NW boils as historic artefacts carted overnight to Y’de

There is mounting tension, anger and frustration in the North West regional capital of Bamenda; following news that the region’s historic artefacts, some as old as 56 years old, have on the instructions of Ama Tutu Muna, Arts and Culture Minister, been carted to the national museum in Yaounde. 

Boiling with rage, irate elite of the region told this reporter that they feel the more betrayed and insulted because the action has at its origin, a daughter of the soil. The region’s antiquities, it should be recalled, were transferred from the North West Regional Delegation of Arts and Culture in Bamenda.

Reacting to the development however, Tutu Muna, told this reporter by phone that the so-called tension was nothing but a false alarm.

 

Meanwhile, Cameroon Journal gathered that the over 1300 artefacts were carted from the North West delegation of arts and culture to Yaounde by a delegation from the ministry; led by the Inspector General Number 1 at the ministry, Angwafor Gladys, herself  a daughter of the region.

Although we learnt that the letter signed by the Minister effecting the transfer of the North West art objects to Yaounde posited that it was just a temporary move; pending the completion of the construction of the North West delegation of arts and culture, incensed elite of the region are all convinced that the art objects have been carted for good and would never be retruned. 

When accosted for reaction, the North West regional delegate of arts and culture, Lukong Ernestine, elected to remain mute on the issue; referring the journal to the minister of arts and culture. Hear her:  “You are not the only journalist or North West elite who has questioned me on this issue. Please, the minister would be better placed to answer your question”. She however disclosed that the artefacts were transferred to Yaounde on Saturday, May 17, 2014.

 Ndifor Cletus, a king- maker of Bamendankwe who like other North West elite was fuming with anger, said posterity will never forgive Minister Ama Muna if the art objects are not brought back to the region as she promised in the mission letter. “We can’t be talking about decentralization and at the same time centralizing. It beats my imagination that Minister Ama Tutu Muna who hails from the North West is abusing her people’s identity”. He said some of the art objects were brought in from Enugu in Nigeria in 1958 when Southern Cameroonians were still in Nigeria. Ndifor Cletus gave to understanding that everybody;  including the staff of the North West delegation of arts and culture wept profusely when the art objects were being whisked to Yaounde.

An expert in antiquities said if sold, the over 1300 objects could be above the budget of Cameroon for ten years especially as most of them are over 60years old. He questioned whether it’s a national decision to move all regional museums to Yaounde or a deliberate decision by Minister Ama Muna to transfer her people’s patrimony to Yaounde.

The journal was told that Muna was aware of the sensitive nature of the issue, reason why the objects were transferred on a non-working day like Saturday.     

   Meanwhile Minister Ama Muna for her part said that the decision to transfer the artefacts to the national museum in Yaounde was for proper preservation. “We had realised that the artefacts were not only abandoned in dirt but were gradually being sold out by some officials of the North West delegation of arts and culture”. She hinted that more than once, some of the stolen artefacts have been intercepted at the Yaounde Nsimalen airport in Yaounde. 

Asked what would be done with the artefacts, Ama Muna swore that they would all be returned to the region as soon as a befitting museum was constructed in the region to house them. “ All the artefacts we brought in from the North West have been well labelled and documented...Let me assure you that not even one of them would be missing...they shall all be taken back to the North West when we are through with constructing a museum there”, she assured.