2016, Bamumbu Cultural Festival pulls mammoth crowd to Wabane

     

The tenth edition of the Bamumbu Cultural Festival that ended on Saturday February 20 saw participants not only from the Southwest Region but from across Cameroon and out of the country. 

According to the organizers, this tenth edition attracted an unprecedented turn out and marks the beginning of a new era in the socio-cultural life of the Bamumbu people under the leadership of His Royal Majesty Fon Lekunze A. N. III, Paramount Fon of Bamumbu. 

A major highlight of the event was the organisation of a mini-agric show which demonstrated the fertile nature of the soils of Bamumbu. This part of the program was coordinated by the Sub Divisional Delegate of Agriculture for Wabane.

 In a colourful inspection tour, His Royal Majesty and entourage visited the demonstration grounds and was shown the farm produce of the hard working people of Bamumbu.

  The apotheoses of the annual rendezvous which was on Saturday February 20 began with a Cross country Marathon from the Palace at Nchingang to Banteng and back to the Palace. 

This animated event set the lively pace of the day which turned out to be a real demonstration of the beauty of Bamumbu Culture. A moving stream of beautifully dressed royalty lead by HRM Fon Lekunze .A.N III , accompanied by the necessary decorum that such a royal exit demands started the cultural festivities in a march of cultural demonstration that succeeded to show the beauty of Bamumbu people.

Mr Francis Leku, the National President of Bamumbu Development and Cultural Association BADECA said they come together in this annual festival which is known as Lemuh to meet and share and also be able to promote the culture. Hear him; “The aim is to conserve our culture and promote it among the younger generation.

 This will permit them to copy and do as our parents did. If we have a generation that comes up that masters our culture, it will help a lot in the development of the area and in self reliant development initiatives.

  There is no cultural development without a socio-economic development of the area. If somebody had visited this place 20 years ago and seen it today, it will be a completely different story. Some said only tunnels could be used here but today the roads are there. Our main Challenge is to make these roads permanent throughout the year. That’s why we are trying to build bridges in the area ourselves without waiting for the Government though we are expecting them to come in to support us. That’s what we have been doing for the past ten years.”

Francis Leku further explained that each year a specific project is earmarked to be carried out. He said this year there is the bridge and that they had also launched a special cooperative for the area to take care of the economic part of it.

He appealed to development partners stating that they were trying to do things at their own level but that their hands were not long enough to do everything that had to be done. “We think if they come to our aid, we will be able to move it forward. This needed support is not only in the form of building infrastructure but also the moral development of the society.” Francis Leku further expressed their joy in appreciation of what the American Embassy had done by providing some support for the bridge. He on behalf of BADECA thanked the Korean Agency for International Development for preparing a library of 20.000 books in the area. Some of these books he said, had been shared to schools in the area. “Madame Sok Kun Kyung who initiated the project some three years ago is here with us and came all the way from Korea to be part of this programme and to see those initiatives that she started. The Access Benefit Sharing Project ABS Project is equally contributing its own bit and I think things are moving forward.

 Ketu Israel, Lord Mayor of Wabane stated that his impressions were very positive explaining that they had been getting back to their roots so that the youths should copy what is left of the culture. Commenting on the red feather that was added on his cap by the Fon, he said he felt it was a result of hard work. The people of Wabane he said were appreciating his development strides. His Highness said I have been doing a lot and that it was good that I am encouraged so that I keep on improving. It is difficult for me to say everything but there are a couple of projects that we have realised with the Bamumbu Development and Cultural Association BADECA. The construction of three classrooms in GSS Fonenge in the North of Wabane and presently the Wabane Council has to chip in something for the construction of the bridge on the way to the Fon’s Palace. We have opened roads sometimes in partnership with BADECA. In Wabane Council you have what we call the Participatory Budgetary Approach where we realise projects in conjunction with the community.”  

HRM Nfor Robinson Tanyi of Tinto Mbuh in Manyu Division and Vice Secretary General of the Southwest Chief’s Conference described the occasion in glowing terms and said Fon Lekunze A.N. III  is reviving the culture of his people and that culture was what distinguishes one community from another or an individual from another. He further described the event as colourful and well organised adding that he was going home with a positive impression. Nfor Robinson Tanyi it should be recalled is also a Member of the National Association of the Traditional Rulers of Cameroon and the Secretary General of the Pan African Council of Traditional and Native Authorities with Head Quarters in Benin. Other Chiefs present who described the event in glowing terms were His Majesty Dr. Foze Adolf, Fon Nkemta Jerry of Bechati Village, Fon Folla Njuh, Fon Akum Ferdinand among many others.

