This document provides an overview of African knowledge systems and their importance for understanding history and developing the modern African identity. It discusses several key aspects of African traditions, including the respect for nature, parenting and respect for elders, celebrations of birth and death, governance structures, the universality of African religion, medicinal uses of food, ancestral veneration, and the holistic nature of African cosmology. The document argues that interpreting African knowledge systems holistically can provide valuable insights and help develop a more inclusive understanding of African history and identity.
Understanding African History and Knowledge Through Holistic Interpretation
1. The need for an Holistic interpretation of African
Knowledge Systems as a vehicle to Understanding
History and Developing the Post Modern African
By Ivo Arrey Mbongaya
Director at African Centre for Community and Development
BP 181 Limbe, Cameroon
May 2016
ivo@africancentreforcommunity.com
arreymbongayaivo@gmail.com
Http://youtube.com/user/AfricanCentreforCom
Www.africancentreforcommunity.com
2. Issues to touch
African Tradition and the respect for nature.
Parenthood and Respect for Elders
Celebration of Birth and Death
Governances in Africa
The Universality of African Religion
Medicinal and other Aspects of Food in Africa
Ancestral Veneration
African knowledge systems
African Civilizations and some prominent cultural Groups in Cameroon
3. Introduction
● This presentation seeks to understand Africa and its people from a holistic
analyses of her past, values, preferences as well as from global humane pillars so
as to better understanding of the historical African and to develop the post modern
African.
● Africans refer to people of African origin living across the globe and in the
continent.
● The presentation will focus on knowledge systems within the African continent in
general and in Cameroon in particular.
● It works on the presumption/direction that historical fact can spur the need to
develop and can awaken conciousness which is vital in the protection of identity
as well as the capacity to negotiate and relate globally.
● While there are many African sub-cultures it will attempt to look at African history,
belief syetems and knowledge banks as beyond colonial mappings so as to draw
necessary trajectores for a more inclusive and holistic understanding of the
historical African and the development of her modern counterpart. It is based on
diverse research of this author and other academic literature and materials.
4. African Tradition and the respect for nature.
● Many African traditions respect nature and hence conservation must
be considered as intrinsic aspect of the African psyche.
● The respect of spawning grounds for fish by the Isubu.
● The Ekpe sacred forests.
● The respect for fish/mystical holes as “Nke” in Manyu, Cameroon
● The Mami Water myths and the implications to the respect of watery
masses.
● Sacrifices to whales in the cosmic logic of Wovia and the Nyango na
muna myth.
● The Baka pygmies and their affilaition to the tropical rain forest and its
medicinal plants.
● “King Stick” and its prominence in African traditional protection.
5. African Tradition and the respect for nature
continues...
● Douglas E. Thomas in African Traditional Religion in the Modern World 2d
ed. States “Traditional Africans respected nature and in some ways
traditional religion has its origins within that realm. The traditional African
deep respect for nature was partly based on their cosmology which
elevated the forces within nature to a sacred realm. Thus the Orisha, Iwa
and neteru, are primarily forces of nature that assist one in living at peace
with all things”.
● Thus in African cosmology everything is linked to everything hence the
reason why man, ancestor, nature, spirit, the transcendent and everything
connect to produce the African God and “man-god”.
● Another aspect of respect for nature is seen in Yoruba cosmic logic of
respecting the sacred river of Oshun which supposedly cleanses evil and
cures people.
● Nigerian poet Christppher Okigbo in Heaven's Gate elevates the status of
his village watery hole Idoto by calling her “Mother”.
6. African Tradition and the respect for nature
continues...
● According to Wyatt&MacGaffey in Religion and Society in Central Africa: The BaKongo of
Lower Zaire, (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1986), 43 a descriptive of the
universe is aptly found in ancient Kongo cosmology and myths. The earth is considered a
mountain that towers over a body of water. “The mountain is traditionally referred to as nza
yayi, or “thisworld,” while the ocean underneath, Kalunga, hovers over nsi a bafwa, or “the
land of the dead.” Within Kongo tradition, there are two mountains, each representative of a
different realm. The two realms are the land of the living and Mpemba, the land of the dead”.
Water separates these realms and also acts as passage between them reiterating therefore
the universal sacredness of water justified in the baptism of Jesus, in the appearance of the
virgin on a rock niche in Massabeille in the South of France as observed by Bernadette
Soubirous now glorified as a saint.
● It is therefore clear that living out of nature doesnot make any one more civilized or atleast
for the African reduces his capacity to relate to nature and to access cosmic benefits of
peace, healing, spiritual essence and even gratification.
