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SakerPride - "Telling the Saker Story & MORE"

This page, like the REFLECTIONS page is designed to be a MELTING POT that covers a wide range of Stories, Events, Information,Thoughts & Ideas, The way I happen to see them ...ENJOY!

THINGS HERE &

THERE!

2014 ExSSA-USA CONVENTION!!!

JULY 31st - AUGUST 3rd 2014

HOSTED BY ExSSA-DALLAS!!!

PLEASE CLICK ON PICTURE TO VIEW ExSSA-DALLAS "MOVIE"

Ma Monjimbo had done likewise

"singce 'ere long"!

WAS ExSSA-DALLAS READY FOR US OR WHAT???!!!

PLEASE CLICK on Picture to view the entire

CAPTIONED PHOTO ALBUM!

WE'RE IN THE NEWS,BIG TIME Y'ALL!!!!!

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO ACCESS ACTUAL ARTICLE IN THE ONLINE VERSION OF THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS ...

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS?

ExSSA-USA HITS THE AIRWAVES!!!

ExSSA-HOUSTON COMPLIED AS WELL!

PLEASE CLICK ON BOTH IMAGES BELOW, TO VIEW ALBUMS OF ExSSA-HOUSTON'S JUNE MEETING

Talk about a "LOGICAL", "HAND IN GLOVE" partnership. PERFECT COLLABORATION between 2 SAKERETTE FITNESS GURUS!!

MADAME CEO OF SMBFI, Mrs. KAH KAJIH FOMUSO (who doubles as ExSSA-DALLAS' CHOIR MISTRESS), & Mrs. TERESE ENDELEY TANDE.

The former handles the EXERCISE part of the FITNESS matter, while the latter takes care of the NUTRITION side of the equation!

THE SHAPE MY BODY FITNESS (SMBFI) PHENOMENON!

PLEASE CLICK IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW PICTURES OF ExSSA-HOUSTON'S JULY MEETING

Went with Big Sis to MECA meeting in my kaba "Empty-Hand" and returned with this DONATION from my not-seen-in-30-years Primary School Classmate who was hosting the Meeting o! DIA RIS GOD OOO! Nkagha nto-nto, Bro!

BEST WISHES FOR CONVENTION ATTENDEES FROM 2 (CLASS OF '69) "LEBBING" MAJORS!!!

FROM "AUNTY CLO" Mrs. CLAUDIA FOKAM BUMAKOR &

Dr. STELLA NWIGWE ANYANGWE

Name:

Aunty Clo

Email address:

auntycloxxxxx

Phone:

77xxxxxx

Message:

Dear EXSSANS - Houston Chapter, Love and greetings from your Cameroon members. Hope you got my mail after I returned to Cameroon. thank you again for your love and care whilst I was in Houston. the clock is ticking tick, tock, Houston! and I am reminded of your love. I could not come as I thought - but I will prepare well for next time. wish you God's blessings. love and sisterhood, Aunty Clo

Name:

Aunty Clo

Email address:

auntycloxxxxxx

Phone:

77xxxxxxx

Message:

To: exssa_mal@yahoogroups.com

From: exssa_mal@yahoogroups.com

Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 17:31:45 +0200

Subject: Re: [exssa_mal] Re: [EX-SakerUSA] UPDATED CONVENTION LIST DESTINATION DALLAS

Dear Sisters,

I cannot help but break my silence now! I want to wish you all a thoroughly enjoyable convention in "Big D", and I now accept that I will truly miss the hype, the fun, the show show and the camaraderie! I will most of all miss the Majors who this year celebrate 50 years since they arrived SBC!

Watch out, Minneapolis, because next year I will attend with a vengeance! Take care, y'all and God bless.

Aunty/Sis Stella

PART 1 (THURSDAY)

ARRIVAL & WELCOME DINNER @ CHARCOAL LOUNGE & GRILL

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES TO VIEW VIDEO CLIPS!

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW CRUISE/GAMES PICTURES

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES BELOW LEFT TO VIEW PHOTO ALBUM OF THE COMMON MEAL & SPIRITUAL EMPHASIS, and on IMAGE BELOW CENTER TO VIEW CLIP OF ExSSA-DALLAS' PRESENTATION DURING THE EVENT and on IMAGE BELOW RIGHT TO VIEW PICTURES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING!!

"Mme. President, looking very pretty! You and your ExSSA-Dallas Ladies did an incredible job last weekend. Your convention was the best event Ever in Dallas. Thank you for making us so proud. Take care and remain blessed!" E.E

"This will sound funny to you but can I be BIGSEA always and SAKERETTE too still? Lol. Let any of you Sisters and Aunties answer back quickly before I take off my blue Uniform. More Lol.

Will Always love you - E."

KUDOS, ExSSA-DALLAS!

THANK YOU FOR KEEPING THE ExSSA BANNER SOARING HIGH!!!!

"Wuna these SAKERETTES too much ooohhhh. You all look too good for my liking." E.T.

"chei. Why did i not go to saker? why did i miss that opportunity? A.A.

I woke up Monday Morning on August 8 2011 - 3 years ago now, to the news that my Dad had passed away PEACEFULLY, in his sleep.Knowing the DIE-HARD SAKERETTE that I have always been, He was kind and considerate enough to let me thoroughly enjoy the 2011 ExSSA-USA CONVENTION which ended the day before, on Sunday, August 7 2011.

Well, I have just returned from the 2014 Edition of the ExSSA-USA CONVENTION where I was honored to have been chosen to deliver the KEYNOTE ADDRESS during the Fundraiser Gala on Saturday, August 2nd 2014. Needless to say, I mentioned my Dad in the address because, it is he who paid for the SOUND EDUCATION my 2 Sisters and I got at Saker Baptist College.

Funny how I have wound up, via SAKERPRIDE, doing pretty much what he had strongly suggested I do when I finished High School back in 1983 and was about to begin by College Education. The poor man filled out the Application Forms for McGILL University's Communication Studies program and did his utmost to convince me to do "journalism, organizational communication, or media production". I LAUGHED OUT LOUD and went straight to NGOA-EKELLE and on to ASTI - with his "reluctant" blessing. (He just wasn't the kind to coerce or bully us into anything) I know that on May 1st 2012 when I hit the "PUBLISH" button thus embarking on the SAKERPRIDE "Journey", he must have muttered to himself from Up Yonder, "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?"

Well Papa, you know I would have sent you this Address for you to edit and proofread, and I know you would have had "issues" with my punctuation, margins and indentation - as usual, and I know you would not have liked the fact that I had still not written a single line of it until a week prior to the event, and only completed it in the airport and on the airplane, en route to The Convention. ANYWAY ...

