Kumba to host Maiden Southwest Cultural Festival

The City of Kumba has been given the privilege to host the maiden edition of the Southwest Cultural Festival. This revelation was made by Ngo Grace Ewang, the Regional Delegate of Culture for the Southwest Region during the Annual General Assembly of the Southwest Chiefs that took place recently in Kumba.

According to the Regional Delegate, the historic event will run from Saturday December 5 to Saturday December 12, 2015. The event which begins on Saturday the 5th with an opening ceremony, will have its formulaic closing on Saturday the 12th December. In between, there will be six days reserved for the six Divisions of the Region to showcase their cultures through traditional dances, traditional music, performances and cultural fashion parades among many other cultural activities.From these fashion parades will be selected the three best girls from whom a Miss Southwest will finally emerge.

Another highlight of the event will be touristic visits to cultural and historic sites in Meme with huge tourist potential. The Gala Night which will serve like the apotheoses of the event will be spiced by the giving of prizes to best participants in all categories as well as special prizes to some elites from the Region.

The Regional Delegate for Culture also used the occasion to propose a meaningful collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and Traditional Rulers of the Southwest Region. Efforts at cultural and infrastructural revival she said could only be realised if chiefs were taken as first priority partners. She called on all to cling to the traditional African way of relating to God and traditional way of bringing up young girls saying this was the only way for decency to return into the lives of our girls. She equally called on traditional rulers to build museums and Traditional Palaces in their palaces.

The President of the Southwest Chiefs Conference Nfon V. E. Mukete on his part said the reason for the assembly was to discuss the cultural, socio-economic and political issues as well as to consider a road map for the security situation in the country and the role to play in it.Harping on the important place occupied by traditional rulers he expressed the need for a practical way of introducing mechanised farming to farmers.He further stressed on the need to introduce traditional rulers in issues like the fight against malaria, environmental issues and maternal mortality issues related to delivery. He did not fail to highlight the need for a permanent solution to the endless chieftaincy problems in the Southwest Region.

Chief Tanyi Robinson, the Assistant Secretary General of Southwest Chiefs, the National President of Network for chiefs on Biodiversity and Conservation, the Secretary General of the Pan African Council of Monarchs and Kings of Africa summed the conference in the following words...."We've tried to recognise the problems of our communities and taking into focus the changing times. Cameroon is in a stage now that many things are being revisited. The forestry laws, land laws, the mining code and even the political landscape is being transformed so we want to take advantage of that and make our mark to be also at the forefront of the changes taking place. We should see that our people are not left behind and that we are on the negotiating table. Our communities should not just be a dump ground where investors go and make deals in Yaounde and then just come and impose it on us. We want it to be a tripartite arrangement between the state, the investor and the community where the investor is coming to operate. We are having this meeting against a backdrop of some sort of a power struggle with the frustrations of the lawyers wanting to make their voices heard on the political landscape. We thought we should take a position also on that because as chiefs we are the voices of the people and we feel the pinch where it is. We cannot be indifferent to the plights of our people. I think we came out strongly that the government should be able to look into the various demands that are coming up especially because they are rooted in law."

Also present were His Royal Highness Fon Tchafa of Bangolan in the Northwest Region of Cameroon in his capacity as the Secretary General of the National Council of Cameroon Traditional Rulers NCCTR representing the National President, Alim Garga Hatatou. The Secretary General at the Ministry of Culture was also present representing the Minister of Culture Ama Tutu Muna who supported the meeting with a million FCFA.

The almost hitch free event was coloured by a demonstration of the very rich tradition of the Region especially that of the Bakundus and the Bafaws considering the fact that they were the hosts.