● This is aptly painted by David Suzuki with the words “We are water—the oceans flow
through our veins, and our cells are inflated by water, our metabolic reactions mediated in
aqueous solutions…As air is a sacred gas, so is water a sacred liquid that links us to all the
oceans of the world and ties us back in time to the very birthplace of all life…It is the tide of
life itself, the sacred source.”
7. Parenthood and Respect for Elders
● Parenting simply refers to devices used in raising a child until he or she gets into
adulthood. Parenting in Africa is very systemic and is diverse. It has handed down
tools and even when it conflicts with modernism, it has a very important
dimension in the personality build up of a person. The tendence to discard
traditional parenting devices in Africa arguably has led to hybrid Africans that are
neither cultural or modern and in many ways in conflict with themselves. Patricia
Mawusi Amos states in Parenting and Culture – Evidence from Some African
Communities that “Some people especially Africans, who have not fully
experienced the indigenous culture believe that to be too culturally aware makes
one backward and or ancient. This is as a result of lack of knowledge of our
cultural values and principles.”
● According to her African parenting is done via storytelling, oral traditions, “the
extended family, traditional rites and the mother's care, attention and love”. Worth
mentioning grand mothers are a major pillar too in this fabric. While storytelling is
lost in modern cartoons written by many with little cultural knowledge, this
modern media can be a weapon to re-awaken learning, parenting and cultural
emancipation in the early stages of life across urban African children. This is
important as most books about infancy are from the Western world (Tomlinson &
Swartz, 2003) hence shrinking further the early adoption of African cultural values.
8. Parenthood and Respect for Elders
● There are different types of parenting seen in Africa. Permissive and authoritarian as
within the nuclear and extended family. In African cosmic logic the nuclear family is
part of the extended family hence in African cosmic logic when one is talking family
one is referring to the extended family. This entity has a set of rules, moral codes and
cultural values that it ensures are instilled in the child to be upright and to have the
necessary skills to survive as an independent adult.
● Elders are an imporatnt pillar in the extended family and African community as they
have lived to a ripe old age and have earned their respect. To intimate that they are
unjustiably respected or too respected in Africa is lke saying that they are infallible.
However they are not infallible and subject to the rules of the community and
stipulations of the traditional council, sacred shrines and the traditional ruler or Family
head in relation to a family.
● In the Northwest of Cameroon elders can be sanctioned by Kwifor. In Manyu they can
be sanctioned by Ekpe and Obasinjom in some circumstances. They can be fined
which is a part of sanctions which are the basis of universal positive law or the
common law in general. Among the Bamoun in the Western Region of Cameroon the
sultan is grilled every two years on his rule, actions and omissions in an elaborate
ceremony known as the Nguon.
9. Celebration of Birth and Death
● Africans conduct rites of passage into life, adulthood, marriage,
death and after death.
● Baby naming ceremonies
● Born House ceremony
● Rites of Wrestling as a show of maturity.
● Circumscission
● The planting of “agem” or “ngem” tree and allocation of a place for
the child turned mature boy to build among the Mbouda and the
Bamendakwe
● Rituals of passage into Nsamansie; a major part of Ghanaian
mythology. It involves rituals to Amokyi.
● Burial rituals for Seseko
10. Celebration of Birth and Death continues
● "life" and "death" are not mutually exclusive concepts in African religion. African religions scholar
Placide Tempels describes misfortunes faced by Africans as "a diminution of vital force."
● This means everything is linked to everything which is linked to the vital force that permeates the
universe hence transcends life as we know it unto the ancestral, metaphysical and even the
unknown.
● Death is a transition into the capacity to communicate from the invisible world with the visible. The
supernormal and the normal, the perfect and the semi-perfected. African understanding of death
must be separated from dualism that assumes the spirit separates from the body to a concept in
which a death person does not mutate form but continues to live as the same person after death
but only invisible to naked eyes.
● In After life in African cosmic logic,the supreme being is still separated by his might from
ancestors even if they live near him or have gained strengths. In Africa punishment after death is
not natural as most African religions believe with the necessary rites a death person can be made
to access After life. The only clauses where dead people are subject to denial of right of passage
include in situations of improper burial, muderers, thieves and other heinous offenders whom
ancestors may deny them access and force them to become wandering ghosts. A somewhat
similarity to catholic purgatory. Even at this stage there are some rites that can be conducted to
help the person depart.
