BLACK WOMEN ROUND TABLE (BWR) USA EXTEND SOLIDARITY HAND TO CAMEROON QUEEN MOTHERS AND PRINCESSES

By James Achanyi Fontem, camlinknews

WOCOTOMADI Cameroon extends sincere thanks and express their gratitutitude to the members of BLACK WOMEN ROUND TABLE (BWR) USAwhoo were at the origin of donations for queen mothers, queens and princesses in Cameroon for initiating the multi-purpose community development project at LenaleNdem Palace in Melong of the littoral region. The BWR USA donors are the national president based in Washington DC, Melanie L. CAMPBELL, Salandra in Benton, the regional president 0f BWR, Rev. Pastor Deanna Smith,, Dr. Eugenia AGARD, Ambassador of wocotomadi and member of BWR. They allopen-heartedly extended their hands to assist queen mothers, queens and princesses in Cameroon during the official bisit of the community development project for empowering women and the girl-children of Cameroon. HRM Ndoumbe Emmanuel of Bonendale Community in Douala-Bonaberi, lauded the initiative of constructing and equipping the Women’s Multi-functional Centre of WOCOTOMADI at LenaleNdem Palace in Melong, Moungo Division and made a call for the action to be amplified at the level of the Monarch as an example of social-economic projects to be copied and realized in other regions for alleviation of poverty and promotion of gender equity amongst Cameroonians. The visit and working session took place on the 18th August 2019 under the patronage of the Divisional Officer for Melong in the presence of Traditional leaders from the palaces in the Centre, Littoral, West, North West and South West regions, This multi-functional Centre for the training of women and daughters of Fondoms and traditional communities has a 1.000 seat capacity hall, a library, cookery room, a secretariat and toilets. The space in front of the centre for out-doors ceremonies and festivities has environmental protection entities like flowers and trees. Though yet to be completed, the works realized have been estimated at over CFA 20.000.000. It would be recalled thatfrom the 28th to 30th July 2019, traditional leaders of Cameroon and WOCOYOMADI Cameroon NGO organised activities within the frame work of celebrationgthe first edition of the International Day of Kings and Traditional Leaders of Africa at Douala-Bonendale Kingdom under the chairmanship of the national president, HRM Ndoumbe Emmanuel.

It is during the celebration that mothers and daughters of Cameroon Kingdoms and traditional communities decided to adhere to the socio-cultural and traditional programme of Cameroon, which will permit them to develop skills for autonomy and less dependence on men within traditional communities of Cameroon. Within the programme of gender empowerment, the mothers and daughtersin traditional communities will have a day each year for organizing educative talks and exhibiting their know-how in various trades as a means of reducing poverty and fighting against unemployment. The day will be celebrated under a chosen theme each year with the support of WOCOTOMADI national and international networks and conferences will be organized and fundsraised to support on-going initiatives and joint projects like the one visited at LenaleNdem Palace in Melong. Conferences were organized this year with the support of BWR USA and Queen mothers from traditional palaces in Cameroon. The participants were guided on the strategies of mounting projects and realizing them in their various communities. The projects aim at projecting the vision of WOCOTOMADI, which is coming together to make a difference within world communities. The creation and construction of the multi-functional socio-economic and cultural centre at the LenaleNdem Palace in Melong falls within this vision of WOCOTOMADI for the promotion of gender equity within communities around the world. HRM TatabongFonjinju offered this space as an example that should be copied all over the world as a founding member of WOCOTOMADI Cameroon. The ceremony presided over by the Divisional officer inMelong,Moungo Division of Littoral region was attended by women from various traditional kingdoms, traditional communities, kings, queen-mothers, princesses and members of WOCOTOMADI Cameroon. The representative of the national queen mothers network, Mrs. Célestine KETCHA COURTES, and the divisional delegate for women’s empowerment and the family addressed the participants during the occasion at the LenaleNdem Palace in Melong. The Kings, Traditional leaders and queen-mothers present pledged to put the community hall into good use and prove their worth and capacities in the development of their various communities. At the end of the ceremony, queen-mothers, princesses, mothers and daughters present held a working session with the divisioanl delegate to prepare an action plan for animation of the space donated to them at LenaleNdem Palace. The participants visited the zones created for hair dressing, seam stressing, computer ITC training and organisation of educative group talks,secretariats hip and library for documentation their realized activities. In the address by HRM FonjinjuTatabong, he thanked all for accepting to his invitation to attend the official visit of the multi-purpose women’s empowerment centre constructed in his palace. He said, women in general and queen mothers in particular play a very important role in the functioning and development of palaces and traditional communities in Cameroon. This explains why he was motivated to initiate the project to empower them for better out-comes within the frame work of the policy of the World Coming Together To Make a Diffirence (WOCOTOMADI). This was an honour and humbling opportunity for him to ddresstraditional leaders, queen mothers and members of WOCOTOMADI on the occasion of the national celebration in Bonendale-Douala..He thanked all very much for giving him the wonderful opportunity.

He added that when leaders meet, it is opportunity for them to take stock of their successes and plan for the way forward to enhance peace and unity in the different communities by living together in Cameroon and the world as a whole. In his words, “we should be able to Spotlight new initiatives through exhibitions and arts programs within our communities and celebrate with a roof garden cocktail”. Many participants at the occasion saw LenaleNdem Palace which started in a Forest with many Trees as a miracle of development. He noted that UNESCO Cameroon officials have visited the palace in the past and caught up with artists and university professors of Arts and culture. He invited all to celebrate WOCOTOMADI with Arts and culture connected with our Communities, putting men and women together for self-development, peace and unity. This is because each community is named after specific works and activities relating to the Hidden Forests or characteristics in Cameroon. HRM Fonjinju pleads that 100% of funds raised by WOCOTOMADI during meeting sessions should be directed towards development goals, national Arts and Cultural heritage. It is during arts and cultural festivals that the vast majority of exhibitions and events bring women and men together, freely and open gates to the entire public to join for development without boundaries. Cameroon has more than 250 ethnic communities with different languages and harbour more than 5000 Artists and Fine Arts for everyone which are lodged in LenaleNdem UNESCO Museum in Melong. By meeting regularly, WOCOTOMADI members agree to help support the development of each other, arts and culture which remains the base of all identities. According to him, we shall remain ever inspired by our late great grandmothers’ grinding stones for grinding maize, groundnuts and other grains.He emphasized, he was Inspired by the late great grandmothers’ grinding stones for grinding maize, ground nuts, corn and other grains,and forged all members of WOCOTOMADI to preserve the heritage left behind in royal kingdoms all over the world. HRM Fonjinju strongly believes that ARTS & CULTURE engagement Programs will remain a cross collaborative activity of a variety of organizations within different communities, all dedicated to building a better community through know-how that protects and is also used for solving problems and empowering women in societies around the world. With these simple words, he wished all persons present at the event a delightful and rich meeting session in LenaleNdemMelong. See videoes: https://youtu.be/y991CX4mlhg https://youtu.be/EjTr1brdjgM https://youtu.be/btt8oRhs-gc https://youtu.be/zbd1IUuv5Ok https://youtu.be/ckHelQr5kzM https://youtu.be/TrGf2I9ktzo https://youtu.be/ScahqIDU6Xo https://youtu.be/Uu_3X1VSYTE https://youtu.be/ESOnE2QgaVE https://youtu.be/wqsz7mjPrI8 https://youtu.be/leWWiNHJl80