The Confederation of Lebialem Cultural and Development Associations, CONLECUDA, has launched a centre for the teaching of the Nweh/Nwah, Mudani etc languages.
The centre will is expected to serve as home for mother tongue leaning and teaching, academic literacy and communication, translation, interpretation, oral Bible stories, theatre, riddles and jokes on the mother tongue.
While launching the centre recently in Dschang, the Promoter of CONLECUDA, Chief Justice Joseph Fonkwe Fongang, said one of the main objective of the centre is to get the local languages of Lebialem taught together.
"Our team, with the help of CABTAL resource persons, will train ten Nweh language teachers in Dschang. Those teachers will subsequently organize Nweh language classes, for you in Dschang, from the 2nd to the 30th of August 2021 and thereafter," he said.
"We must cut somewhere and move forward, with the central variety or lead language, following international standards as others have done in different parts of the planet for mother tongue to grow," he added.
So far, CONLECUCA, with the help of CABTAL, created a Nweh Alphabet of 31 letters with 21 consonants and 10 vowels. This alphabet stems from the general alphabet of Cameroonian languages.
A data bank of more than 2000 translated words exists with a glossary of Nweh terms is in the making while a text book has already been written by the experts for the teaching of Nweh.
Meantime, the New Testament has been translated into Mundane, for the eight fondoms of Wabane Sub Division, Nweh Language is still being written and the entire Bible shall be translated for the nine fondoms in Fontem and Alou Subdivisions.
In the long run, literacy classes shall be run for both Nweh and Mundane Languages, after the translation of the Old Testament into Mundane and the training of Mundane Language teachers or refresher courses for the existing teachers.
CONLECUDA LANGUAGE CENTERS shall be opened across the country and beyond with online courses to be made available.
For now, CONLECUDA has translated into Nweh the Gospels of LUKE and MATHIEU. Ten chapters of MARK have also been translated while the Bible translation is ongoing.
The goal is to enable Christians worship God in their mother tongue. This falls within one of the initiatives CONLECUDA is undertaking in collaboration with CABTAL.
There are also economic developmental projects in the pipeline for the project which will cover all the fondoms equally.
The new spirit that CONLECUDA is promoting is succinctly captured by the motto: "LEBIALEM: ONE MAMI ONE PAPA".
It is also in line with their vision to think and act divisional, beyond individual fondoms, break physical and mental barriers or boundaries and share love with each other as children of the same womb.
Going by the promoter of CONLECUDA, If division, petition writing, pull him down, backstabbing, betrayal, discrimination etc have not moved Lebialem forward, after more than half a century, then let it is time to try UNITY.
Like Albert Einstein, a German physicist said, if you carry out an experiment and obtain failed results, then you better change the method of experimenting to have desired results.
So far, CONLECUDA has united Lebialem people through subdivisional cultural festivals, unity football tournaments for both men and women categories; Miss CONLECUDA Beauty Contest; all crowned with a divisional cultural jamboree chaired by the Minister of Arts and Culture, representing the Prime Minister and Head of Government.
These events also permitted the internally displaced brothers and sisters living with in Yaounde, to go out of the stress they have gone through for some time now.
"It would seem nothing has ever before united our people like the above events.
You too in Dschang can do same like those in Yaounde. I know the armed conflict in Lebialem has displaced many of our people to Dschang and elsewhere. They have gone through terrible situations of shock. They are living in horrifying human conditions. We cannot fold our arms and see. As soon as the coronavirus pandemic gives way and permits the lifting of barrier measures, we shall organize trauma healing sessions for IDPs. This will be our own modest way of giving the IDPs psychological, social and moral support," Fonkwe Fongang revealed.
He also used the occasion to thank the Mayor of Menji Council for providing an office space for the Language Centre in Dschang while lauding the Alou and Wabane Councils for the financial support given them during the sport tournament.
"In short, the three councils of Lebialem are our partners in development following the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) we signed on the 3rd of March 2018 in Menji. We remain very grateful for that. And last but not the least, our special thanks to CABTAL who has journeyed so far with us. Without our partnership with CABTAL none of our achievements would have been possible. We pray for peace and normalcy to return to our Division for us to go home for the effective implementation of the MoUs with all our partners," he explained.
By Doh Bertrand
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