● Apart from passage rites, there is mourning of loved ones which can culminate in a sackcloth
removal ceremony or the digging of the dead person's skull as with the Bamilikes of the Western
Region of Cameroon. Sackcloth removal ceremonies are feasts by their own rights and can be
done for one person or for a group of dead persons.
11. Governances in Africa
● Governances in Africa depend on whether the society is centralized or decentralized and is
affected by livelihoods strategies imposed by nature.
● Coastal and forested African communities like Bakweri, Douala, Bayangi in Cameroon tend to
be decentralized while crop based farming systems in grassland areas tend to be centralized.
● Traditional head (Fon) and chief in coastal communities heads villages. He is supported by
council of elders, traditional council, Kwifor, sacred shrines, council of princes/princesses,
title holders, women leaders. The Takembeng in the north west is a powerful traditional
women group that can march naked in the North West to demand certain reforms in the
community.
● The chief/Fon has direct link to his ancestors but can be sanctioned if he acts ultravires like
in the case of Alaafin Aole of ancient Oyo who was asked to step down following a revolt
organized by Afonja of Ilorin but who did so by cursing Yoruba land as he thought it was
unjust.
● The work of the Bamoun sultan is scrutinized as mentioned earlier every 2 years in an
elaborate ceremony called Nguon.
● The wives of the chief or Fon are also important in governances across Africa and the first
wife of the Fon in the north west is called the “Mother of the Fon” or Mafor.
● Women also lead in revolutions and protect ceratin communities. In the past the Queen
mother of the village of Ejisu in Ghana was able to organize a revolt against British colonial
rule in her area. She did so as Prempeh the First was banished to the Indian Island of
Seychelles as punishment for opposing Bristish rule. Women have a say in governances.
12. The Universality of African Traditional Religion
● The belief in a supreme being and a vital force that permeates the universe. Can there
be a link between this and post modern science of dark matter?
● Belief in After life, like christians and muslims.
● Practice of rites and drama. The use of agogo bells in Benin, the use of Allada drums
etcetera. The use of camwood in certain rituals as paint smeared on the body. Colour
accentuates personality and heightens the effects of a drama just like sound.
● The power of symbols. Masks. The use of carved objects. The personal god (chi) of the
Igbo. The use of “chong” a tied magical object around the waist or neck for protection
in Manyu
● The sacredness, cleanliness and holiness ascribed to water. “Nke” in Manyu. Oshun
among the Yoruba.
● The ordination or initiation of priests. Utwaza ceremony initiation into sangoma
priesthood in Southern Africa.
● Therfore African Traditional religion is not in conflict with any modern religion and
must be separated from whitcraft or the practice of magic. An attempt to make it evil
reiterates a naivety from an untrained eye.
14. Medicinal and other Aspects of Food in Africa
● African foods are very healthy and even medicinal in many ways. While all
cannot be listed here, some important ones include:
● A meal of dried termites (Ngok) in the North West of Cameroon. Insects
have chitin which is a source of calcium.
● A meal of locust in parts of the Sahel and Mali. Apart from proteins, locust
can also provide calcium.
● “Tantchot” a wild spice found in the Manyu forest is considered locally as
very tasty and a blood cleanser and cure for heart diseases.
● Egusi is considered very rich in supplements vital in stepping up resilience
in HIV/AIDS patients
15. Medicinal and other Aspects of Food in Africa
● Gnetum africanum (Eru) a widely eaten wild vegetable eaten in Central and West Africa is known to
have one of the highest amount of plant proteins. It is also an anti-oxidant.
● Bitterleaf is known in Ethiopian, Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Bayangi communities etcetera and to
sciences as an alternative treatment for diabetes.
● Chinwe Okafor in an article in 2014 titled “The Wonders of Bitter Leaf” states “Popularly known as
Ewuro by the Yorubas, Shiwaka by the Hausas and Onugbu amongst the Igbos, bitter leaf is used
in preparing a famous delicacy in the Igbo land. Apart from this, bitter leaf is well known for its
healing potency when it is chewed or juiced raw because cooking reduces its potency and
medicinal value.Bitter leaf is generally considered a liver herb because it stimulates, cleanses and
supports the liver and gall bladder.”
● Baka pymies are also huge custodians on plant healing properties and medicine. In an article by
Jean L. BETTI titled “AN ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS AMONG THE BAKA
PYGMIES IN THE DJA BIOSPHER RESERVE, CAMEROON” “An ethnobotanical survey was
conducted from January to April 1994 in the Dja Biosphere Reserve and its adjacent areas in East
and South Provinces in Cameroon. The survey aimed at identifying the plants used in the general
pharmacopoeia among the Baka pygmies also using interviews with housewives and mothers who
have a rich knowledge on the plants. A total of 102 medicinal plants were recorded from 37
households comprising 97 genera and 51 families.”
