Amongst the villages
situated around Mount Cameroon they share a common identity. These villages as
history tell it; their founder was a hunter who came from the Bomboko area behind
Mt. Cameroon. Never the less, Wonjia is a village in Buea who is a clear
testimony of this history. Wonjia village in the past was habited by the
children of Njia the founder of the village. It should be noted that over 99%
of the villages around Mount Cameroon, are named after their founders. In the
case, this has also been a mechanism to trace ancestral lineage and determine
owners of the throne.
Wonjia (the descendants
of Njia) village was founded by Njia Tama. He came from Bomboko; he was a
farmer, hunter and a good Palm Wine tapper. It is known that in the course of
his hunting expeditions, he found himself along the eastern banks of the Koke Streams
which happened to be blessed with games and fertile volcanic soil. He latter
settled here and called the place “Wonjia”
meaning the descendants of Njia.
In Wonjia village, he got married and gave
birth to three sons; Mine, Evella and Meonje. His three sons constituted the
ancestral fathers of the three patrimonial families of Wonjia. Their off springs are identified by their
ancestral fathers. The descendants of Mine or Wonya (family of) Mine are referred
to as Bwemini, those of Evella or Wonya Evella are also known as Bwevella and
those of Meonje are called Wonya Meonje. Like wise, the chieftaincy stool
rotates amongst the descendants of those three patrimonial families.
A few decades ago,
Wonjia village had been abandoned and deserted for over half a century for both
natural and supper natural causes like the enclave nature of the area and the
complete absence of basic facilities at the time. Following these short comings,
almost every one left the village but for the last village head before Chief
Njie Mandenge the present village head, Sango (Pa) Woloa Mokwa also known as “Atombi
Longe” who died instate, was the only individual who stayed behind until
his death.
Wonjia Village was
declared and considered as desolate and extinct. On the other hand, in a spirit
of consciousness and awakening, the children of Wonjia in unison decided to see
the rebirth of their ancestral place of origin. In that awareness, they
conveyed a general village meeting of all the sons and daughters of Wonjia on
Saturday, February 9th 2008. In that meeting a new leader was chosen
to lead the people back to their ancestral land. After some consultative talks
and the confirmation by the administration of the chief, the beginning of the
fulfillment of the dream was the new challenge.
Communal
Land: The Rebirth of Wonjia by Chief Njie Mandenge
The Wonja village of
late Sango “Atombi Longe” and the cradle of the Malley and Nganya Culture had
virtually disappeared Cameroon map and history. But today, barely after three
years ago when the operation “Home is Home” was launched thanks to the over 20 hectares
of CDC surrendered land that the government granted to the Wonjia community. With
this notion in mind, it took the present Chief Njie Mandenge and some of his
lineage and subjects of good will over three years considering the litigations,
challenges, and hurdles to recover the encroached habitable portion of Wonjia
village lands from intruders. According to Chief Njie Mandenge, the land of
their ancestors is and will remain communal lands. He affirms that the land
remain an inalienable right to the natives, a collective possession to hold and
sustain for the common good of the community.
With the censured and
proper management and distribution of the surrendered land, indigenes of the
Wonjia village taking the “home is home” slogan to rebuild, assist and promote
development actions in Wonjia village. Today, Wonjia has an accessible earth
road, electricity, pipe born water, a palm plantation which gives opportunity
for employment, just to list a few. His Royal Highness Njie Mandenge is
standing head high and proud of a collaborating population of over five hundred
persons with his village been a role model as other disappearing villages have
choose to seek his consent and follow the foot step of Wonjia (the descendant
of Njia).
Wonjia village is along
the eastern banks of the Koke Stream in the defunct Lysoka Customary Court Area
presently under the jurisdiction of the Muea Customary Court Area. Wonjia is
bounded on the North by Wokulu village, North – East by Upper Wonganjo village,
and South by Bolifamba village and South West by Wokaka village.
Source: Wonjia Village - Chief Njie Mandenge
(mtcameroonecotour@gmail.com / globalhand7@gmail.com)
* VISIT / DONATE AND CONTRIBUTE TO PROMOTE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
(mtcameroonecotour@gmail.com / globalhand7@gmail.com)
* VISIT / DONATE AND CONTRIBUTE TO PROMOTE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
