Retired CRTV journalist, Winnyawoko Motale, chronicles Balue history in new book.

The spellbinding publication in English was compiled after 40 years of in-depth research.

The book, which is sold at 10,000 FCFA, captures the migratory trends of the Balue Clan in African history and the history of its 29 villages, its earliest challenges and those brought about by the rigours of foreign rule, under the German and British eras. 

It also zooms on the clan’s internecine wars of survival against unfriendly clans and tribes, the customs and traditions of the people, chieftaincy issues among other intriguing tales around secret society, cults and sorcery. 

"I developed interest from my childhood days"

In a telephone interview with this reporter, the author said he got motivated to document the history of his people in a book from his childhood days.

“It was from childhood when I used to ask my grandparents where we come from,” he said.

From the intriguing responses he got from his grandparents, Winnyawoko Motale said he started assembling materials for the book project. 

“When I got to Primary School, I started jotting down things. I will go back home during holidays and speak to them, take down notes. Later on in my university days, I decided that I would write a book about my people. So, I went ahead and started doing the research. It is something of a lifetime,” he narrated. 

Overcoming challenges 

Completing the dream project of documenting the history of his people, Winnyawoko stated, was not an easy task, as he had to overcome daunting challenges during his 40 years of research. 

“Even after the fire disaster in Garoua, where I lost everything that got burnt, I had to start it all over again,” the author detailed. 

Keeping the dream alive, he revealed, has been thanks to constant support from people who did not only assist but encouraged him not to give up on the project.

“I realised that people in my community were interested in their own history. So, all of that contributed to encouraging me to complete the work,” he stated. 

Objective of book

The book, Winnyawoko said, would serve future generations as a reference on the history of the clan, its culture and challenges of the people, among others. 

History of the Balue Clan, he said, is not only for the Balue. He holds strongly that the history of the Balue Clan is part and parcel of Cameroonian history as a whole. 

“The Balue were not an Island. They were interacting with neighbouring tribes,” he said, citing the case of the Barombis, Ngolos, Bakundus, Balondos and even Manyu. 

Accuracy of Balue history told in book

On the accuracy of the facts detailed in the book, the author acknowledged that oral history has boundaries on memory as the people can forget certain things and details over the years. 

He, however, clarified that the publication got contributions from very old people.

“I got very old people who are all dead…I got information too from the British who were doing what I am doing now, in the 1920s. They talked to my people about their history. So, that is it. I got the information from them…,” Winnyawoko detailed. 

Focus of the 14 chapters 

In the compelling publication, Winnyawoko takes Balue Clan indigenes and other Cameroonians down memory lane on the origin, history and culture of the people. 

The author dwells in the first chapter of the book on the origin of the Balues in African history before recapturing foreign rule in Balue land, under the Germans, in the second chapter.

Winnyawoko further zooms on foreign rule, under the British, in the third chapter and the British style of administration and their role in creation of various chiefdoms. 

The book also touches on British district village administration and the introduction of taxes on the people’s farm produce, arts work among others as well as clan organisation and judicial issues in Balue under the British. 

In the sixth chapter, Winnyawoko pays attention to the customs and tradition of Balue Clan, touching on social order and marriages among others. 

He also gives in-depth on disputes between the villages, especially over land and other issues.

The author also provides insights on the practice of witchcraft and sorcery, adoption of totems to resolve problems within communities as well as secret society practice or cults. 

Winnyawoko also touches on how the Balue people began aspiring for administrative entities, having belonged to Kumba Division, before it was split and Ekondo-Titi Subdivision created and later Dikome Subdivision. 

The author also touches on development organisations, starting from the Native Authority from the British rule, to divisional councils.

The author, in the book, also brings out the history of each of the 29 Balue villages and challenges peculiar to them.

Ekondo-Titi & its politics

He also zooms into contemporary issues of the area, by focusing a chapter on Ekondo-Titi and its politics.

He indicates that Ekondo-Titi belongs to the Balondo people, though there exists very strong relationships between them and the Balue. 

He also hints in the book that the development of Ekondo-Titi could as well have been through the economic and political power of the Balue.

The book also captures the chieftaincy institution in the country, with focus on the chieftaincy history of the Balue clan.

Launching, message to contributors 

Winnyawoko said he has been considering launching the book, though issues related to the centrality of the location, logistics and profitability have been delaying the idea. 

The author expressed gratitude to 60% contributors of the book, who he disclosed have since passed on as well as those who are still alive for their wonderful support. 

“I want to thank all those who contributed to this work. They were the ones who gave me most of the material,” he said, noting that a chunk of the clan’s history with the Germans is still to be told due to language challenge. 

About the author 

Ebenezer Winnyawoko Motale was born on January 22, 1963, in Bafaka Balue, in the then Kumba Division, West Cameroon. This was six months before the creation of his native Ekondo-Titi Subdivision and three years after the creation of Ndian Division in 1966. 

After his First School Leaving Certificate from the Roman Catholic Mission School Bota, Victoria, in 1975, and his GCE Ordinary Level from St. Joseph's College Sasse Buea, in 1981, he proceeded to the Cameroon College of Arts, Science and Technology, CCAST Bambili, where he obtained his GCE Advanced Level in 1983.

He then enrolled into the University of Yaounde, where he read English Private Law for two years before flying to England on a government scholarship in 1985. 

In 1988, he graduated from Christ Church College, Canterbury, a college of the University of Kent at Canterbury with a twinned B.A. (Hons.) in Radio, Film/Television and History. 

He then moved to London, where he enrolled into City University London in 1988, graduating two years later with an M.A in Communication Policy Studies. 

Five years later in 1994, he returned to Cameroon and sought and got employment with the Cameroon Radio Television, CRTV, where he worked as a journalist from 1995-2023. 

In the course of these years, he was awarded the most important grades in the profession, namely Senior Journalist (Grand Reporter) and Editorialist. 

He served three Prime Ministers - Peter Mafany Musonge, Ephraim Inoni and Philemnon Yang. 

In his retirement, Ebenezer Winnyawoko Motale has taken to writing and the History of the Balue Clan is his first book. He is the President of Cameroon Chapter of Commonwealth Journalists Association, CJA.

The story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3157 of Wednesday July 3, 2024