● African communities therefore have a rich history of plant science and medicine and must be
supported to develop and have royalties for their discoveries for thousands of years now. The
African Diaspora especially in the United States may be best placed to do this in partnership with
local communities and stakeholders.
17. Ancestral Veneration
Most cultures in Africa venerate their ancestors for love, honour and for filial peity.
Veneration doesnot mean worship contrary to what many who have not researched on
the etymology of the word think.
● According to Wikipaedia “Ancestor reverence is not the same as the worship of a deity
or deities. In some Afro-diasporic cultures, ancestors are seen as being able to
intercede on behalf of the living, often as messengers between humans and the gods.
As spirits who were once human themselves, they are seen as being better able to
understand human needs than would a divine being. In other cultures, the purpose of
ancestor veneration is not to ask for favors but to do one's filial duty. Some cultures
believe that their ancestors actually need to be provided for by their descendants, and
their practices include offerings of food and other provisions. Others do not believe
that the ancestors are even aware of what their descendants do for them, but that the
expression of filial piety is what is important.
● Ancestral veneration has been recorded in ancient Rome and Egypt and is likened to
the catholic veneration of saints even today. Mummification in ancient Egypt was the
device to preserve the corpse so that the soul (Ka) can return to receive offerings of
the things it enjoyed while on Earth.
● Veneration of ancestors does not conflict with the concept of the vital force that
permeates the universe hence logically cannot be seen as opposed to christianity in
principle. African religions should therefore position themselves were they ought to be.
18. African knowledge systems
● African knowledge systems in agriculture are very rich and arguably are the reason why
communities threatened by diverse climatic fallouts can still survive being farmers. According to a
paper titled “Traditional farming and indiginous knowledge systems in Africa: Perspective from the
Ikale-yoruba experience”, “modern approaches to agricultural development in Africa will continue
to fail unless they take into consideration Africa's home-grown innovative farming techniques and
indigenous knowledge systems.”
● Some other practices include use of leaves as wrappers. “Ngongo” leaf is used in wrapping
ground nut paste, miondo and bobolo. It is also used to wrap spiced pepper by the Oroko of the
South West Region of Cameroon. The use of leaves in Africa must be applauded as the world is
affected by grave issues now like ozone layer depletion and climate change enhanced by the
emission of chlorofluoro-carbons. With a high level of plastic pollution and the clogging of sea
beds and spawning grounds for fish, returning to African knowledge systems of using leaves as
wrappers is vital in fast paced urban communities across the globe and to fight climate change.
● African knowledge system is seen in preservation of fish by drying among coastal communities
like the Alaja, Isubu and Bakweri. The Bakweri actually designed a special wooden contraption for
preserving fish that can be dated several hundreds of years now.
● According to Wikipaedia “The Dogon people with whom the French anthropologists Griaule and
Germaine Dieterlen worked with during the 1930s and 40s had a system of signs which ran into the
thousands, including "their own systems of astronomy and calendrical measurements, methods of
calculation and extensive anatomical and physiological knowledge, as well as a systematic
pharmacopoeia."” They are found in Mali and many suggest they were the astrologers of ancient
Egypt (Kemet).
19. African knowledge systems
● Contrary to ealier beliefs Sub-Saharan Africa is increasingly contributing to ancient
knowledge from Africa. “The Ishango bone is a bone tool, dated to the Upper
Paleolithic era. It is a dark brown length of bone, the fibula of a baboon,with a sharp
piece of quartz affixed to one end, perhaps for engraving. It was first thought to be a
tally stick, as it has a series of what has been interpreted as tally marks carved in three
columns running the length of the tool. But some scientists have suggested that the
groupings of notches indicate a mathematical understanding that goes beyond
counting. It has also been suggested that the scratches might have been to create a
better grip on the handle or for some other non-mathematical reason. [The Ishango
bone was found in 1960 by Belgian Jean de Heinzelin de Braucourt while exploring
what was then the Belgian Congo. It was discovered in the area of Ishango near the
Semliki River.[ Lake Edward empties into the Semliki which forms part of the
headwaters of the Nile River (now on the border between modern-day Uganda and
Congo). The bone was found among the remains of a small community that fished and
gathered in this area of Africa. The settlement had been buried in a volcanic
eruption.The artifact was first estimated to have originated between 9,000 BC and 6,500
BC. However, the dating of the site where it was discovered was re-evaluated, and it is
now believed to be more than 20,000 years old”
21. African Civilizations
● Apart from Egypt, Aksum (present day Ethiopia), there have been some important civilizations or eras in African
history that were characterised by stable governaces, prosperity, trade and innovation. The Empire of Kongo was
first known to Europeans in the 15th
century and it covered areas of present congolese states and Angola before it
was split by the Belgians and Portuguese. It was prosperous and worked in a system where vassal states paid
hommage to the king of Kongo in a quasi feudal system.
