To Kill A Mocking Fon

By Azore Opio

The fondom of Kedjom-Keku has tasted blood. The murder of Fon Simon Vugah II was shocking, grisly, and an 'act of barbarianism,' thus, many people think. But, perhaps, it was justified violence. The murder of this Fon, and the destruction of property, which accompanied it, made national headlines, and was quite bad for the image of the Babanki people.

It has caused many to wonder about the stability of that tribe in general. But what if recourse to killing was the only way out of a despotic reign?

Some people think there was no justification for "this gross violation of human right (murder)." They are saying the Northwest people are not civilised; that they are barbaric; that they need to preserve the African culture but not by murdering people. To some, it was an outrageous crime against the human rights of Fon Vugah.

Question: What of the rights of those whose lands Vugah purportedly sold? Wasn't he sentencing their owners to slow death? One school of thought admits that this is really an amazing story, but contends Fon Vugah was a disgrace - a Fon merchandising the traditional artefacts of his people, with disregard for their livelihood.

Others yet, are saying the times for jungle law and vigilante justice have long gone. But others are saying this jungle justice could be applied "to bring down the present Etoudi regime then we can have peace and change in that country," and such rulers as Fon Doh Gah of Balikumbat and the lamido who killed a parliamentarian in this country and went scot-free, must be prevented at all costs.

Question: Who is right to kill: the rulers or the citizens who are being terrorised by the rulers on daily basis? To them, Vugah's tragic expiration should serve as an "awakening and a reality check" for the other Fons.

Justified Lynching

The entire Kejdom-Keku crisis falls entirely within the realm of responsibility of the nation called Kedjom-Keku. There would be no need for other people and the government of Cameroon to overly concern themselves with the internal conflicts of Kedjom-Keku, any more than Kedjom-Keku currently concerns itself with the current internal conflict in Ivory Coast, for example.

The fondom is a highly organised self-governing institution, whose democratic principles have been successfully adopted by modern nations with America being the best living example. The fondoms function on the premises of their superior court procedures and independent powers untrammelled by dictatorial influences of tyrants.

In the Northwest particularly, the traditional courts operating on a unique unwritten code, extend their jurisdiction not only over a wide range of matters including marriage, divorce, adultery, defamation of character, testamentary disposition, breaches of contract, but also the moral offence of perjury and the demeanour of the Fon.

The Fon is not exempted from the process of criminal law. The Fon or the poor ragamuffin citizen face the same laws - the traditional courts claim the exclusive right to try and punish both parties equally. The traditional courts not only rely on the death sentence for the transgressing Fon, but also on penance and spiritual penalties, or in the second to the last resort; dethroning, in which case he still remains a free man (Fon Vugah enjoyed this alternative). I stand corrected if I am mistaken.

In killing their Fon, the Babanki people, one would say, were merely seeking to restore order, sanity and guaranteeing their livelihoods. Kedjom-Keku is not a confused and savage community, as many people would like to perceive, it is rather an exquisitely organised society of humans who understand the concept of government and citizenry rights.

Neither have the Babanki committed more blunders than the Cameroon government, for example; but being free to criticise their leader according to their collective conscience, they have shown themselves as a people more sensible to their errors, and rights. They understand, even in a small compass, the essential things a people want to know to understand their nation. They are not like the rest of Cameroonians who clap for their leaders when they err. Not in Babanki.

What the Babanki did to their ex-Fon was a simple matter of human liberty, which most 'educated' Cameroonians don't seem to understand - it is a Babanki national opinion - hard to define but easy to feel. It is based on the love for liberty and open speaking. It is fostered by a common subordination to the respect of the law: at it is core lies a strong belief in justice; fair dealing between ruler and subject, of a working balance in keeping with divine law and human conscience.

"Take away justice and what are kingdoms but dens of thieves" (St. Augustine). What do you think of the Cameroon government - a just government or a den of thieves? The Babanki people felt this to their bones.

And with it went practical sense derived from a customary law long administered among themselves of how justice could be ensured. It is useful to keep in mind that the foremost concern of a traditional African chief, fon or king was the preservation of his tribe and the protection of the interests of all his tribesmen as individuals.

He was an umpire, not an autocrat. In the case of a conduct weighed and considered abominable, as in Fon Vugah's case, the people removed the despotic chief long before they needed to consider rebellion.