Following the exceptional participation of Lebialem in general and Wabane Sub Division in particular at the maiden edition of the Southwest Cultural Festival in Kumba and prizes of best traditional dances that were won, the representative of the Southwest Regional Delegate of Arts and Culture awarded His Royal Majesty Fon Lekunze A.N. III a Certificate in recognition of his participation and contribution to the success of the event in Kumba.

Meantime, classmates of HRM Fon Lekunze at the Cameroon Institute of International Relations where he is a student also came in to support him during this year’s festival. Moussi Cabrel, one of these students expressed her impressions in the following manner; “We are really surprised because most of us have never participated at a festival like this one. It is true that we have some classmates who are from this region and as such know to an extent how these things are done but most of us have never seen anything like this. We are very happy to be here. As a Cameroonian I can identify with what I see here and this confirms the cultural richness of Cameroon. I am impressed by the landscape of Wabane. We are proud to be Cameroonians.” 

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Book Review: Stress and Conflict in Business

 By Esua Denis Fozong

 The central theme of this research study is focused on digging out the fundamental causes of stress and conflict in business. Several procedures were applied to carry out rigorous quantitative analysis. 

Dr. Esua Denis Fozong

Organisations can help reduce the overall effects of stress and conflict by developing and implementing prevention and intervention methods as well as employees management in order to cope with job stress and conflict.
Stress is a fact of everyday life. When people reach out for help, they are often dealing with circumstances, situations and stress in their lives that leave them feeling emotionally and physically overwhelmed.
Many people feel that they have very little resources or skills to deal with the high level of stress they are experiencing. The importance of this research is to provide information on stress and conflict, its effects on businesses and the most popular stress management and relaxation techniques that are being used today.
This research will be helpful for people who want to learn how to react to stress in a more constructive and proactive way.
Owning a farm or other business is much more than just a way to make a living; it is a way of life. Everyone involved in business knows there are occasionally some very stressful times. During business seasons or critical production periods, it is normal to be faced with time constraints and work pressures. If you are also faced with major financial issues, these pressures can be multiplied many times over.
Unfortunately, at times, these demands can put everyone involved in the business under a great deal of stress. With so many potential challenges (many of which are usually out of your control), Dr. Esua Denis Fozong found it important to identify practical ways of coping with these issues.
The purpose of this research is clearly to understand the principal causes of Stress and Conflict in Business today. It is in answering the following questions that the author makes us to better understand the whole thing.
– What is Stress and Conflict?
– What are the difference types of Stress and Conflict?
– What are the effects of Stress and Conflict in Business?
– How can we create a successful business?
– How can we avoid Stress and Conflict?
– How can we resolve Stress and Conflict using mediation and third party?
All these questions are answered in this research from chapters 2 to 5.
The term stress as it is currently used was coined by Hans Selye in 1936, who defined stress as the « non – specific response of the body to any demand for change ».
Any definition for stress should therefore also include good stress or what Selye called eustress. For example, winning a race or election can be just as stressful as losing.
Although we all talk about stress, it often isn’t clear what stress is really about. Many people consider stress to be something that happens to them, an event such as an injury or job loss. Others think that stress is what happens to our bodies, mind and behavior in response to an event.
While stress does involve events and our response to them, these are not the most important factors. Our thoughts about the situations in which we find ourselves are the critical factors.
When something happens to us, we automatically evaluate the situation mentally.
From another point of view, stress is caused by two things, primarily it is down to whether you think the situations around you are worthy of anxiety, and then it is down to how your body reacts to your though processes.
The instinctive stress response to unexpected events is known as fight and flight. Stress happens when we feel that we cannot cope with pressure, and this pressure comes in many shapes and forms, and trigger physiological responses. These changes are best described as the fight and flight response, a hard – wired reaction to perceived threat to our survival.
According to a survey carried out by the International Labor Organisation in 2013, forty percent of workers admit experiencing office stress and one quarter says work is the biggest stress in their lives.
The workers of International Organisations working in the field especially those in war and natural disaster zones have more stress than those working in offices.