● There was the Empire of Mali, which grew out of the little state of Kangaba and known historically for gold and his
famous ruler Mansa Musa believed to be one time richest man in the world. His brother Aboubakr the Second is
believed to have set sail to America long before slavery started.
● There is also the Sao civilization in the Lake Chad area with wonderful pottery.
● The Nok civilization and Nupe civilization in present day Nigeria.
● The Hausa states eventhough not as organized as the above mentioned groups also prospered before British
colonization of present day Nigeria.
● In Cameroon many groups migrated from Tikari and established prosperous Kingdoms in the North West of
Cameroon including the Nso, Bamendakwe etcetera. The Bamoun are also believed to be a sister tribe to the Nso
and people of Bam. Many of these Fondoms are governed like real states today by their Fons and have a cultural
history that can span over 650 years.
● The Bakweri and Douala as well as the Oroko have been linked to a migration from Congo While the Bayang and
Ejagam have been found in areas around the Gulf of Guinea for thousands of years now. They have also practiced
Ekpe which is considered a major African religion. Bakweri myths centre around Epasa moto a mountain nymp of
half stone and also a culture of totems ritualized in the elephant dance. Alledgedly their revolt against
German/foreign colonization is staged as the Motio dance.
23. Artefact from Sao Civilization
● Sao were among the earliest iron using
civilization in Chad
24. Leaves used under Bakweri traditional
knowledge system courtesy of an Ivo Arrey
Mbongaya documentary
● Leaves used under Bakweri traditional knowledge system courtesy
of an Ivo Arrey Mbongaya documentary
25. Traditional knowledge on the preservation of fish
from Bakweri cosmology
Contraption used in preserving fish for several hundreds of years under Bakweri Cosmology. Picture
courtesy of Ivo Arrey Mbongaya documentary on 600 years of Bakweri cultural Heritage
26. Some Modern Africans and their contributions
courtesy of Wikipaedia
● Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor and critic. Author of highest selling book in modern
African literature, Things Fall Apart. He is often referred to as the father of modern African literature.
● Ibrahim Njoya, a Cameroonian King credited with developing a semi-syllabic Bamum script which evolved
from the rudimentary pictographic script to a more advanced logo graphic script, which he later refined to
the famous semi-syllabic script known to the world today.
● A. Egrinya Eneji (b. 1964), A Nigerian Agronomist, Professor, Consultant and Environmentalist of
international repute.
● Arthur Zang, a Cameroonian Engineer has pioneered the first Medical tablet PC of Africa that would enable
cardiovascular examinations to be performed remotely and transmit the results to surgeons. With only 30
surgeons in the major cities of Yaounde and Douala this innovation save patients the hassle of having to
travel to the major cities from other Cameroonian cities.
● Dr. SIMO, Ernest, a distinguished Cameroonian scientist was a Finalist to NASA astronauts’ selection
process in 1994 and 1996. In 1994, His co-finalists included space Heroes Rick Husband and William
McCool who were respectively Commander and Pilot of the Space shuttle Columbia which was tragically
lost in Feb-2003.
●
Mohammed Bagayogo (1523–1593), an eminent scholar from Timbuktu, Mali.
● Modibo Mohammed Al Kaburi a scholar, Cadi and Jurist, and university professor, from Timbuktu, Mali.
● Cheikh Anta Diop (1923–1986), a Senegalese historian, anthropologist, physicist and politician.
● Ahmad Baba (1556–1627), a medieval West African writer, scholar, and political provocateur.
● Felix A. Chami, an archaeologist and university professor from Tanzania.
27. Some Modern Africans and their contributions
courtesy of Wikipaedia
● Fredrick Romanus Ishengoma, a computer scientist from Tanzania.
● Berhane Asfaw, an Ethiopian paleontologist.
● Venansius Baryamureeba, a Ugandan professor of Computer Science and educationist.
● Kwatsi Alibaruho, a Ugandan-American Flight Director at NASA.
