MOHWA: A Rudderless Ship ⁰

Over the last month, MOHWA has been caught up in a terribly heart-breaking downward spiral with many of its members jumping ship, including some close associates of the president of the home branch who many accuse of financial misconduct and intimidation. The once popular Manyu organization is today a shadow of its former self as new Manyu women’s organizations see the light of day. MOHWA has become a rudderless ship as the organization’s leadership cannot deliver any meaningful results without the financial support it once enjoyed.

The creation of EYUMEMA in the United States which was once collaborating with the MOHWA home branch is still a bitter pill to swallow for many and the MOHWA leadership is yet to recover from this blow to the liver. Today, EYUMEMA is clearly the organization most Manyu women around the world are looking up to as they consider that MOHWA is a ship wrecked by greed, arrogance and intimidation. Speaking to some former and current members of MOHWA in Buea, Kumba, Mamfe and Douala, Cameroon Concord News discovered that the messages of frustration were the same. Many of those Cameroon Concord News spoke to were unanimous, pointing out that the president of MOHWA Cameroon, a Buea University professor, was clearly to blame for the chaos and demise of MOHWA around the world.

“We commend the Cameroon Concord News Group for the work it is doing to expose the ills which are robbing MOHWA of the reputation it once enjoyed. MOHWA was designed to help women come together for them to help the Manyu girl child, but ever since Prof. Comfort Beyang took over the reins of the organization, it has become a platform for Manyu educated women to display their degrees and personal achievements. This display of academic titles is choking the organization and many of us are now looking towards EYUMEMA. We hope EYUMEMA too will not fall into the same madness which is tearing MOHWA apart,” a frustrated lady from Kumba who elected anonymity told Cameroon Concord News.

The Manyu title disease which has destroyed many Manyu organizations has finally reared its ugly head in MOHWA and it is killing an organization which was once the beacon of hope for many Manyu women. Titles mean nothing if they are not used to mobilize people for development purposes. The people of Manyu must understand that titles have their contexts and using them in the wrong place only makes the title holder to be despised and ignored. Of what value is an academic title like a PhD in a social gathering where the different audience segments are supposed to work seamlessly together with the objective of achieving a common goal? Since when did a title like Sesekou become useful in a non-ekpe environment? Ekpe is part of Manyu culture and not Manyu culture and taking it to parties and churches is an abuse which must be punished if Ekpe is really a structured and development-oriented organization.

Using titles out of their rightful context is a total turn-off. Academic titles do not necessarily imply that the holder of such titles has the charisma and skills for good leadership. Great leadership does not require loud-sounding titles. Members of MOHWA should understand this so that when electing their new leaders in their upcoming convention they would focus on people who have the charisma and humility which good leadership requires.

The President of MOHWA who is also a University Professor should have known that holding the title of professor does not make her a genius. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, Rousseau and many others have been considered as some of the finest minds the world has ever known, but none had an academic title. They all worked in the interest of society and humanity. None of us knows the school Socrates attended for him to be the best of his time and a key reference around the world today.

Also speaking to an influential Manyu lady residing in Douala and who held MOHWA so close to her heart, Cameroon Concord News could easily feel the frustration and disappointment which is eroding this lady’s happiness. She was angry and pointed out that many people had spoken to the MOHWA president for a change of course in order not to destroy the organization, but all the advice from senior Manyu ladies has clearly fallen on deaf ears.

“I am really heart-broken seeing the mess playing out. MOHWA is definitely on its last leg. Its demise is certain as many women gyrate towards EYUMEMA and other women’s groups. I have been a fervent supporter of MOHWA, especially in the days of Dr. Agbor Magdalene who ran the organization for many years. We all supported Comfort Beyang when she expressed an interest in running MOHWA and Agbor Meg campaigned for her, but today, she and Agbor Meg are not talking. Dr. Agbor Meg has already jumped ship and is a strong supporter of EYUMEMA.  I am thinking of jumping ship too. I am just waiting for the conclusions and recommendations of the upcoming MOHWA convention in August,” the disappointed lady who elected anonymity said.

Asked if there was someone who could validly replace the current president, the lady added that: “We have been looking for a possible replacement and most of the senior Manyu ladies in Cameroon have their eyes on a few young and dynamic ladies who are humble and can easily mobilize other women. We are already coalescing around one young lady who stands out and we are sure the next convention will be the game changer. The current president is on her way out. She is indeed staring down the barrel of defeat as she is increasingly becoming isolated and radioactive. She has created a toxic environment and even the hardcore members of her inner circle are already contemplating abandoning her. The ship is sinking and the disgrace is already hurting their reputation. Though in public they pretend to be loyal, most of them know that the end is near and that it will be in their best interest to be on the right side of history. MOHWA is bigger than anybody. The president has a choice – do the right and honorable thing by resigning or continue to hold on and end up with an empty shell in the name of an organization,” she added.

“MOHWA has been diminished. The defections are hurting us all. There are many senior Manyu ladies in Yaoundé who are sick to the stomach because of the imminent collapse of an organization which has brought joy and happiness to many Manyu ladies. If the current president had listened, EYUMEMA would not have walked away. EYUMEMA has the crowd and wherewithal. EYUMEMA’s war chest is huge and it is capable of accomplishing a lot in Manyu. The current MOHWA leadership did not need to threaten EYUMEMA with a law suit when we have traditional recourse mechanisms to address our differences. Anger against a sister should never reach the bone. Currently, the president is fighting with the leadership of NYENE MAWN over proprietary rights and this is only leaving her with a bloodshot eye. She knows she is sinking but her pride and arrogance will not let her throw in the towel. She will not win any of these fights as her financial base is hollow,” she stressed.

“However, though EYUMEMA and NYENE MAWN have walked away, there is still room for collaboration. We are all daughters of Manyu and our goal is to give the Manyu girl child a chance to see life in a different light. We cannot let one person destroy an entire organization which has stood the test of time. The current president is like a bad tooth which is making the entire mouth restless and uncomfortable. This bad tooth must be yanked out if the mouth must know its peace. We are all looking forward to the next convention or Assembly for a change of guard. We will work with all sister organizations to make Manyu a better place than we met it,” she concluded.

Disagreement is as old as time, but it is a demon which is destroying Manyu Division. People of Manyu descent must learn how to accept differences and, possibly, make something good out of those differences. The current MOWHA leadership should have understood that it is challenging to lead people who have money to run other own lives. It would have been in the best interest of Manyu Division if MOHWA had demonstrated flexibility in the application of its decades-old rules given that the times have changed and many people of Manyu descent now live out of their natural cultural environment.

MOHWA needs new leadership. The organization’s current leadership has not lived up to the glorious expectations of many of its members. The wave of defections and the creation of other organizations is testament to the frustration which has become MOHWA’s hallmark. If MOHWA must survive, then something has to change and the organization’s leadership must reinvent MOHWA. But the current MOHWA leadership lacks the trust of its members. It cannot be trusted, especially as it is using intimidation and fake legal procedures to frustrate those who have ideas which run counter to what it holds. Reconciliation should be the mantra of the next MOHWA leadership but MOHWA members must vote out the current leadership if their organization must continue to stand the test of time.  

 By Dr. Joachim Arrey