IN MEMORY & HONOR OF MY DAD, E.A. MBIWAN Esq.

(aka "BLACK STONE")

April 2nd 1924 - August 8 2011

KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT THE ExSSA-USA CONVENTION IN DALLAS, TX.

"EMPOWERING THE GIRL CHILD"

Delivered by Mrs. Egbe Etonde Mbiwan Monjimbo

(Graduating Class of 1981)

Good Evening Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome again to this special evening which is certainly one of the Highlights of our 13th Annual Convention. While I am very pleased to have been chosen to deliver the Keynote address this year, I must both humbly and proudly note that this banquet hall is full and teeming with Women who could very comfortably and easily, have filled my shoes. I am here to talk to you about a topic which makes a lot of sense, given the intrinsic and inherent nature of our Alma Mater and its Alumnae, namely:

“THE EMPOWERMENT OF THE GIRL CHILD”

My approach to this topic which is bandied about quite a bit without as much thought given to it unfortunately, is to look into the WHY and HOW aspects of the subject.

Mr. Fred Folkerts who served as Field Secretary and Field Treasurer for the Cameroon Baptist Mission from 1960 to 1964 made this poignant statement about the genesis of Saker Baptist College:

“During the late 1950s and the early 1960s leading up to national independence, The Cameroon government offered monetary grants to mission organizations for the opening of needed secondary schools, from international funds received between 1960-1961. The Catholics chose to open a Boys’ secondary school in Small Soppo, (That would be BISHOP ROGAN COLLEGE), and the Presbyterians chose to open a Boys’ secondary school along with the Baptists in Bali. (That would be CPC Bali).”

Well, The Cameroon Baptist Mission, recognizing the VITAL ROLE that women can and do play in any given society, chose to open a Girls’ secondary school in Victoria, (now Limbe), which they named THE BAPTIST GIRLS’ SECONDARY SCHOOL. This institution, which was later renamed the WEST CAMEROON CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, exists today as SAKER BAPTIST COLLEGE, our Alma Mater.

Prominent amongst those cited as having been instrumental in getting SAKER BAPTIST COLLEGE on its feet, is a certain Mr. E.K. Martin, (of blessed memory), whose family I happen to know very well. He and his wife had 8 children: 6 Girls and 2 Boys, with the boys being the last 2. Had he bought into the idea that was prevalent at the time that women belonged in the kitchen and were good enough only for housewifery, then Cameroon would never have had:

Mrs. GWENDOLINE ETONDE BURNLEY – his first daughter and graduate of Durham University in the UK, who served as MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT for many years in the Cameroon House of Assembly.

Cameroon would never had Dr. GLADYS MARTIN – his 3rd daughter who is a medical doctor of international repute, and one of the country’s first crop of female Pediatricians.

Cameroon and Saker Baptist College would never have had Our very own MADAM EIRENE MBONGO nee Martin who served as Tutor and House Mother for years on end at SBC!

Neither would we have had all the phenomenal women that our distinguished Alma Mater has produced over its 52 years of existence.

If the mindset wherein GIRLS are NOT considered to be up to par vis-a-vis their male counterparts were a thing of the past, I would not be standing before you tonight, talking about “EMPOWERING THE GIRL CHILD”. Agreed, we have come a long way, and made great strides no doubt BUT:

We still live in a World whose greatest and most powerful nation – The United States of America, is yet to have a FEMALE President!

We still have women who wind up with 11 children not because they are trying to build a Football Team that could outperform our Domitable Lions by far, but because after giving birth to 10 “useless” girls, they are literally DYING to produce a “CHOP CHAIR” for her “OGA” who is threatening to “born for outside” if that is what it will take for him to have a MALE child to carry on his name! Never mind the fact that, 9 times out of 10, it is the “GIRL PIKIN DEM” who wind up thriving and doing far better than the “BANGA-SMOKING, BOLO BOY” of a son who does not even have the courtesy to wait for PA to die first before he sells off all the family land, and with quite the “CHOP MA MONEY” attitude, squanders every penny of the proceeds in an off license somewhere there in 3 Corners Fiango!

Some people don’t like clichés; I LOVE them, simply because, even though they are trite, they are FACTUAL. Here’s one of my FAVORITES:

“If you educate a man, you educate an individual but if you educate a woman, you educate a whole family, an entire community and a whole generation.”

If you doubt that statement and underestimate the INFLUENCE & POWER that a WOMAN can wield NATURALLY, then

- Tell me WHY Nico Mbarga’s “SWEET MOTHER” continues to sell millions of copies while no one even remembers that he ever produced a track called “GOOD FATHER”?

Explain to me why no one in their right mind messes with the “TAKUMBENG” women in the Grassfields of Cameroon?

Tell me why it is MICHELLE and not BARACK OBAMA who held up the HASH TAG, BRING BACK OUR GIRLS campaign slate when the CHIBOK girls were kidnapped, and why it is the pictures of the girls’ weeping MOTHERS, NOT their FATHERS or Uncles, that got the world to take notice. In fact, I don’t quite remember what President GOODLUCK JONATHAN said about the issue, but I will never forget his wife PATIENCE’s “DIA RIS GOD OOOOH!”

One only need look at Biblical characters like SAMSON and KING DAVID or listen to all the musicians who are desperately LOOKING FOR CARO, offering all their money to EMINADO, and singing the virtues of DOROBUCCI!

Unfortunately, all of that kind of “influence” only scratches the surface, and is nowhere near reflective of WHAT A WOMAN IS REALLY CAPABLE OF DOING, if she is EMPOWERED and given the chance to flourish. James Brown is just as right now as he was in 1966 when he released his “IT’S A MAN’S WORLD” album:

We WOMEN are still labeled OVERBEARING and BOSSY when we exhibit the exact same Character traits that a MAN is called OUTGOING, FORTHRIGHT and AMBITIOUS for possessing.

We are still passed over for certain positions and promotions for no other reason than the fact that we happen to be women, and we still, in some fields, don’t get paid the same as our male counterparts with the same qualification and output.

Even our languages reflect this disparity: In PIDGIN, for example, “WOMAN HAND” denotes the left hand which, for majority of human beings is the weaker hand, while “MAN HAND” denotes the right hand, and the strength that goes with it. In ENGLISH, while we do have “SEAMSTRESS” to match the masculine “TAILOR”, there’s no “ENGINEERESS”, “LAWYERESS”, or DOCTORESS, for all the world as if Women were not expected to ever practice these professions.

Clearly, if we keep this up in a world where more than half of the population is female, we are in for big trouble.

SO, HOW THEN DO WE EMPOWER THIS GIRL CHILD WHOM WE KNOW HAS THE POTENTIAL TO IMPACT HER WORLD even more than the MARIE CURIES, FLORENCE NIGHTINGALES, ROSA PARKS, & MOTHER TERESAS before her.

