The paramount Fon of the kingdom of Nso here attending a political meeting in Yaounde.
Mrs Josephine P. Of Bamenda, Ambazonia, writes
Letter to the Editor
Title: A Crown for Every Guest? The Quiet Humiliation of Ambazonian Tradition
Sir,
There was a time when our palaces stood as citadels of dignity, spiritual authority, and ancestral pride. Today, one can hardly distinguish between a palace and a political campaign ground. What was once sacred has become a stage — and the traditional custodians, sadly, are playing along in what can only be described as a slow erosion of the Ambazonian soul.
Over the past sixty years of forced cohabitation under La République du Cameroun (LRC), our traditional institutions — once revered by even the highest offices in the land — have been reduced to ceremonial accessories in a system that neither understands nor respects their cultural depth. It is astonishing how quickly we have gone from a moment in 1971, when President Ahmadou Ahidjo humbled himself to meet the Fon of Nso in his palace — and stood while the Fon remained seated — to today, where our Fons and Chiefs seem to hand out traditional titles to visiting dignitaries as though they were souvenirs.
What exactly is driving this? Is it an inferiority complex, over-generosity, or both? We are a kind and welcoming people, no doubt — but surely there must be limits to our hospitality. When almost every visitor — be they a foreign official, a known génocidaire, or even a dubious businessman — leaves our land as a “crowned” Fon or Chief, we are no longer practicing generosity. We are trading away our heritage.
It is hard to imagine the King of England knighting a visitor after a weekend visit, much less handing over royal regalia or sacred titles. Yet in Ambazonia, particularly in the Southern and Northern Zones, it has become a bizarre trend: guests arrive and are instantly transformed into nobility, often with no understanding of the weight such honours carry. The symbolism of our thrones, totems, and chieftaincies is being diluted with each misplaced title, each politically motivated coronation, and each handshake that breaks protocol.
Some things were never meant to be changed. In many traditions, a Fon does not shake hands — especially not with women or junior visitors. Today, we see Fons chasing after administrators, bowing to junior bureaucrats, or worse, being summoned by divisional officers. Where is the dignity? Where is the line between reverence and ridicule?
The situation calls for introspection and reform. Our traditional leaders must remember that they are not political foot soldiers or cultural entertainers. They are the living vessels of our history — custodians of identity, memory, and honour. If they do not preserve the gravity of their office, who will?
Let us remember that Ahidjo travelled all the way to the Nso Palace and respected the protocol because it was immovable, sacred, and authoritative. That must be our standard, not the new low of titles-for-favours.
We must stop this cultural cheapening before we find ourselves a people with empty crowns, shallow rituals, and no pride.
Respectfully,
Josephine P.
Bamenda, Ambazonia
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