This was usual in African traditional political institutions. "The African chief was held accountable for his actions at all times. Errant chiefs were punished. "When it became evident that the tribe was discontented and not likely to tolerate… oppression much longer, the fathers of the tribe would hold a great pitso and in the presence of the tribe denounce the chief for his wrong doings, and intimate that some other member of the royal household had been elected to act in his stead (Ayittey, 1992, pg 47).

"A chief so deposed would be murdered if he remained to contest the position… (Oliver in Ayittey, sic). The Fanti and the Akan of Ghana were noted for this practice. In all this, the chief was always given a chance to appeal against the dethronement verdict. Now, for a people who love soil and the tending of it for a living, the Babanki felt it was an abomination to desecrate their land.

If the Babanki wish to slaughter their Fons, if they find it the only sure way of discouraging them from tyrannical rule, whether it is over a royal stool or a piece of land, then they should be free to do so in their own country, and keep their nonsense to themselves. This observation, however, must not be taken for a certificate of death.

Fon Vugah seemed to have transgressed the boundaries of the natural rights of his people. As a spiritual repository of the collective soul of the Babanki people, he had allowed evil to intrude. He was, therefore, considered as not a fit guardian of the right and natural. Nonetheless, the Babanki people are still entitled to their respect and pride.

It is hoped that the days will come when Africans will catch their despotic leaders and behead them for the sake of peace, stability and prosperity. A taste of such treatment will probably stir African leaders into action and respect for human rights.

Comments

[Willie]

Chiefdoms or fondoms were well organised and act as independent bodies before independence. Each chief/ fon was accountable for his subordinators and with established rules that were strictly abided to. Looking at some of those rules now our days however, seem unthinkable like bury the chindas alive with the fon, slahing fingers of thieves, hammering a 6 inch nail on the head of criminals etc. Fons then, duelled in the palace, not in some urban city far away from his people and chasing young girl around. The truth is, the power of many chieftaincies has declined and almost extinct and we could only watch with admiration as part of the preservation of the African culture for them to act as figure heads. The Banbaki people act as acted as a matter of simple liberty, then question; should every fondoms bit the devil out of every fon to death as an act of liberty? What happened to the Banbaki people can be found in many fondoms today. What law should citizens obey? The law of the village or the state law?

[Njei Moses Timah]

I may not understand the details of what transpired but I certainly believe that the Babanki people must have been subjected to extreme provocation before they took such a drastic action on their deposed Fon. Unfortunately for Cameroon, we are likely to see more of such actions in the future as people continue to lose faith in the country's justice and administrative system. If people of a locality overwhelminly decide to depose their ruler, it is the duty and obligation of higher adminstrative and judicial authorities to ensure that such a decision is upheld.
That's the only way to avoid incidents like this.
Njei M Timah
http://njeitimah-outlook.com

[Joshi Mobs]

Hi Mr. Azore
I admire your interlect to turn homicide into justifiable killing going as far as quoting literary works and history.It makes me wounder what type of knowledge you are giving to our young generation.Please remember nobody has the right to kill.If for any reason the Big babanki people carried out a revolution against their traditional authority it would have been view in a different pespective. Please may be i do not understand the culture of the people of big babanki usually if a fon dies or is temporally incapacitated his son takes over. what happen to the son of the late fon that it was his brother that was made the chief? Is that not depriving his son from his nature right. Can this not set a precedent for future conflict in the near future.It will be for the interest of the present fon to resign from the chieftency to protect his job with the international community Because this babaric incident will hurt and might cause his job.The fight for justice and respect for human right has just started. Let me remind the Babanki people seizing power from the late fon can be tolerated but taking away his life in a brutal and savage
maner gonna hurt the people of Babanki where ever the go. The people of Babanki should accept that they made a mistake and apologise or wait and see

[Mbu]

To you Joshi Mobs.What do you know that you are talking that far about Babanki people.Shut your mouth and go to hell.If you like kill yourself to meet the person you called the former fon of babanki.Nonse man.Listen if you lack what to say stay quiet.What do you know about Babanki.Idiot

[Kamga]

Do we have any Proof that the late Fon sold Land illegally or destroyed Village Property?
Had any of the Village Elders or the Nkwifon tried to talk ti the Fon before about this if they were sure he did it?

[daniéla]

They should obey the state law , Willy. Such barbaric behaviours should be banned from our modern societies.

[Ngwa]

Well, all I know is that some rituals must be performed before the people of this village will ever be free from this abomination that they comitted. Tradition and politics are two different things and are by no means comparable.