FOR YOU MEN:

You are the DADS, UNCLES, GRAND FATHERS & MENTORS of these girls. You play a vital role in their lives by what you say - or fail to say, in how she views herself, which is why, very often, girls who are promiscuous and who have “self esteem issues” are the ones who have no positive Father/Male Figure in their lives. John Mayer definitely has it right when, in his song entitled “DAUGHTERS” he cautions Fathers to be good to their daughters, because they become LOVERS and then MOTHERS who could wind up SCARRED for life should their Fathers fail to treat them right.

So then, when your “little Maggie” tells you that she plans on becoming an astrophysicist or an astronaut, PLEASE try not to respond with a Sneer or Laugh. That is certainly not the time to tell her that she needs to focus instead on improving her Achu or Eru cooking skills so she can attract a good husband. Please refrain from making disparaging and demoralizing comments like: “If PIUS wey get sense no fit even pass First School, na you go fit do weti?” ENCOURAGE her instead, to the best of your ability. I know a certain Mr. WILLIAMS who did just that. He BELIEVED in both of his daughters and did all he could within his modest means, to SUPPORT them. GUESS WHAT? His efforts have given us 2 OF THE WORLD’S MOST ASTUTE ATHLETES, THE INCREDIBLE TENNIS CHAMPIONS VENUS & SERENA!!!

I also know, even better, about this guy in the Bible called MORDECAI. He is certainly not as popular as his niece QUEEN ESTHER, but incidentally, Esther would never have become famous for saving her nation, Israel, had it not been for him. She had the potential all along. In fact, she was born with it. However, it took her UNCLE MORDECAI’s prodding and pep talk to EMPOWER HER and make her BOLD enough to act in spite of the great risk to her life.

Personally, I thank God for Mr. E.A. MBIWAN, (God rest his soul), who made sure his daughters and all the female relatives he sponsored got as sound and solid an Education as their male counterparts, setting the expectations for both, equally high! He never told us we had to be Lawyers or Doctors. In fact, none of us is, but in addition to our Education we were imbued with a HEALTHY dose of self esteem which has made us very comfortable in our respective skins, feeling neither superior nor inferior to anyone else.

FOR US WOMEN:

We are the MOTHERS, AUNTS, GRANDMOTHERS & ROLE MODELS for these dear girls. They watch our every move and learn more from that than they could ever learn from a book, no matter how well written it might be. It does not matter that we are not always successful because what is important is that they see how we DEAL WITH and eventually OVERCOME our trials, challenges and obstacles. We don’t have to be SAINTS, KNOW-IT-ALLS, BEYONCÉS or CAT WOMAN to inspire them.

Let us also be mindful of raising our SONS to respect not just us, their Mothers, but their FEMALE Classmate, their Girlfriend, their Wife, their female Colleague, their Female Boss, etc. Let us teach them that doing that does not make them less of a man!

TO YOU, YOUNG ADULTS:

You have a role to play that DADS and MOMS cannot play. Because of the closeness in age with these girls, they will relate to you far better, be much more receptive to your message, and be more open to sharing their challenges and difficulties CANDIDLY with you than they would be with some of us who are still into our gramophones and vinyl records, firm in our belief that the word “TWEET” is nothing else but the sound that a bird makes. I got the following email from a Class of 2012 SAKERETTE who is going to be a Junior in College this coming academic year, and just the Subject Line: “SAKER MENTORING” made my day. Here’s an excerpt of the email: “I have been putting a lot of thought this Summer into trying to figure out ways in which I could improve Saker and Cameroon as a whole. One of the ideas which I came up with is setting up a Mentoring Program for the Girls which could consist of Form 4 to Upper-Sixth Students”

IMAGINE THAT!!! Is Charlene Effa Assam In The House?? Please Stand Up! Let’s give her a hand!!

ALL of this said, there is NO ESCAPING the ONE THING THAT will go a very, very, VERY LONG way to EMPOWER THE GIRL CHILD: MONEY – FINANCES!

A GOOD, SOLID, THOROUGH, WELL-ROUNDED EDUCATION such as our ALMA MATER, SAKER BAPTIST COLLEGE offers, is designed to EMPOWER every girl that walks through its gates and sits in its classrooms, and as can be expected, IT COMES WITH A HEFTY PRICE TAG! The PROOF that the school has done just what it was designed to do, for 52 years and counting, is not debatable. It is visible all around this hall and everywhere you find a SAKERETTE in this world. It is because we RECOGNIZE the formidable impact the school has had on us, and through us, on our Husbands, Children, Colleagues, Communities, and Country, that we are STRIVING to make sure that the same OPPORTUNITY is afforded to many more generations, even after we are long gone.

So, YES, we love our “SHOW-SHOW” and “OWELE” and we care about meeting up with our classmates and “inties” once every year like this but if that were all there was to it, we would NOT be here, because we all agree that our AIM, OUR GOAL, our PASSION, is to EMPOWER our Younger Sisters, Daughters, Granddaughters, Nieces, etc. by offering them a SOLID EDUCATION in the MOST CONDUCIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT possible, and that comes with a PRICE TAG!

THANK GOD, We don’t have to be OPRAH WINFREY, DONALD TRUMP, BILL GATES or WARREN BUFFET, to make a significant contribution towards this effort. True, Not all of us have 6, 5, 4, 3 or even 2 figure amounts to donate, but NONE of us is exempt from the obligation to do something to help. Every BIT counts, and well beyond the concrete things our generous donations will achieve, they will tell the Students in Saker Baptist College that we care, and that they matter to us. Take it from this TEACHER who has been in the classroom for close to 25 years now: Students who know that much has been invested in them – especially sacrificially, realize that much is, by consequence, expected of them and so they tend to EXCEL far more than those who feel like no one cares. WHY? Because they get the distinct impression that it would not matter if they failed or passed, so why bother?

There is this Form 5 Sakerette student who just took the GCE Exam whose SUCCESS I am willing to bet my limbs and lungs on, and that is NOT because I have “4 Eye” powers to help me predict with 100% accuracy what the GCE results will be. WHY AM I SO CORK SURE? Because I am talking about this girl that a handful of girls from the Graduating class of 1995/97 took under their wing, from the day she completed Class 7 in MILE 17, up till now! They did not just pay her School Fees, they bought her her Titi Pail & Matress, Marked her Bed sheets, and consistently visited her at SBC, diligently checking that Report Card like any good Guardian or Mentor should. You see, Failure, for this kind of child, is practically impossible, because ACCOUNTABILITY and sheer GRATITUDE for the sacrificial generosity and benevolence shown them, drives them to SUCCEED!

