Afro People
– Professor Paul Nchoji Nkwi
Professor Paul Nchoji Nkwi is a leading African Anthropologist and considered as the Foundation Stone in the study of Anthropology as a subject in the University of Yaounde in Cameroon.
When this interview was carried out, he was a professor of Anthropology at the Catholic University of Cameroon, CATUC in Bamenda, Cameroon. What stands out in this interview among other things is the emphatic statement that “Africa’s Emergence Will depend on an understanding of Africa’s Cultural Values and Norms.”
He was interviewed by Ekongang Nzante Francis and this interview was first published in Les Gens Du Cameroun.
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The professor begins by narrating the story of his humble beginnings which is characteristic of most African iconic intellectuals. He doesn’t stop there but moves on to prescribe the best way that sustained development can take place in Africa.
Excerpts
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“I was born in Kom in a small village called Wombong in 1940. I grew up there and one of my early experiences was the Ghost Town of 1958 which was declared by KNDP’s John Ngu Foncha and Ngom Jua, leading characters in the party who for one reason or the other called for a strike to disrupt the visit that was to be carried out by another leading Politician at the time, S. M. L. Endelley and that ghost town disrupted schools in present day Boyo Division and very few of us were fortunate to go to school then. Probably if I hadn’t gone to school, then I would not be where I am today. Schools were suspended for quite some time although the First School Leaving Certificate Examinations were organised. I was lucky to be among the three pupils who passed the examinations in 1958. Because of that disruption, Catholic School Njinikom became the meeting center for students destined for Saint Joseph’s College, Sasse and at that time, there were only two secondary schools in West Cameroon. These Schools were Saint Joseph’s College Sasse and the Cameroon Protestant College, CPC Bali. Thousands of students wrote the entrance exams and because of the disruptions I had to walk the sixty Kilometers to Mankon to be able to sit for the qualifier exam to Saint Joseph’s College. Among those who could make it to Mankon on foot. Ten of us were eventually selected and from this, only two finally made it to Saint Joseph’s College, Sasse. It took us three days to travel to Sasse. We travelled from Njinikom to Bamenda and then waited for Mamfe-go-down. On such days, vehicles only went down through Widikum to Mamfe. When you arrived Mamfe, you also had to wait for Kumba-go-down. This was because the roads were so narrow and for you to go against the direction of the day, the Divisional Officer had to authorise you. From Kumba, we went down to Buea and from Buea if you were lucky then you could get a car for Sasse but if not, you had to do it on foot."
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