Re-Crafting The Noni Narrative
“I Pledge To Work Hand in Hand With Traditional Leaders And Elite In Noni”
- Nfon Nkwantè
In a maiden Interview with Nfon Nkwantè Noni,
Dr. Nfii Kangong Ndikintum after he
was knighted the new Ambassador for Noni has declared that he will be fully
committed and will work hand-in-hand with all traditional leaders and elite of
Noni. In this interview with Noni Herald, Nfon Nkwantè Noni takes out
time to define his duties and unambiguously gives meaning to the Nfon
Nkwantè initiative. He was interviewed by Francis Ekongang Nzante
Excerpts
Greetings Nfon Nkwantè. Who exactly is Dr. Nfii Ndikintum?
………
I was blessed with
outstanding, upright, loving and caring parents: Shey Chrysanthus Ndikintum and
Ekunda Dorothee, both of blessed memory. I am married and have three children.
I hold a PhD in Statistics and a Masters in Business Administration from the
University of Cincinnati, OH, USA. I was knighted as Shey Ngenfwe in 2004. Yes,
I am a veteran in this circle.
……….
………..
My father, CBK Ndikintum was a pioneer member of NSHII Noni in Yaounde and the meetings held at our house every month. As I reminisce, I fondly remember my various uncles and aunties from Noni coming to the house, eating fufu, njama-njama and kati-kati and concluding all the meetings with Njang. There was great camaraderie and unity and it was marvelous to see. The children also got together and celebrated each other’s birthdays. We were one big family and I did not even know that Noni was a tribe. My understanding was that we were from the same village, Noni. As I grew up, I surprisingly came to understand that there are officially six villages in Noni and that my father was from Djottin. Although this is abundantly clear to me, I still consider Noni as my village.
Yes, my naïve impression that Noni was one village changed as I embraced the fact that we speak the same language, share the same culture but have different villages in Noni.
………..
Considering your Educational
background and your globe trotting nature
which have all contributed to your global
exposure, many are pleasantly surprised that
you are closely attached to your culture
and Homeland. What is the source of
this strong attachment?
…………..
Shey Chrysanthus Ndikintum and my beloved
mother, Ekunda Dorothee who though not from Noni embraced the Noni person
wholeheartedly and thought us to do the same even after she lost her husband at
her tender age of 38 years. She continued to make the pilgrimage to Djottin and
was ever present in all activities where her husband was expected. She thought
and encouraged me to do the same. I remember my mother beaming with joy and
pride when I was knighted as Shey Ngenfwè in 2004 and from that day
until she died in 2021 she called me Shey. My father ensured when we
were growing up that we spent our third term holidays in Djottin. In fact, he
sent me to complete my class 7 in Djottin. His foresight was second to none. I
wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.
……………
Many people are confused
about the leadership role of Nfon
Nkwantè and the leadership roles of
the various Nfons in Noni. What
exactly are the functions or duties of
Nfon Nkwantè?
……………
This is a great
question. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to clear the air. Let me begin
by saying vehemently that I am NOT a traditional Nfon with
responsibilities for a palace. There’s only one family in Djottin that is
entitled to the traditional title of Nfon and I am not from that Royal Family.
To be clear, I am NOT the third Nfon of Djottin. No, I am NOT the
eleventh Nfon of Noni, I am NOT!
Our traditional Nfons have palaces, they are enthroned by the kwifon and anointed for the occasion, they perform rituals and libations that are incumbent on them and are immortal in the sense that they get missing (disappear). Nfon Nkwantè is an honorary title and in this capacity, I do not have a palace. I was not enthroned by the kwifon but was knighted by a Nfon and absent of any anointing. I have no rituals to perform and I am definitely mortal and will die (not disappear) when my time comes. I clap to the Nfons and pay allegiance to all the traditional authorities such as the Bibais and other Bofahs.
The title of Nfon
Nkwantè is not completely novel. There is precedence, as some will
recall that Zac Yungsi of blessed memory, was Nfon Nkwantè. His
title did not confer on him the authority and powers of a Nfon. Neither
does my title confer the same on me. The differentiating aspects, novel
dimension of the Nfon Nkwantè honorary title today is the scope
of responsibility ascribed to the holder of this title. I will lean heavily on
the wisdom of Shey Nkene Ndinayi Thomas Tata-Gwei, the emissary of the kwifon
to further answer your question. He eloquently clarified the notion of Nfon
Nkwantè as proposed by the traditional powers of Djottin as follows: “1) it is motivated by
the wish to provide an informed leadership among Kedjottin outside
Djottin; 2) geared towards giving our Nfons a global voice to speak on
their behalf, everywhere, outside Djottin, where need be. This means the holder
of such a position has the authority of the Nfons to represent them
everywhere outside Djottin; and 3) it flows from the preceding, that the holder
of this position exerts ambassadorial prerogatives for the people of Djottin,
which entails negotiations for mutual cooperation benefits with the world
outside Djottin.”