So, LADIES & GENTLEMEN, My Dear CHEERFUL GIVERS whom God Loves: when the time comes, PLEASE, FOR THE SAKE OF THAT PRECIOUS GIRL CHILD WHO’S DEPENDING ON YOU; PICK UP THAT ENVELOPE, FILL & STUFF IT TO THE MAX WITH SOMETHING WORTHY OF THE GENEROUS LADY OR GENTLEMAN that you are, so that when you finally make it to bed tonight, your feet sore from dancing, you can sleep easy, with a light heart, knowing that you too have done something for which some Future SAKERETTE Teacher, Doctor, Nurse, Astrophysicist, Astronaut or simply well adjusted citizen will THANK YOU.

In conclusion, by way of encouragement, I’m going to call on my Sister, Mrs. Didi Mbiwan Ndando and my dear friend, Marie Takusi Njowo (both Sakerettes) to join me on stage to sing this song that many, if not all SAKERETTES know. It’s called: “LITTLE IS MUCH WHEN GOD IS IN IT”, and its lyrics speak volumes. PLEASE SING ALONG WITH US if you can.

1.In the harvest field now ripened There’s a work for all to do; Hark! the voice of God is calling, To the harvest calling you.

Refrain: Little is much when God is in it!  Labor not for wealth or fame; There’s a crown, and you can win it,  If you go in Jesus’ name.

3.Does the place you’re called to labor Seem so small and little known?  It is great if God is in it, And He’ll not forget His own.

GOD BLESS YOU – AND YOUR WALLET!!!

THANK YOU, ExSSA-DALLAS

FOR HONORING ME!!!

08/03/2014

THANK YOU,ExSSA-USA

FOR THE RECOGNITION!

08/02/2014

AS SEEN ON FACE BOOK!

ECHOES & RIPPLES FROM THE CONVENTION!

COMMON MEAL /SPIRITUAL EMPHASIS!

GENERAL ASSEMBLY!

ExSSA-DALLAS DANCE PRESENTATION (VIDEO CLIP)

Post by Constance Nkwantah.

CLICK ABOVE TO VIEW VIDEO OF ANITA ETTA'S MUSIC PERFORMANCE AT SUNDAY'S BARBECUE

CLICK ABOVE TO VIEW VIDEO OF SUNDAY'S DANCING AT HUFFHINES PARK

CLICK TO VIEW PHOTO ALBUM OF SUNDAY'S BARBECUE/PICNIC

CLICK TO VIEW PHOTO ALBUM OF SUNDAY'S CHURCH SERVICE

CLICK ON PLAY BUTTON TO VIEW "IGWE"/COWGIRL CELEBRATION

ExSSA-DALLAS SET THE PACE!

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO THE LEFT TO VIEW THE GALA NIGHT PHOTO ALBUM, and on the IMAGE ABOVE RIGHT TO WATCH A VIDEO CLIP OF WHAT SATURDAY NIGHT'S TOTALLY SKELEWU-ed DANCE FLOOR LOOKED LIKE!

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW & PURCHASE THE PROFESSIONALLY TAKEN PICTURES OF THE CONVENTION.

Sip a little, Sup a little, From My Dallas Early Bird Glass, a little!

IMPORTANT UPDATE (08/18/2014)

In the last but one paragraph of my Keynote Address posted above, I made mention

of "this Form 5 Sakerette who just took the G.C.E", whose success I was willing to bet my limbs and lungs on; Please read Mrs. Marja Etchi Motanga's Face Book post below and see why I remain a proud owner of my precious limbs and lungs!!!

PRAISE GOD & BRAVO, CLASS OF 95/97!

"CONGRATULATIONS TO LILIAN ON HER SUCCESS AT THE GCE O LEVELS. WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!!!!!

The Lord has indeed honored us and shown us that our efforts have not been for nothing. Never failed a term from Form One to Form Five, and has been successful at the GCE O Level examinations. It is the doing of the Lord; It is Marvelous in our sight!

May the good Lord bless you all sisters and I declare that as Lilian is succeeding, so shall our children also be a continuous success in Jesus' name!!!!

Lilian’s father called me yesterday so happy and extended his heartfelt greetings and appreciation to you all who supported this wonderful cause. Let us gear up for High School my dear sisters."

(The Lilian-Class of '95/'97 Story is posted on this Website at: http://www.sakerpride.com/ExSSA-WORLD.html )

Lilian with some of her class of 95/97 SPONSORS/MENTORS!

KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT THE 2014 ExSSA-U.K. CONVENTION IN BRACKNELL

"EACH ONE, INSPIRE ONE"

Delivered by Mrs. Egbe Etonde Mbiwan Monjimbo

(Graduating Class of 1981)

Good Evening, Ladies, Gentlemen, Dear Sakerettes!

I am extremely humbled and honored to be standing before you today to deliver the Keynote Address for this very Special Convention. When the President of ExSSA-UK first contacted me and asked me to speak, I thought she was joking and if you know her like I do, through 35 years that include the “Banga School” and “One Bite” days of Saker Baptist College, and the Unity Hall and 3 Corners days of CCAST Bambili, then you know she could very well have been joking. Well, it turns out she was not; So here I am. And why am I telling you all of this? Just so you know who to stone if you don’t like what you are about to hear!!!

Well, I did take the time to find out what the THEME for the CONVENTION is and when I found out it is “EACH ONE, INSPIRE ONE”, my immediate reaction was to Clap my hands and say “AH DON DIE MA OWN!” because no light bulbs came on instantly, no revelatory Moses-in-the-Burning-Bush incidents occurred and Angel Gabriel and his soothing “FEAR NOT” tidings were nowhere to be found. I gave the topic a little more thought though, and decided I would approach it from this FUNDAMENTAL, VITAL QUESTION which I prefer to ask you in my language of preference, which is PIDGIN ENGLISH:

WETIN YOU CAM FIND FOR DIS GROUND?

Continuing along these same Pidgin lines, there’s this expression, often proffered as a compliment, that I don’t quite get:

“YOU NO GET PAIR”!