Their stress causes include unhappiness with their jobs, having heavy workload or too many responsibilities, dealing with terrorist actions, working for long hours, having poor management, unclear expectations of their work, working under dangerous conditions and facing discrimination and harassment at work.
Life stress can also have a big impact, this include death of love ones, divorce, loss of job, increase in financial obligations, getting married, moving into a new home and chronic illnesses or injury, emotional problems such as depression, anxiety, anger, grief, guilt and low self-esteem, taking care of elderly and sick people traumatic event such as natural disaster, thief, rape or violence against them or a love one.
Sometimes stress comes from inside rather than outside. You can stress yourself out just by worrying about things; all of these can lead to stressor.
Signs of stress include: – headache, fatigue, difficulties in sleeping, and concentration, upset stomach and irritability. Long stress leads to depression, high blood pressure, abnormal heart beat, heart disease, heart attack, heartburn, weight gain and loss, change in sex drive and fertility problems.
Conflict and stress can prevent individuals from performing their best. Stress can be caused by a variety of factors and can lead to numerous consequences. Stress is a frequent cause of conflict, and conflict can increase stress. Conflict occurs whenever we interact. Conflict arises because individuals have different needs, interest and goals.
It can be a highly destructive force if left unchecked, and can lead to low productivity and morale. Conflict is a disagreement between two or more individuals, groups, or organizations. Conflict can be superficial or strong. It can be short – lived or can also exist for long periods of time.
Although conflict can be a major problem, certain kinds of conflicts can be beneficial. When a conflict is handled in a cordial and constructive manner, it serves a useful purpose. What constitutes the optimal level of conflict varies according to the situation and people involved.
Conflict is a naturally occurring phenomenon with both positive and negative effects depending on its management. It is a phenomenon inherent in all organizations, and arises from differences in their goals, needs, interests, attitudes, values and perceptions during the interaction of groups such as management and labor.
Essentially, organisations function as a means for internalising conflict, bringing them within a bounded structure so that they can be confronted and acted upon.
Fred Luthans (1995) has classified conflicts as intra -individual, intra-personal, intra-group, and organizational. Intra-individual conflict arises due to frustration and frustration arises due to incompatibility between the perceived goals and the actual achievements.
When individual employees encounter incongruous goals, they become aggressive and frustrated. Ultimately, they decide to either withdraw from the pursuit of their goals or fix themselves, realizing that nothing is going to be achieved. However, during the final stages of conflict resolution, individual employees may compromise.
Goal conflicts can also be categorized as approach-approach (cognitive dissonance), approach-avoidance (conflict between organizational goals and individual goals), and avoidance-avoidance (perceptive goal congruence). Also, role conflict and ambiguity are classified under intra-individual conflict. Role conflict and ambiguity mostly arise from cultural differences.
Inter-personal conflict arises due to personal differences, information deficiency, role incompatibility, and environmental stress. We resolve this type of conflict through negotiation. Inter-group conflict arises due to competition for resources, task interdependence, jurisdictional ambiguity, and status struggle.
In organizations, we adopt the following strategies to deal with inter-personal conflict: avoidance, diffusion, containment, and confrontation. Organizational conflict occurs mostly due to structural conflict, hierarchical conflict, functional conflict, line and staff conflict, and formal and informal conflict.
The statistics of war are so appalling that they raise a question everyone ought to ask: Are such level of suffering, imposes by human beings on each other, really necessary? Aren`t there better ways of managing and resolving the differences between people and groups of people, which brings about war and violent conflicts?
Conflict is a characteristic of human existence. It is part of the dynamic of life that drives us into the future. But it needs to be managed constructively. When associated with violence, destruction and killing, it is no longer a healthy part of living. Violence conflict solves few problems, creates many, and breeds more unhealthy conflict to come.
Conflict has characteristics of its own, and it is possible to analyses its structural and behavior. When conflict is understood, it`s easier to find ways to predict it, prevent it, transform it and resolve it. But this research is based on conflict in business and not conflict of war.
Therefore learning to manage conflict is integral to high-performance team. Although very few people go looking for conflict, more often than not, conflict results because of miscommunication between people with regard to their needs, ideas, beliefs, goals or values. Conflict management is the principle that all conflicts cannot necessarily be resolved, but learning how to manage conflicts can decrease the odds of nonproductive escalation. Conflict management involves acquiring skills related to conflict resolution, self-awareness about conflict modes, conflict communication skills, and establishing a structure for management of conflict in your environment.