● Emma Tibayungwa, a Ugandan Information systems Specialist and Solar energy Consultant
● Michael Elmore-Meegan,Public Health Researcher,Pioneered use of low cost technologies in
Primary Health Care in East Africa,widely published in International Health and Clinical
Epidemiology.
● Giday WoldeGabriel, an Ethiopian geologist.
● Haile Debas (b. 1937), an Eritrean who achieved national recognition as a gastrointestinal
investigator and made original contributions to the physiology, biochemistry, and pathophysiology
of gastrointestinal peptide hormones.
● John Ogbu (1939–2003), a Nigerian-American anthropologist and university professor.
● Douglas Osei-Hyiaman (b. 1964), a Ghanaian-American endocrinologist and geneticist who was the
first to establish a role for endocannabinoids in fatty acid synthesis and oxidation in the
pathobiology of liver disease, obesity, and diabetes.
28. Some other globally recognized
Africans
● Nelson Mandela. Former South African President, Freedom fighter and a symbol of global
tolerance and peace.
● Martin Luther King Jr, civil rights activist. Author of the famous “I have a dream speech.”
● Rosa Parks, civil rights activist hailed for tackling bus segration issues in the USA
● Barack Obama, president of the United States of America.
● Cyprian Ekwensi, author of the famous “The Burning Grass” from Nigeria
● Martin Paul Samba, nationalist and freedom fighter from Cameroon.
● Baiye Agbor-Ndah freedom fighter from the Etoko of Manyu. Killed for standing against a
colonial authority who raped a woman in the royal court of his people.
● Wole Soyinka, litery genuis and Nobel laureate in Literature from Nigeria.
● Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, known for her deep depiction of Africa in her beautiful books.
● Bate Besong, Cameroonian poet and nationalist,
● Dambia Moyo, globally recognized economist and author of “Dead Aid”.
29. Conclusion
● Africans have a rich historical/socio-cultural heritage and have a traditional
religion and family structure that can be drivers for development of the
post modern African. Modern Africans and their governments must borrow
from tested practices and governances as well as knowledge systems in
order to better delivery of contemporary projects relevant to African needs
as well as to assume global leadership. They must work beyond state
boundaries to integrate Africans from across the globe so as to build a skill
and resource base for strategic partnerships in business, sciences,
education and socio-cultural and agricultural development so as to achieve
modern dignity, respect, peace and harmony.
30. Next Steps of Action
● Creation of African Diaspora Knowledge/research centre (school) in
Cameroon to document, teach and empower Africans on diverse skill
sets and knowledge for their growth in the modern times. It will work
on cultural and holistic pillars and target Africans from across the globe
in its operations.
● Creation of African Diaspora Village in Cameroon. To welcome
Africans wanting stay in traditional African village set up. This will be a
cultural, tourism and educational project. The village will be built in
African style and in huts.
● Creation of a cultural community radio to disseminate keys aspects of
African cultural heritage and to document other areas yet unmapped
for both domestic and international audiences.
● This author will offer land for the village and a building for the centre
and radio while interested stakeholders will furnish the building, teach,
collect artefacts, research, partner in administration and fund the
village project. They will also facilitate work of the radio project.
31. Bibliography
● Wyatt&MacGaffey, Religion and Society in Central Africa: The BaKongo of Lower Zaire, (Chicago: The
University of Chicago Press, 1986), 43 2
● David Suzuki, The Sacred Balance (Vancouver, B.C.: Greystone Books, 1997) in Gary Chamberlain,
Troubled Waters: Religion, Ethics, and the Global Water Crisis, (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Litttlefield
Publishers, Inc.,2008), 156
● Blakely, Thomas, et al., eds. Religion in Africa. London: James Currey, 1994.
● Bosch, David J. The Traditional Religions of Africa. Study Guide MSR203. Tshwane: University of South
Africa, 1975.
● The Bamoun People with Arrey Ivo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alcmn_q4I5U
● Arrey Ivo Interview with HRH Fon of Bamendakwe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdjWiHub68A
● An Arrey Ivo video on Maturity rites among Mbouda and Bamendakwe peoples
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOf2zNYqBPo
●
The Mankon People with Arrey Ivo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtKSM57WifQ
● Arrey Ivo on 600 Years of Bakweri Cultural Heritage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLxd-odbfy0
● An Arrey Mbongaya Ivo video on the Male Dance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLEIdQnixwM
● Religion and Culture with Arrey Ivo and Pius Mosima https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnzEhhOKKGw