley
9. Judith Caspa Foyabo
10. Martha Akwa Teke
11. Martine Mbida
12. Patience Fielding
13. Patience Taku Ekpombang
14. Patricia Nkweteyim
15. Sharon Romero
16. Veronica Frunjang
17. Vivian Ngwendson
18. Ndeshi Hangula-Shikwambi.
Other SAKERETTES who were also present:
1. Ethel Caspa &
2. Dorean Banyong (from Class of 85
3. Marie Junius (Namibian Student from the Class of 88)
The visit made HEADLINE NEWS in the Nation's Friday October 4th NEW ERA Newspaper!!!
The NAMIBIAN PRESIDENCY'S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE also posted on the Historic Visit on October 3 at 4:14 PM, while NAMIBIAN TV carried the SPECIAL NEWS BROADCAST posted on the right!
PLEASE CLICK ON THIS PICTURE TO VIEW COMPLETE VIDEO & PHOTO ALBUM OF THE NAMIBIA TRIP!
Above,The Class of '84 performing their "Saku-Saku" during SBC's 20th Anniversary celebrations in 1982 and Right, at their Graduation in 1984.
Below Right, at HEROES' ACRES (where Namibian Heroes are laid to rest), in October 2019.