Well isn’t that the MUMU-EST, most matter-of-FACT thing anyone could say???!! Of Course It Is! Nobody on Planet Earth “GET PAIR”! Not even SIAMESE TWINS or the 419 OGA who steals your identity! We are each crafted and created with a very SPECIFIC & UNIQUE PURPOSE, and we have been PLACED WHERE WE ARE, FOR A REASON!!!!! You see, that “BADLUCK MASSA” you are married to; the “NDON PIKIN DEM” you gave birth to; Even the “BOSS-FROM-HADES” you work for: None of them is in your life BY CHANCE, FATE OR HAPPENSTANCE! In fact, you don’t just “HAPPEN” to be sitting in the seat where you are right now, barely able to breathe in that corset you’re wearing, bravely trying like I am, to pass off the sewn-in weave on your head as your natural hair!! Your PRESENCE here is not some RANDOM occurrence! It is a well-orchestrated, planned-in-advance deal that is woven into the FABRIC of life by the MASTER WEAVER & LORD OF THE LOOM! Anyone remember our Saker Dining Hall Song: “I KNOW WHO HOLDS THE FUTURE, AND I KNOW HE HOLDS MY HAND”? What does its 2nd line say?

“WITH GOD THINGS DON’T JUST HAPPEN, EVERYTHING BY HIM IS PLANNED”!

YES! It says “EVERYTHING” is “PLANNED” by God!

NEXT QUESTION:

DO YOU THINK THERE ARE PEOPLE ON THIS EARTH WITH NO GIFTS AT ALL?

If you answered “YES”, then you must have forgotten all about the PARABLE OF THE TALENTS! The first servant got 5 talents; the second got 2, and the third got 1, BUT the bottom line is that they ALL got talents which their Master expected them to INVEST and to MULTIPLY, not bury like the one who had the 1 talent did!

There’s this other comment that people tend to make of themselves, disparagingly, when they are in awe of something extraordinary that someone else they admire or envy has achieved:

“Some of we cam for dis world na for cam ESCORT others”.

That statement could not be more incorrect or further from the truth. We have ALL been entrusted with resources and gifts of time, intellect, material wealth, etc., and we are expected, by He who endowed us with them, to use them WISELY not so much for our personal gain, but to better the world He created. That said, just like the Parable indicates, our TALENTS are not all the same in NATURE and SCOPE, nor is the STAGE on which these gifts are to be manifested identical! And right here is where the next PIDGIN PHRASE:

“CUT YA COAT ACCORDING TO YA SIZE” comes in!

It does not matter how many RALLIES & PROTESTS in support of “EQUALITY” anyone stages: There will always be Lamborghinis, Mazzeratis and Porsches, alongside Volkswagen Beetles, Renault 4s and Mini-Minor Fiats; Just as there will always be Queens and CEOs alongside Duhty Moto Drivers and Janitors. The truth though, is that, even though a Lamborghini is fancier and costs more, it is still a CAR, and serves the same BASIC, PRIMARY purpose that a Lada does, which is, to take someone from Point A to Point B. The LADA should therefore do what it was designed to do, to the best of its ability, instead of spending its entire life wishing it were a Lamborghini! Why would I, for example, spend even as much as a second wishing I were TALL, BLONDE and SWEDISH when the closest I could ever get to that pipe dream is if I permanently glued 20 inch heels to my feet, bought myself a down-to-the-waist blonde hair wig, bleached my skin way past Michael Jackson limits and worked extremely hard on a Swedish accent? Wouldn’t I do far better being the WIFE, MOTHER, SISTER, NEIGHBOR, COLLEAGUE, FRIEND, AUNT, TEACHER-BLOGGER that I truly am, realizing that my MISSION on this earth is UNIQUE, very different from a Mammy Wata-haired Swedish Model’s and that my CHOSEN & ORDAINED-BY-GOD SPHERE OF INFLUENCE is tailored to suit my personality and purpose? With all due respect, OPRAH WINFREY, formidable as she is, CANNOT teach your “Small Pappy” his TIMES TABLE or NURSERY RHYMES like you can, nor is QUEEN ELIZABETH II, grand as she is, the person who is best placed to explain her first period to your little “Coucou” or tell her what she should know about dating! THAT JOB IS YOURS, and no one else’s!

YOU are THE ONE in your office building who, having beaten Cancer, and Survived a bitter Divorce, can tell that recently diagnosed, victim-of-abuse colleague that there is hope;

YOU are THE ONE in your home whose SMILE or sense of HUMOR can drive away the despair and gloom brought on from the loss of a sibling or parent;

YOU are THE ONE in your neighborhood who can take out the trash for that elderly neighbor, mow her grass and run her errands;

YOU are THE ONE who might be sitting on the bus at the particular time when someone needs a seat and no one else is willing to give theirs up;

YOU might be THE ONE at the Checkout Register when a jobless person realizes he needs a bit of extra money to pay for the groceries that the cashier is already taking out of his cart because he does not have enough money to pay for them ;

YOU are THE ONE who will make a world of difference to that “other ONE” by reaching out to him or her, and YOU definitely are that SAKERETTE OR SAKERETTE DONOR WHO IS WELL EQUIPPED TO HELP OUR WORTHY & NOBLE ALMA MATER; THE ONE WHO IS WITHIN EAR SHOT of my voice right now, as I urge you to REACH OUT TO SOMEONE!

Long gone are those Biblical days when God dispatched WINGED ANGELS and DOVES from Heaven, to attend to the needs of humans. In our day and time, it is on YOU, MY DEAR UN-WINGED ANGEL, that He is counting. OH YES! He still feeds His needy children with “MANNA” and “QUAILS” – or should I say SESSEH PLANTI and TURNING COCO, but these days it is NGOWO, BIH & YOU whom he delegates to deliver them to his ailing children in the hospital or prison.

TRUST ME:

There is a reason why YOU are still alive whereas your classmate, sibling or colleague has already been called home.

There is a reason why YOU got the Promotion when your just-as-capable colleague did not.

There is a reason why JOHNNY chose to marry YOU when Nzelle, Bih, Nanyongo and Chinyere were all looking more “enticing” the night he made a bee line straight to you at the Bachelor’s Eve party where.

There is a reason why you have the specific Child or Children you have – including that precious one with SPECIAL NEEDS, and there certainly is a reason WHY you are here tonight when you could easily have been somewhere else!

Let me ask ONE LAST QUESTION:

Does anyone in this hall know who MORDECAI HAM is?

I bet you’ve never heard of him, but I’m sure you know who BILLY GRAHAM is! Well, Mordecai Ham is the North Carolina Preacher who led Billy Graham to Christ back in 1934, when the REVERED and WORLD FAMOUS EVANGELIST was only 16! That is an example of someone who reached out to 1 person and who, by that act, has wound up actually changing the lives of MILLIONS! At the time when he was kneeling down and praying with this 16 year old lad, did he have a clue how things were going to turn out down the road? NOPE! He did NOT, - and neither do you!

Can you imagine the TRAGEDY had this Mordecai man FAILED to fulfill his own “EACH ONE, INSPIRE ONE” calling?

Besides, doesn’t The Good Book say “whatever you do for THE LEAST OF THESE” you do for HIM?

