The Meta people in Mbengwi subdivision, Momo division in the North West region of Cameroon have gone back to their roots, rekindling memories of their cultural practices in the yesteryears. A cultural festival, known as “Michi Ebeng” was recently held in the village of Guneku. According to Prof Njoh Oliver Mecuda, it is an opportunity to bring back to life their rich culture and preserve it, after 6 years, due to the armed conflict in the region. “You can bear with me that for the past 6 years now our culture has been in the cold, so now we are trying to revive it and start from somewhere. We need to uphold the culture in order to pass it to our generation” he said The Fon’s representative Mbakwa Bernard said they decided and felt it necessary for them to revisit their abandoned meals and be natural.
“We are trying to bring back what the Meta people had years back, some people are seeing for the first time. Meals that have been forgotten, it was considered meals meant for poor people, but now people have started eating food that has caused them a lot of illnesses. So if we start eating our food, we will become natural and come back to our roots” He affirmed
Hundreds of participants and attendees were all compelled to dress only traditionally, speak only the Meta language, drink only palm wine using horns and calabashes, and eat only traditional delicacies in wooden bowls or plantain leaves. The usage of modern items was minimized and artifacts of the yesteryears were also exhibited. A good number of Meta traditional rulers, quarters heads of Guneku fondom, and the population at large attended the event which ended with a Mukonge Dance Competition involving 7 dance groups. The Fon of Guneku village, Fon Fomuki Walters has announced that the second edition of the “Michi Ebeng” festival will take place in March next year still in the Guneku palace.
