Limbe: Locals protest leasing of Bimbia Slave Trade Village land to business tycoon.

Protesters on the streets of Limbe

Indigenes of Bimbia in Limbe III Subdivision, Fako Division of the South West Region, have protested the fact that they were sidelined in the leasing of the Bimbia Slave Trade village to a private company by the government of Cameroon. 

They made their voices heard during a peaceful protest march in Limbe on Monday January 13, 2025.



The Guardian Post gathered that government through the Ministry of Arts and Culture decided to lease out the Slave Trade Village Land to Gilgal Tower company to better develop it and make it more attractive to tourists.

The move, has however, being contested by the natives who feel they were not consulted before the decision was taken.

Marching with placards carrying messages such as; “Bimbia Fako we say No to oppression”, “No selling of the Bimbia Slave Trade Center”, “Do not temper with the Bimbia Slave Trade village”, among others, the natives expressed their frustrations that they were not consulted during the entire process.

Addressing natives, the President of Limbe Chief’s Conference, Chief Samuel Epupa Ekum, said they got wind of it but thought it was a joke.  

“…we got the message starting from Thursday January 9, 2025 during the annual seminar of Bishops in Cameroon and we were saying it can’t happen and subsequently the news came out to be true,” Epupa Ekum said.

The traditional ruler expressed sadness that Fako has become no man’s land and urged his subjects to be strong and resilient to overcome any pressure in line with their ancestral land. 

“What is happening in Fako has touched everybody. Fako has been a place people take for granted...If we were reacting like this before, I think things could not be the way they are, but it is never too late. We have started and it should continue,” Chief Epupa said.

On his part, the chairman of youth committee of Limbe chiefdom and indigene of Bimbia village, Henry Njalla Quan Jr., said such a historic touristic site cannot be handed to a third party but should be managed by the community or Limbe III Council. 

If the community or council cannot run such an initiative, he urged that a native of the area should be given priority to manage such heritage. 

Despite the protest, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of Gilgal Tower company, Eric Igwacho, said his vision is to make Bimbia Slave Trade village a touristic magnet in Africa. 

“The Bimbia Slave Trade Village is something, I am passionate about it because my vision is that everybody will benefit from it, Bimbia community, Limbe and the county,” he said. 

He reassured natives that he would ensure everyone benefits from the venture. 

“…the Bimbia Slave Trade Village is not for my personal benefit it will create job opportunities for the young people,” Igwacho explained.

 

About the slave trade village

The Bimbia Slave Trade Village is a historic site located in Limbe and is indicative of the transatlantic slave trade and its impact on the local population.

The village was established by the British colonialists as a major slave-trading post in the 18th and 19th centuries for slaves.

The place is home to historic slave post like slave cages which are remains of the stone cages where slaves were kept and other memorabilia that signifies the attachment of Bimbia to the slave trade.

 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3340 of Thursday January 16, 2025

 

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