ORIGIN OF VILLAGES AROUND MOUNT CAMEROON

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 9^th 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