Of recent the carting away of artifacts from Bamenda to the Natinal Museum in Yaounde has been making headline news in some
newspapers. The reactions from diverse quarters have been mixed. While
the traditional authorities of the NW especially NOWEFU purportedly
received the news with a lot of apprehensions and hell, some people
saw nothing wrong in the displacement of the artifacts from Bamenda
to Yaounde. The bottom line in the whole saga is that many people are
impolitely emotional in apportioning blames and have been blinded by
bigotry.
Enter the Government Delegate
The problem of the Bamenda [provincial] museum is a protracted one which
started as far back as 2008 when the Government Delegate to the Bamenda
Urban council (BUC) as it was called then decided to seal the door of
the museum located at the annex Hall of the then British Council Information
centre for reasons best known to him. According a letter dated 27 October
2008; all attempts to let him open the doors for the museum by the [provincial]
Delegate for Culture failed and the artifacts were moldering. The then
Delegate of Culture, one Mr. Johnson Sone then beseeched authorities
for the artifacts which were already in danger of disintegration to
be maintained in the Hall Pending the completion to the structure of
the provincial Delegation of Culture up station. This yielded no fruits
and the artifacts estimated between 4000 and 6000 were packed in a disheveled
room at the premises of the former museum behind the grand stand.
During the last visit of the Head of State President Paul Biya to the
region, the Government Delegate to the Bamenda City Council (BCC) ordered
the transfer of the artifacts from the premises to the Regional Delegation
of Culture where the artifacts were forsaken in yet another unkempt
room unattended to. At this moment it was clear that there was no space
for the artifacts in the town, and some of the artifacts were not only
being destroyed; some were being carted away by some individual.
Enter Minister Ama Tutu Muna
The minister of Culture, Her Excellency Ama Tutu Muna earlier on in
a letter dated 29th November 2010
asked the Regional Delegate to seek the arbitration of the Governor
of the Region in whatever procedure so that a lasting solution concerning
the Bamenda Regional Museum could be found. According to the letter,
the minister requested consultations between the Delegate for Urban
Development and Housing, the Government Delegate to the Bamenda city
Council and the Governor for concrete suggestions to be forwarded to
his ministry for prompt action, yet nothing came out of it.
The Minister having been informed again about the precarious situation
of such important relics and taking into consideration the importance
of such artifacts to the North Westerner, wrote a letter dated 20th January 2011 directly
to the Governor of the North West Region requesting for a permanent
and convenient premises where the collection can be displayed for public
enjoyment and research. Her request seemingly did not yield any fruits
and the artifacts remained unsafe.
In this regard, the minister once more sent a fact finding and assessment
team headed by Lukong Nee Tomla Ernestine to Bamenda whose report was
sent to her on the 11th of May 2011 indicating
that the artifacts were “a deplorable sight” and “urgent measure
needed to salvage the situation.”
The minister then proceeded and sent an inspection team to the North
West region. Their mission was to make a financial audit, evaluate performance
and possible assistance to the delegation Art and Culture. The report
of the team was not a good one. According to the reported dated 24th October 2013,
there was laxity, indiscipline and lack of initiative on the part of
workers at the regional delegation. The Regional Delegate admitted failure
in the report stating that “she is unable to discipline her staff
because they have the tendency of imitating what others in different
services are doing.” None of the staff cares about mere dustingvof
the artifacts dumped in a room. The Delegation itself lacked any plan
of action and the Delegate was surprised when she was asked to provide
certain documents to the inspection team.
What is worth noting is the fact that the minister since this crisis
started has been on it up to date. Just last May 26th, 2014 funds were
sent from Yaounde for the commission that ought to sit and attribute
land for the construction of a befitting museum in the region. More
so, of recent minister Ama Tutu Muna in order to preserve artifacts
where ever they are originally found and well taken care of brought
back to Babungo an artifact that represented the history of the people.
This artifact was stolen and brought to Yaoundé where it has been for
some time. Ama Tutu decided to take it back to its origin at Babungo
palace because she was assured that the Babungo Museum is well taken
care of with support from the Greek.
The “carting away” of artifacts from the North West regional “Museum”
was therefore a measure to preserve the artifacts pending the construction
of a good Museum in the region. The fact that all the artifacts were
well identified and given numbers was an indication that the measure
was temporal aimed at rescuing the region’s important heritage.
The letter dated 16th May 2014 asking
for the transfer of the artifacts from Bamenda to Yaounde states clearly
that while waiting for the construction of a museum, whose architectural
studies are included in the Public Investment Budget (PIB) 2014, the
artifacts should be taken to Yaounde for proper care and preservation.
This transfer, the letter continues, is a temporal measure aimed at
preserving national patrimony.
It is also worth nothing that the Regional Delegate of Arts and Culture
in a confidential letter written on the 1st of October, 2013
indicates that she had hitherto proposed to the Minister that these
artifacts be transferred to Yaounde for better preservation. According
to the letter, the transfer option was received in the region with a
lot of bitterness when some people heard of it. Though the artifacts
were deteriorating and some being stolen by one retired lady (name withheld)
who still had access to the room where the artifacts were abandoned
many people thought that something else could be done. The minister
of Arts and Culture basically respected her proposals to see that the
artifacts were better preserved in Yaoundé since some were even being
stolen, while a lasting solution was being sought.
Enter the Fons of the NW Region
According to reports in the newspapers, the transfer of artifacts from
the Bamenda to Yaoundé, the FONs consider the act an abomination liable
to be punishment by traditional edicts. The reaction of NOWEFU according
to the paper has been violent with threats and ultimatums to the ministry
of culture. They have given little room for reasoning and have failed
to find out why and when a museum would be constructed inbthe region
so that the artifacts are brought back. The question many are
asking is whether the Fons did not know that the artifacts were in dire
need of care and that some were being carted away by individuals. Could
the Fons not have provide room for the artifacts if they did cherished
them so much, at their Secretariat in Nkwen? How many times did these
Custodians of tradition complain to the Minister who doubles as their
“Mafor” to seek a lasting solution to the problems? NOWEFU seems
to have misgiving in the words of the government represented by the
Minister of Arts and Culture and behaved as if Yaoundé was in a foreign
Country. They have failed to understand that their Mafor was acting
out of love for the region and the culture of the people of which she
is part. It was in an attempt to rescue the artifacts while waiting
on government to allocate funds for the construction of a better museum
in the region.
Affair a suivre
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