  

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Meme CPDM joins call for Biya’s candidature at 2018 Presidential Elections

 Members of the CPDM, YCPDM and WCPDM in Meme Division comprising of Meme 1A, Meme 1 B, Meme 1C, Meme II, Meme III, Sections of the Southwest Region on the occasion of an enlarged session, holding in Kumba on Saturday February 6, 2016 endorsed the candidacy of President Paul Biya for the 2018 Presidential Elections.

Senator Otteh reading declaration of support

Advancing reasons for this move, they mentioned the tarring of the Kumba-Mbonge-Mundemba road, the fall outs Kumba will get from the Limbe Omnisport Stadium, the Decentralisation process in Cameroon and its advantages to local councils, the decreeing of salaries for Mayors and thus improving the livelihood of councils, the successful organisation of the 50^th Anniversary of the Reunification celebrations in Buea, the creation of HTTTC Kumba, tarring of the Kumba-Mamfe road, the appointment of many sons and daughters of the Division to key positions in Government, the consistent blocking of Boko Haram from causing instability in Cameroon and improving upon the financial situation of traditional rulers.

Victor Ngoh Nkelle and Chief JusticeBenjamin Itoe

 They resolved to remain committed to President Paul Biya and respectful to the institutions of the State. They promised to permanently give President Paul Biya their unflinching support in his greater achievement Policy for emergence in 2035. In this proclamation of His Excellency President Paul Biya as their Candidate for the 2018 Presidential Elections, Tabot Lawson Bakia, Mukwelle Isaac, Senator Otteh Andrew Mofa, Mayor Barrister Mossima George, as well as section President for Meme 1B were all signatories to this declaration.

SDO Meme, Tabot Lawson Bakia and a host of others

In a brush with the press during the event, Tabot Lawson Bakia, Section President of Meme 1A said “CPDM in Meme, Kumba 1,2,3, Konye and Mbonge are coming together as one to plebiscite the candidature of the Head of State as candidate for the next Presidential Elections. This decision has been made due to the achievements of the President.”

Eyabi Mokube Kingsley YCPDM Section President Konye, Meme III on his part declared; “what attracted me here today is the clarion call for us to endorse President Paul Biya’s candidature for the Presidential Elections. We the youths cannot be indifferent to it. We as such have to join our forces together as youths of Meme to see that President Paul Biya stands as the CPDM candidate in this upcoming Presidential Pools in 2018.” Quizzed on the sincerity of such a call considering realities on the ground, Eyabi Mokube Kingsley said ‘there are road projects going on which we think will disenclave our environment and we need someone like him who is foresighted.”

In the words of Justice Benjamin Itoe, Board Chairman of the Cameroon Development Corporation CDC,  “Meme Division constitutes a very vital component of this country and the clarion calls for the President to stand cannot be sufficient without a clarion call from Meme. We are making this clarion call because we are entirely very satisfied with the management of affairs by our President. That is why we have designated him today as one of our Generals for the coming battle in 2018. President Paul Biya has a very positive balance sheet for he has brought peace to this country.” Commenting on the need for change in Cameroon, the Chief Justice said “You change when there is need for change. When you are not satisfied, you change. We are a democratic country and President Paul Biya is encouraging a democratic culture in this country. There is the standardization of the Democratic culture so if in a democracy people think that they should change their leaders, they are free to do so but we of our party say that we are not changing our leaders.”

The Government Delegate to the Kumba City Council Victor Ngoh Nkelle said within a very short while, much had been achieved in Meme Division. He further said this was the first decision after the re-organisation of the Basic Organs of the party. “You realise that we had changes in the leadership of some of our sections in Meme Division. We had about a 75% renewal of Basic organs. We had changes in Mbonge, Kumba 1 and in Konye and it is this reorganization that I believe the head of State counted on that will give a new dynamism in the party. We are counting on this new breed to galvanise things forward so as to attain our goals under the leadership of President Paul Biya whose candidature we support here today.”