[afumbom]

Kamga, i think ur eyes face backwards,asking for evidence to proved whether the fon sold the land,what are u reading in the news everyday?,u look like somebody who is going to say,biya doing nothing wrong,u think the Banbanki people are fools to beat their fon to dead with no reason?u better get ur ass off the computer if u cann't see.

[Delly]

Ngwa, dont worry if it is indeed an abomination that the people committed by killing their Fon, their punishment will come. The Fon was already punished for his own abomination; taking land(livelyhood) from peasant villagers, selling out treasured artifacts etc!

[Ma Mary]

BARBARISM & CIVILIZATION
The horrible event at Babanki has many lessons. I am concerned that the proper lessons are not being learned and it will undoubtedly happen again on a larger scale. People use terms like civilization, law and justice without context. Cameroun in 2006 is a land without law and without justice except for the rich and powerful. The poor and dispossessed are locked up in a tight space with few or no options. I do not think any of the comfortable people with air conditioned rooms and access to computers here has any right to lecture the people of Babanki about being civilized. Read the whole sorry tale, Kamga and stop being a lazy dumbass frog. You cannot even begin to walk in their shoes. NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE is not an empty slogan. It is compressed truth. It is history in 4 words. History is an open book; somehow human beings are too indisciplined to learn from it hence they are doomed to keep repeating it.

You can only create a civilized society when the least of us has an opportunity for justice, otherwise we are just sitting on a ticking time bomb. Danpollo and others are rapidly alienating huge tracts of lands from poor Southern Cameroonians through the agency of compromised traditional rulers and the complicity of the COG and the COF and a low cost Southern Cameroonian elite. This cannot stand. The greed of LRC honchos will rapidly accomplish what a decade of SCNC advocacy has not yet done. But the asshats will not learn; they will heedlessly continue until a fork in the road is reached. At that fork, they will either apply the French solution, extermination of all African vermin or they will themselves disappear into premature graves or into exile a la Baby Doc ou Bokassa, driving Bentleys in Nice and Cannes until their stolen wealth runs out into the coffers of Chanel and Hermes and the French tax man. That is the fate of dictators and pillagers no longer useful to the enterprise of franceafrique

Look at this picture, what the civilized people of Italy did to Mussolini's body after he was overthrown. There are many examples, but research for them yourself. When people rise against tyrants, they do awful things. The question is do the abusers of power learn and prevent these kinds of outcomes? Always rather stylish, the French started massive use of this neat piece of barbarism.

What is the calculation? How long will it be before Southern Cameroonians rise up against strangers nilly willy expropriating vast tracts of their land and then oppressing them? Like here or like here?

I disagree with Azore Opio on one point. La Republique's Occupation government cannot ignore the murder and let the perpetrators go scot free but its hands are dirty, having started this course of events by turning traditional rulers against their people as a matter of government policy. Fun is I do not think the frogs understand what I am talking about here. They are completely are conditioned to mistrust any kind of autonomy, so institutions that are best left alone shrink into nothingness or morph into parodies of their original selves leaving their people dispossessed and enraged. The fingers of the COG must always be in your soup, because like some dense schoolyard bully, they must always have the meat. Be careful, asshat, your finger is about to be chewed off.

I must share this picture with you which illustrates the frog situation. Frog is oblivious to the pot boiling around him and is still trying to eat Southern Cameroonian goodies with his long and sticky langa tongue.

[Joshi Mobs]

Hi Mr.Mbu
Please do not take emotion in to and interlectual discussion thus exposing your stupidity to the international community.This dialogue page is reserve for constructive criticism not primitive and emotional jagons.
The reality is that the new fon will never be recognise by any given authority in the world and Big Babanki will loose future tourist.
Also if the new fon would have refused the position as fon of Big Babanki the late fon will still be alife today.The fact that he was still alive he remain a threat to the present fon, that is one of the reason why he was kill.
It will be for the interest of the present fon to resign before the whole truth comes out. Presently a movie based on this tragedy is in the preparatoy phase. Please before you start writing stupid comments wait for the reality to come out.
Meanwhile the present so call fon should be ready, six human rights groups are preparing a civil law suite against him and the Big Babanki people. They should be ready to sell their properties to settle the case and should start looking for lawers to defend them.
Just a point of thought Has any political party or leader support the kill of the late Fon? If the answer is none Then the Big Babanki people are alone in this.
Time will tell.