Shey Nkene concludes in his piece titled THE BUSH ON FIRE!!! that this initiative has no conflict with, nor modifications to, the traditional setting back in Djottin, nor one with the traditional mission of the Djottin Area Development Authority DADA. He called on all KeDjottin to welcome and rally behind this innovative move and behave in such a way as to write the name of Djottin in history as the first village in Cameroon and maybe the world as we know it, to succeed in making functional, the post of ambassador of a village.
The world has become a
global village and it is imperative that the presence of the Nfon be
felt wherever his subjects are. He is not omnipresent or omniscient and can
leverage his ambassador who is a global thinker and strategist and who can
navigate through complex engagements to represent the best interest of his people.
……………
A new era has been ushered
in and Noni is poised for a much
more United future. What are some of
your immediate plans of action?
…………..
First and foremost is to build relationships
with community leaders that I do not yet know. It is going to take a good
knowledge and insights from the traditional leaders and leaders of the various
village development associations to set the stage and champion unwavering unity
in Noni. I have already attended functions organized by various Noni villages
and contributed ideas and financially. We must make a deliberate effort to be
blinded to our individual villages (I am not suggesting that we lose sight of
our specific needs, challenges and dynamics) and focus on the bigger picture,
Noni. Together, we can map a future for ourselves and become the gold standard
for others to emulate. That is my vision for Noni. United we stand!
……………
Noni leaders have thrown their weight behind you. Most recently we saw the historic meeting between Nfon Nkwantè and the Nfon of Laan. What was the Nfon's message to you?
………….
Let me reiterate that my village is Noni. I am
greatly honoured that the Noni Nfons and community leaders have
entrusted me the responsibility of Nfon Nkwantè for Noni and not
only Djottin. This is a huge responsibility. While urging me to be the servant
of the people, Shey Dr. Peter Mabu reminded me that this ambassadorial
leadership role would not have been bestowed on me if the Nfons doubted
that I was capable.
The Nfon of Laan, HRH Ngitir Franklin, whom I
greeted traditionally by clapping to him, was very gracious. After consulting
with his brother, the Nfon of Djottin, Fonti Palace, HRH Bernard Ngalim,
to confirm that he had knighted me as Nfon Nkwantè, Djottin, the Nfon
of Laan took an unprecedented move. The Nfon gave me his royal blessings, pronouncing
in front an audience composed of all Noni villages that I am Nfon Nkwantè
for Noni and not only Djottin. He blessed me and directed me to live up to the
expectations of the Noni people and continue to spearhead development for the
common good of the Noni person.
Coming back to your question about the
functions of Nfon Nkwantè, you might as well replace Djottin with
Noni to capture the full essence and spirit of this title.
…………..
Noni people in the Diaspora
are many and dispersed. How do you
plan to over come the challenging task
of assembling them and harnessing development
initiatives back home?
………….
I will rely heavily on the village development
association leaders and NSHII Noni leaders to champion development initiatives
back home. The role of the traditional council is also going to be
indispensable.
………….
Elders and elites across Noni have greatly supported what the Nfon Nkwantè initiative represents. What message do you have for them.
…………….
I am greatly honored and humbled to have been given this responsibility to serve our people. I want to take this opportunity to thank our 10 Nfons from the 6 Noni villages: Din, Djottin, Dom(Bvugoi), Laan(Lassin), Mbinon(Tfuh) and Nkor. Numerous elites (too many to be mentioned here) across various Noni villages have also given me their “motion de soutien”. In fact a multitude of other elites from Oku, Nso, the North West and South West Regions and several other regions in Cameroon as well as out of the country have also called to congratulate and encourage me in this mission.
My message is simple, united we stand. I pledge my full commitment in working hand-in-hand with the traditional leaders and elite of Noni to position Noni as a gold standard that others can use as a barometer of development.
Interviewed By Francis Ekongang Nzante
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