Senator Otteh said every party’s intention is to gain power and conserve it. “That is the aim of any Political Party. I don’t see any political party that will like to throw political power in the wind. Our Chairman is our candidate in the CPDM naturally for any elections. It’s not a mistake. We are just saying what the party wants is to support the President and remain in power and to steer Cameroon towards safer grounds.”  

This move comes after a similar series of clarion calls that have taken place around the country calling for President Paul Biya to stand as a candidate for the CPDM in the 2018 Presidential elections. Observers have however noted that this call is spearheaded by the elite members of the ruling CPDM party and is not necessarily the political opinion of all members of the party.  

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Dr. Dewah’s Receives New Year wishes: Says he’s in Traditional Practice and not modern medicine

Dr. Dewah, the proprietor of Dr.Dewah and Bros Modern Traditional Clinic International has received the 2016 New Year wishes from his workers, collaborators and Family members.

 This annual event took place on Saturday February 13 at his Balikumbat Palace in the Northwest Region. The Doctor used the event which was for the reception of the 2016 New Year wishes to clarify issues related to the nature of his practice. 

Dr. Dewah and Wife

He insisted that his domain was traditional practice and not modern medicine as some quarters had come to believe. He equally used the occasion to state that his medicines were tested by IMPM, a research centre under the supervision of The Ministry of Scientific Research in Yaounde for toxicity test. All the 19 different medicines that were submitted were tested non- toxic.

Dr. Dewah and workers

In his keynote speech on the occasion, he recalled that at this time of the year, it was usual for people who made it to the new year to be happy and thank God for the gift of a New Year. He thanked the massive turn out describing it as a sign of love and hope that his guests had for him.

He said this event was coming in the wake of a New Year Message from him in which he evaluated the events that took place around the world and in Cameroon in 2015. In this message, he did mention threats of peace by terrorist groups around the world that have claimed the lives of so many people and said no one could remain indifferent in the face of such challenges.

Referring to his New Year Message he said they were subjected to high taxes and that the prohibition of communication to the population by the National

Communication Council was playing negatively to the growth of his activities. He said he could only promise a good future for their activities in meeting the health needs of Cameroonians should these blockages be uplifted.

Keynote speech

 He extended his heartfelt New Year Wishes to their Royal Majesties,the Fons of Balikumbat, Baligashu, Baligansin, Bafanji and Bamunkumbit as well as the entire people of these villages especially those who were present.

In a press briefing that rounded up the occasion, Dr. Dewah summed it up in the following manner: “At the end of it all, we were very successful in 2015 especially towards the end of the year. We succeeded to get our products to be analysed by IMPM, a Scientific Research Centre of the State on Medicinal Plants which declared our products non-toxic. That is a big step taken which rekindles confidence in what I am doing. I never doubted my products because I have been in this activity for almost forty years. I have confidence in the products that I give the sick. Our services are not like some simple shops or pharmacies. People therefore don’t come to us to buy medicine.

 People come to us to be cured and this is simply what we are doing and I am truly proud of it. I am also pleased to have you around me especially as you are of the Fourth Estate. 

Anybody who has nothing to hide is always with the media. I invite you to always give the true image of me. Do not raise me to the status of an elephant when I am not and do not also do the contrary. If I am an elephant then call me one. This will help public authorities who do not understand what I am doing to do so? Sometimes they present our products as modern medicines that are sold in Pharmacies. They as such accuse me of things that I am not guilty of as if I were running a Pharmacy. I am a Traditional Practitioner taking care of people’s health. I call on Traditional Medicine to be regulated. This is proving difficult because the other practitioners are growing in the disorder that now reigns in the practice and are not interested in regulating the sector.”

 Beginning with workers who came in from Yaounde, Douala, Kumba, Bafoussam Bamenda and other parts of the country, his collaborators trooped in to give him New Year Wishes. Noticeable amongst these were journalist from across the country who came in their numbers to give the Doctor and his family New Year wishes at his Balikumbat Palace. Speaking on behalf of the journalists of English expression who attended the occasion, Ninpa Francis of Radio Hot Cocoa, an FM Station in Bamenda extended best wishes to Dr. Dewa and promised to truthfully inform the public about activities of Traditional Practitioners especially those of Dr. Dewah. The occasion was graced by colourful traditional dancing.  

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