[Hosia (Shandong-China)]

Mr.Joshi Mobs and detractors,

You seem to be living in a dream world. Far from condoning the killing of a human being, I must remind you that you're struggling to sustain a lame argument on this matter where reality had already prevailed.

The outsider that you are may never understand the magnitude of what pushed the Kedjom Keku people to extinguish the life of one who'd terrorised and dispossessed them of their very source of existence for more than 25years.If there was any law in Cameroon, then the government would have forestalled the commission of this ''crime''. Unfortunately, Cameroon is a lawless society. Needless to say that this was the resultant of the administration's intransigence in the face of a thousand and one complaints lodged by the Kedjom people over the past 15years. So they did justice to get rid of a canker worm that'd eaten too deep.

I'm glad that seasoned scholars like Ma Mary, Azore Opio, Dr, A.A.Agbormbai, Neba Fuh etc have advanced very cogent arguments on this matter with a lot of historical precedence. So if we fail to learn from History which is a corrective supplement, then the same events will take place, even in immeasurable proportions.A stitch in time saves nine.

The Kedjom man was in the face of a fait accomplit with only Hobson's choice.

As for the recognition or non-recognition of the present Fon,I'd like to know in whose voice you're speaking when you sound so categorical as if sent by Emperor Paul Biya to inform us the Kedjom keku people.

Get this clear down your rusty brain; Kedjom Keku is a well organised society and before the death of the tyrant, full allegiance was already being paid to the new Fon and whether the administration recognises him or not is of no consequence
now.

Also get this right; if you've been sent by Popol, tell him that any attempt to impose a fon on this peaceful community of people will stir nothing more than violence. Nobody toils with the people's will and goes scot-free.Sooner or later, retribution must come knocking. Good warning to Popol and his cohorts.

At long last peace can reign in Kedjom keku.

[Mbu]

Hello Mama Mary.Think well before you write.I think we are here to write the truth and only the truth.What do you know about tradition.Do you think the crowning the new Fon of Babanki was his desire.That is done by the Quifon.You also is claiming to know law.Oh my God,What do you know about Law.You are really writing nonsense my dear.Let no tourist come to Babanki,let the Government not recognise the New Fon but do you know what.The people of Babanki will now live a happy life with their New Fon without those nonsense points you where bringing.I think you where connected to the evils of the former fon of babanki just from your writen words.If you like go to hell and meet him there.

[Hosia (Shandong-China)]

Hi Mbu,

I have the impression that your bullets are misguided. Even so, it is strongly advised that you tame your tongue or you may be exhibiting ignorance of the highest order and consequently ridiculing yourself.Don't have an egg-shell brain my brother.

I think this forum is for brainstorming and not for settling any ''scores''.

As a son of that soil, I've hailed all those who found the slightest justification leading to the Kedjom keku incident and Ma Mary is one with very incisive analysis which you failed to grasp.

I hope that you wear your right head on your shoulders next time in order to give room to reason and not insults.

Njiekebeng Ghogah (Fah nteh Kenkung)

[Yusimbom]

Joshi,
Why talk like you alone know what Human Rights Organisations do. Victims of tyrants and armed robbers do not have rights. Only these killers have rights when their victims rise against them. Recognition is not what the people of Banbanki want. They want their rights respected and the prospects of harmony within their fondom. Let me tell you something. The Fon in the North West is a sacred institution. That is why the Fon never dies. If a people should rise against their Fon, then, he must have acted beyond bounds. Tell me, he was on exile in Mankon, what made him to leave? I believe that his death is only linked to the famous saying that "the evil that men do lives after them."

[JB Samba]

Hello Mbu,

As Hosia has observed, your bullets are definitely misguided and ill-advised.

How can you be castigating someone because of H(is/er) comment and at the same time writing along the same line as the person.

If you didn't understand Ma Mary's comment, go back and look at it again. It is the most insightful piece on this Babanki issue well presented with illustrations (open the hyperlinks) that are glaring.

Thumbs up Ma Mary

[kamga]

Mr Ngwa, my eyes are not looking backwards. I am a babanki man and spent some weeks in Babanki 2003/2004/2005 when i was home. What i gathered from the people were all rumors. I didn't see anybody who claimed publicly his land was seized. Why keep it secred only to wait for things to escalate and kill the Fon?

[新药转让]

very nice.