How sad it would be then, if we should fail to reach THE ONE PERSON – OR PERSONS whom GOD HAS STRATEGICALLY PLACED IN OUR PATH FOR US TO MINISTER TO!

I will now conclude this address with a very personal story that explains why I hold the position that I do regarding concepts like “LUCK”, “CHANCE” and “HAPPENSTANCE”!

One Saturday morning in October of 2012, I got this phone call from my sister who lives in Houston, Texas, asking me if I knew a certain ATIBA MBIWAN. I didn’t. I asked her who he was supposed to be, and she said she hadn’t the faintest clue and she had just stumbled on his name as she was searching for something on the internet. (PRAISE THE LORD FOR GOOGLE!) One thing we knew for sure though: This 53 year old man with that MBIWAN last name had to be related to us somehow, because unlike other “Nyangi” surnames like AYUK, ARREY, ASHU and TAMBE, the MBIWAN name is unique. We did a little more google-ing and found out that this man was born MICHAEL WARD in the State of Rhode Island in the U.S., but took on the MBIWAN last name to honor this Student he had met while on a STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM in the University of Lagos in 1980. WOW! We knew without a doubt that he was referring to our Late Brother, ACHA MBIWAN, who passed away on January 1st 1981 when I was in Form 5 at SBC! We really were so stunned and unsure what to do with this information that we did NOTHING, for about a month. And then, one morning during my lunch break at work, I googled his name again, and rummaged around till I found a work address and phone number for the place where he was supposed to be working. I grabbed my cell phone and called the number and was told by the lady who responded that he had stayed home sick that day and before I could hang up, she offered to transfer me to his voicemail. In fact, I had actually said "never mind", trying to back out of the awkward situation but "NYANGO" had already transferred the call so when the "BEEEEEEP" came on, I did leave a rather BEFUDDLED message, trying to explain why I was calling. I hung up and really thought NOTHING would come of it all. WAS I WRONG OR WHAT?! He called back as soon as he got the message and subsequently explained to my other 2 sisters and I, via Conference Call, that he and my late brother met IN A TAXI CAB IN LAGOS and struck up a conversation which began with my brother saying “hello” and remarking that he looked bewildered – which he certainly was, given that he was thousands of miles away from home in a University that was ON STRIKE! That “CHANCE” encounter led to a friendship in which my brother took him under his wing and made such an impression on him that when he heard, just months after his return to the States that he had passed on, he decided to take on, NOT even my brother’s first name, but his SURNAME, as his LAST NAME!!!!! Next, we found that our daughters were attending the same University, and that he and my oldest sister have the same birthday! “CHANCE”??? I THINK NOT!!! My family visited his in Atlanta early in January of 2013 and we all had a THANKSGIVING Service/WELCOME TO THE FAMILY celebration in November last year. Want to know my plans for October 10 2014? My sisters and I will, GOD WILLING, be attending the WARD FAMILY REUNION in Atlanta, Georgia, with our BROTHER and we plan to introduce him to the rest of his RELATIVES in Cameroon, come December of 2015!

So, 30 years after we lost our only brother, we gained one back. With that simple act of reaching out in friendliness to an American student he had never met before, our only brother gave us another brother – and his family – 30 years after his own demise. By the way, 13 years after this same brother’s passing, my son was born, 3 weeks early, on his Late Uncle’s birthday! I barely made it to Hôpital Laquintinie’s Labor Room on time for his 10 p.m. arrival on that 25th day of November in 1993. “CHANCE”??? Again, I think NOT!!! Not when there are 364 other days in a year!

So my Dear Sisters, Brothers, LADIES & GENTLEMEN! YOU ARE NOT A MISTAKE, an AFTER THOUGHT or a CHANCE occurrence.

You are here for a reason with a MISSION that you are pre-equipped, from birth, to accomplish.

I URGE YOU TO SEEK IT OUT THOUGHTFULLY & PRAYERFULLY, and then, ACCOMPLISH IT!

To encourage and spur you on, allow me to remind you of the LYRICS of a song which virtually every "SAKER GIRL" knows. Its first 2 verses tie in PERFECTLY with and reiterate the message I've just tried to convey. It's called:

BRIGHTEN THE CORNER WHERE YOU ARE!

1.Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do,

Do not wait to shed your light afar;

To the many duties ever near you now be true,

Brighten the corner where you are.

Refrain:

Brighten the corner where you are!

Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar;

Brighten the corner where you are!

2.Just above are clouded skies that you may help to clear,

Let not narrow self your way debar;

Though into one heart alone may fall your song of cheer,

Brighten the corner where you are.

GOD BLESS YOU!

NOTE: The PICTURE ALBUMS & VIDEO CLIPS of the ExSSA-UK 2014 CONVENTION are posted on the EVENTS page of this website, @ http://www.sakerpride.com/Events.html

The "Personal Story" mentioned at the end of the ADDRESS above is narrated and recorded in its entirety @

http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/acha-mbiwan/MemorialSite.aspx

The MBIWAN "Branch" of the TWYMAN-WARD Family!

L to R: Keenan MBIWAN (Atiba's son), Didi MBIWAN Ndando, Quatez MBIWAN (Keenan's son), Keisha MBIWAN (Atiba's daughter), Egbe MBIWAN Monjimbo,and Atiba MBIWAN - formerly known as Michael WARD.

THE ACHA MBIWAN STORY CONTINUES!

The following lines were part of my KEYNOTE ADDRESS at the ExSSA-UK CONVENTION,which is posted above:

"Want to know my plans for October 10 2014? My sisters and I will, GOD WILLING, be attending the WARD FAMILY REUNION in Atlanta, Georgia, with our BROTHER and we plan to introduce him to the rest of his RELATIVES in Cameroon, come December of 2015!"

WELL, WELL! GOD DID WILL that my Sister Didi and I attend the TWYMAN-WARD FAMILY REUNION, and as the PICTURE ALBUM and VIDEO CLIP posted below do attest, it was a MEMORABLE weekend!!! Can still not stop pinching myself. WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!

(Check out the full version of the story at: http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/acha-mbiwan/MemorialSite.aspx )

What a PRIVILEGE it was to meet the renowned Congressman JOHN LEWIS!!

Congressman JOHN LEWIS, (Special Guest at the Family Reunion), delivers a first hand experience HISTORY LESSON on his Life, his Interaction with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and his work as a reputed Statesman! SIMPLY INSIGHTFUL & BRILLIANT!

Click above to View/Listen. Turn Up Volume

THE EBAI & ELIZABETH MBIWAN, 3 GENERATIONS FAMILY TREE/ALBUM

THAT WAS PRESENTED AT THE TWYMAN-WARD FAMILY REUNION

PLEASE CLICK TO BROWSE THROUGH THE DISPLAY!

