Esu Cultural Festival, Booster to Agriculture & Village Unity

 

The people of Esu Village in Menchum Division-North West Cameroon have just rounded off the maiden edition off their cultural festival aimed at promoting agriculture and conserving the culture of this village. Organized by the Essu Cultural and Development Association (ECuDA), this first-ever Esu Cultural Festival brought together sons and daughter of this village from the nocks and crannies of Cameroon.

The organization of this novelty in Esu, according to a member of ECuDA, Jude Kum,  came against the backdrop of increasing scarcity of some agricultural products of great cultural and traditional value to the community and the Esu Man. “Each time we go for cultural and development meetings in the village, we noticed that key crops were getting scarce, and even palm wine was disappearing. I am a lover of raffia wine but it is surprising that when I reached the village and asked for this local liquor, I could not get the quantity I wanted because people are flooding to get a taste and the raphia bushes are diminishing in our area. So we thought it wise to launch this festival to conserve our cultural heritage and agricultural products” he said.

It is in this light that farmers came out in their numbers exhibiting different cash crops cultivated within the village, with cultural artifacts/carvings also displayed. These exhibitions culminated in the discoveries of new crops hitherto not cultivated in the village like tomatoes and others, and a crop like ‘area yam’ found only in North West and West Cameroon. Another crop, commonly known as “Bambara Groundnut”,  used in the village during naming ceremonies, cultural festivals, that was already becoming scarce was found in good quantity during this festival.

The village elite underscored the need to valorize these crops, which are becoming very scarce and expensive as people shy away from it for rice cultivation. As a practical way of demonstrating the strive to promote agriculture in Esu, prizes were given those who took part in the exhibition, while all agricultural products, arts, and crafts work brought to the festival were bought.

Addressing his subjects during the festival, the paramount ruler of the Esu Fondom, HRM. Fon Kum-a-Chouo II called for unity in the village and amongst elites underscoring it (unity) as the key to any meaningful development in the village. He implored the people of Essu to avoid fighting one another.

Interspersed with traditional dances and manifestations by village masquerades, the Cultural Festival was also marked by the offering of New Year Wishes better known in the village as ‘firewood’  to the Fon in exchange of blessings from the “ancestors”.

The Cultural Festival also had as the highlight, the election of a new bureau to run the affairs of the Esu Cultural and Development Association (ECuDA) for the next three years with Augustine Ndzo as President.  Meanwhile, some FCFA 3.3 Million was raised to continue construction work on some two classrooms at Government Bilingual Primary School Esu.

By Bertrand Shancho Ndimuh