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW A SAMPLING OF PICTURES TAKEN BY THE EVENT'S PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER!

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW ENTIRE CAPTIONED PHOTO ALBUM!

PART 3 (Friday Afternoon)

CRUISE/INTER-HOUSE COMPETITIONS

WHAT A WEEKEND!!!

ExSSA-DOUALA (CAMEROON) &

ExSSA-MIDLANDS (U.K.)

AT THE FOREFRONT!

ExSSA-HOUSTON'S MARIE TAKUSI NJOWO TURNS 50!!!

THE PERFECT SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY

The S.B.C. CHOIR as they processed.

AWWWWWWW!

ExSSA-DOUALA dancing away at ALCEF AMUSEMENT PARK after the warm (ICE CREAM ON THE HOUSE) reception they got from its SAKERETTE CEO, Mrs. Ebob Mbiwan Tanyi!

The Donation is very enthusiastically made & received!

SEKEM! SEKEM! SEKEM!

Aaah! Wona moof man there!

At the last AGM in Douala, ExSSA-DOUALA promised to give something back to SBC as an AGM gift. On Sunday, February 1st 2015, ExSSA-Douala therefore delivered Sanitary Bins to SBC in Limbe!

(Picture of some members of the group, taken as they waited for the others)

PLEASE CLICK ON ALL 5 IMAGES TO VIEW VIDEO SNIPPETS!

AU REVOIR!

WELL DONE ExSSA-DOUALA

ExSSA-MIDLANDS (U.K.)

"BRING YA OWN JERSEY"/JANUARY 2015 MEETING

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW ALBUM!

PLEASE CLICK ON PICTURE TO THE RIGHT TO VIEW PHOTO ALBUM OF Mrs. MARIE TAKUSI NJOWO'S SURPRISE 50th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!

PLEASE CLICK ON ALL 5 IMAGES TO WATCH VIDEO SNIPPETS OF THE CELEBRATION/DANCING!

SAKERETTE-CARAT Dr. ENI MUNA MBUAGBAW TURNS 30!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY & MANY MORE YEARS TO YOU!

PLEASE CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW MINI ALBUM!

ExSSA-USA's PIONEER PRESIDENT TURNS 60!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LADY REGINA EFETI KULU MOFA OJONGTAMBIA!

Saturday, February 21st 2015

PLEASE CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW ALBUM I!

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW VIDEO CLIP!!!

PLEASE CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW ALBUM II!

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW VIDEO CLIP!!!

SAKERETTE MOM & VETERAN TEACHER,

PRINCESS HANNAH EVENYE MONONO MBUA TURNS 90!!!

PLEASE CLICK ON THIS PHOTO TO VIEW ALBUM!

Best Wishes From 2 SAKERETTES:

Nyango Melissa Nambangi:

"To this day, I still remember vital lessons Mrs. Mbua taught me in Class Three in Great Soppo Baptist Primary School. She is the one teacher I always remember with awe and fondness. Happy birthday, Mrs. Mbua!"

Ruth Bokwe Ayukesong:

"Happy Birthday Auntie! What a loving ang caring woman. May the good Lord continue to bless you richly."

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW A FEW MORE PICTURES!

CONGRATULATIONS, DEAR MA KATY!

BEKOKO - SATURDAY, JULY 2 2016

92nd BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION OF Mrs. CATHERINE MUSOKO,

Mother of Class of 1967's Sis Janet Mboti Ngongi, Class of 1976's Sis (Dr.) Olive Mbango Musoko (RIP), and Class of 1978's Sis Susan Elinge Musoko Ekollo

Mr. TETEVI BODYLAWSON, (aka "BOBO"), Erstwhile Principal of SBC

& WIFE Mrs. AMINA ISSA BODYLAWSON (Class of '73)

HONORED BY THE CLASS OF 1987

The Bodylawsons & Class of 87 "Owele Divas"

Upon Mr. Tetevi Bodylawson's retirement from Active Service, Class of 1987 Radiant Knights/Owele Divas decided to show him and his wife, Class of 1973's Sis Amina Issa Bodylawson, appreciation for their service to Saker Baptist College & thank them for the positive impact they had on them during their teenage years.

The Divas showed up in style to celebrate right along with Mr. Bodylawson (aka "Bobo") & wife Mrs. Bodylawson, who, in addition to the retirement, celebrated her 60th Birthday, at Mizpah Baptist Church Limbe.

CONGRATULATIONS to the BODYLAWSONS & WELL DONE, CLASS OF 1987!!

Mrs Bodylawson (left) & Class of 87's Mrs Catherine Quashie (RIP) Ntonifor during church service at Mizpah Baptist Church.

Mr. Tetevi & Mrs. Amina Bodylawson pose with the Award given them by the Class of '87

The Bodylawasons with The Class of '87 representatives:

Standing: Elizabeth Lyonga-Elive, Tenguh Fomukong-Fokam, Bridget Tabe, Margaret Lyonga-Ndakwah)

Sitting: The Celebrants, Mr & Mrs Bodylawson

The Bodylawson Family

The Class of '87 Reps receive memorabilia from Mrs Bodylawson as a token of her appreciation.

THE APPRECIATION AWARD!

Photos & Information culled from News Bulletin posted on 06/20/16 on behalf of the Class of '87 by Ms Boh Fielding Geh

DOUBLE CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Class of 1998/2000's JULIE OJONGOFU

Graduated from Belmont University's College of Pharmacy on Thursday, May 5th 2016

Then ...On May 7 2016, she got blissfully married, and became

Dr. Mrs. Julie Ojongofu Besong!!!

WHERE 2 OR 3 WERE GATHERED ON

THE FIRST WEEKEND IN AUGUST (2016)

Windhoek, NAMIBIA

San Francisco, CALIFORNIA

TEMA, GHANA

Washington, DC

Dallas,

TEXAS

HOUSTON

TEXAS

GERMANY

PLEASE CLICK ON THIS PHOTO TO VIEW ENTIRE "WEEKEND"ALBUM!

PLEASE CLICK ON THIS PHOTO TO VIEW "LEBBERS INC." SLIDESHOW SET TO MUSIC!!!!

PLEASE CLICK ON THIS PHOTO TO VIEW MA SAKERPRIDE's SAN FRANCISCO TRIP ALBUM! LOOOOL!!!

BABY SHOWER IN DALLAS, TEXAS FOR CLASS OF 1990's

Dr. Mrs. GENEVIEVE ABA TAKUSI MAKIA (Nov. 5 2016)

PLEASE CLICK ON THIS PHOTO TO VIEW ALBUM!

SAID A FAMILY MEMBER WHO WAS PART OF THE "PLOT":

"This woman here is the rock in our family and such a blessing in the lives of so many others. I pray God meets you at all your points of need the way you have done for us. We love you and happy birthday."

"THE SURPRISE" as our Primary School Readers of the 60s and 70s had it!! LOL!

ARA NJENGE, (in blue top), is led out of her home BLINDFOLDED! I bet she must have thought, (at best), that she was getting a GOAT, similar to the one Mr. TAMFU in the Class 5? Reader had!!

Instead, she got a whole "MATOWA"!!!

GOD WIN!!

Video from Egbe Monjimbo from Egbe Monjimbo on Vimeo.

"THE SURPRISE" - NOVEMBER 10 2016 HOUSTON EDITION!

Class of 1982's RACHEL ARA NJENGE gets the Birthday Surprise of a Lifetime!

THE LONDON EXPERIENCE

It was the day after Palm Sunday - Monday, April 10 2017, to be precise, the beginning of the HOLY WEEK and a WORKING DAY in London. Yet, with just a couple of days notice, the SAKERETTE Ladies you see in the PHOTO ALBUM and VIDEO below, hopped on a series of trains and buses, AFTER A LONG DAY AT WORK and made it to HARLEY STREET where MA SAKERPRIDE and her CARAT DAUGHTER were the SPOILED ROTTEN, and threatening to CAM-NO-GO guests of ExSSA-LONDON's Mrs. ANNE YAKUM FONDUFE (Class of 1984) and her Gracious, Gentle and Generous CAT, CLEMENT N. FONDUFE!!!! And to think they (2 CARATS as well), came bearing WINE, CHOCOLATES, TRINKETS & "THINGZ", on top of the SMILES, FUN, LAUGHTER and just plain GOOD HEART!!!! And did I mention that one of the Ladies (The President of ExSSA-UK herself), had to catch a flight to Cameroon in just a few hours???

Does MA SAKERPRIDE feel extraordinarily HONORED, HUMBLED & BLESSED - WAY BEYOND MEASURE, or what?????

Ah glad soteeeeey, ma accent almost change (a la Madonna!!!) LOL!!! GOD BLESS YOU ALL, My Dear Sisters!!!

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW PHOTO ALBUM!

20170410_210920 from Egbe Monjimbo on Vimeo.

OUR BELOVED MA MUSOKO

(Erstwhile ENGLISH LANGUAGE TUTOR AT SBC)

TURNS A DIGNIFIED & JOYOUS 92

ODE TO HER HUSBAND & BEST FRIEND ON THEIR 23rd ANNIVERSARY

PART 2 (Friday Morning)

KICK OFF CEREMONY

PART 2 (Friday Morning)

KICK OFF CEREMONY

MORE PICTURES & VIDEOS OF CONVENTION POSTED FURTHER BELOW!!!

MORE PHOTOS & VIDEOS FROM 2014 CONVENTION

THE "RUBY" CLASS OF 2006 (New York City, July 20-22 2018)

THE CLASS OF 2009/2011 (Douala, July 21 2018)

THE "GOLDEN TEENS" OF 1982 (Boston, April 6-9 2018)

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW CAPTIONED PHOTO ALBUM!

"We hailed from different regions of the nation, had diversified personalities, grandiose dreams for the future which we hoped would be realized in a place we took as home for 7 years. It was on Wednesday September 8th 2004 that Saker Baptist College opened its gates to not just girls but the best their generation has witnessed. As we ascended the ladder of excellence we were joined at various stages by ladies with a similar vision for exceptionality. We imprinted excellence in the school's records scoring 100% at both Ordinary and Advanced level examinations distinctively.We stand distinguished among our peers as we reunited after 7 years in Douala from the 20th-22nd of July 2018 at Residence le progrès, Bonamoussadi. This was no ordinary event as we were guided by the theme "Keeping the Sisterhood alive".

Friday night full of praise,worship and exaltation took us down memory lane.Saturday was marked by sporting activities at parcour vita,singing of the school anthem graced the meeting proper, candle light dinner gave us a romantic atmosphere of sisterhood and finally garnished by girls night out at Bodega snack.

We were amazed at how fast and efficiently we had grown. A round table array of ladies with class, style and virtue.We were proud to have Medical Doctors,Accountants,Lawyers, Agro-economists,Entrepreneurs,Engineers and Jurists all merged in one place to reminisce that which made us filled with the priceless substance we exhibit in this era.

We delibrated on several projects to impact our alma mata and humanity as a whole.It's the commencement of greatness to flourish as we hope to stand as reference in our generation.We have common objectives but we are definitely not common ladies,we are SAKERETTES!. We set the pace and ignite the flame of sisterhood wherever we are. Wait for it, next annual reunion 2019 will be mind blowing.

#Blessedbeyondmeasure#EXSSA#04"

*Submitted to SakerPride by the Group's Elected President for the next 2 years, Dr. SOLANGE NGO BAMA*

PLEASE CLICK ON THIS PHOTO TO VIEW ALBUM OF GRADUATION & WEDDING!!

When I received the note below, I just had to put my PAN SESSE PLANTI down and do "SOMETHING" before the clock strikes MIDNIGHT on this Wednesday, August 16 2017, which marks the 23rd WEDDING ANNIVERSARY of MOLUA & DOLLY LAMBE!!! MBALE!!!!

" ... today, I have chosen to CELEBRATE HIM in poetry for who he has been, still is and will forever be to me and my family. If there is a section to add this commemorative tribute poem for my hubby to SP (or if you need material, which I am pretty sure, I can actually bet my life that there is never a LACK of SP Material), please be my guest...If not, that is okay too. Not to worry!!!

On the www, and a reputable site as SP, hopefully my great, great, great grand kids will be able to access this online long after I must be a distant memory or a branch on their family tree and part of their history.

Thanks again Sis!!!"

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, "COZ" & DOLLY!!! GOD BLESS YOUR UNION!!!

The U.S.- based RUBY graduating Class of 2006 tries to meet once every year and during their trip, they try to do some community work in the hosting city and interact with the homeless. This year, their Annual Reunion took place in New York City, from Friday, July 20th to Sunday, July 22nd 2018, and was attended by 7 Members of the class, with Ms Mandi Anyangwe as the hostess!

They look forward to having more of their close to 15 other classmates join them in next year's REUNION! WAY TO GO, LADIES!

L to R: Vanessa Orock, Delys Luma, Becky Tamufor, Lucy Mesue, Kellie Siewe, Ndolo Luma, Mandi Anyangwe

Below: LIMBE Chapter

Right: DOUALA Chapter

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW CAPTIONED PHOTO ALBUM!

CLASS REUNIONS ROCK!!!