This book presents the artistic and cultural production of the small kingdom of Mankon located on the high plateau of Western Cameroon. Featured are objects which are linked with rituals, of prestige or more ordinary pieces all bearing the memory of the treasures of kings, notables and secret societies. Their production plays a fundamental role in cultural continuity, protects evidence of the past and preserves objects used in rites for the well-being of society. This is why they form an essential part of the artistic and cultural heritage of the whole of Mankon. They are extraordinarily rich, both regarding the quality of the objects, by the diversity of domains they approach and by the variety of decorative patterns, styles and themes.

This book is a descriptive and documentary analysis of the Mankon I-language and E-language mirrored through aspects of history, geography, flora and fauna. These aspects manifest in the taxonomic nomenclatures attributed to referents in society. Because these referents were hitherto transmitted orally from generation to generation, the author has painstakingly analysed and documented aspects of Mankon culture for posterity. The work focuses in particular on Mankon proverbs for insights into the structure and function of the language. As a vehicle of communication, language plays a primordial role in encoding and decoding 'metalinguistic' data. Through thorough scientific linguistic universals and principals, Chi Che has proposed orthography for Mankon pedagogy that is simple, tenable and practicable. This book is the answer to the international clarion call for societies to analyse and document their endangered indigenous cultures. Schools, linguists, sociolinguists, anthropologists, historians and others will find this book especially useful.

This book is a descriptive and documentary analysis of the Mankon I-language and E-language mirrored through aspects of history, geography, flora and fauna. These aspects manifest in the taxonomic nomenclatures we attribute to referents in society. Because these referents were hitherto transmitted orally from generation to generation, the author feels the rich Mankon culture could be endangered. Consequently, he has painstakingly analysed and documented aspects of this culture for posterity. This work focuses the Mankon proverb because it gives an insight into the structure and function of the language. Language, a vehicle of communication, plays a primordial role in encoding and decoding 'metalinguistic' data. Through thorough scientific linguistic universals and principals, the author has proposed orthography for Mankon pedagogy that is simple, tenable and practicable. This book is the answer to the international clarion call for societies to analyse and document their endangered indigenous cultures. Schools, linguists, sociolinguists, anthropologists, historians, etc will find this book especially useful.

This book is an exploratory and anthropological showcase of the cultural heritage of the Mankon Kingdom. The author feels this colourful and diversified culture and history, which hitherto had been handed down verbally from generation to generation may face endangerment if not harnessed, documented and projected. This is more so because the cosmopolitan nature of Mankon village, the heartbeat of Bamenda City, erodes her culture piecemeal. The author asserts Mankon, her neighbours and local administration must uphold good-neighbourliness ethos in order to avert disruptive land/boundary disputes that may jeopardize the much-cherished peace in the region. He argues cogently, Cameroon's administration may change nomenclature to avert conflict as the denomination 'Bamenda' referring to the area now occupied by Bamenda I, II, III and beyond, and inherited from the colonial administration, actually means the village and territory of Bamenda I.

Royalty and Politics is the fascinating autobiographical account of a life rich in controversy, leadership, service, achievement and innovation. Born 1925 into the prominent and influential royal family of Mankon in the Bamenda Grassfields of Cameroon, Solomon Anyeghamotü Ndefru least expected becoming king, only to find himself the chosen one following the death of his father in 1959. As Fo Angwafo III of Mankon, one of the most educated 'traditional rulers' at the dawn of independence, he succeeded into Parliament first as an independent, and subsequently as a member of the Cameroon National Union. He has served as First National Vice-President of Paul Biya's Cameroon People's Democratic Movement since 1990. In this unique, analytical and insightful reflection 50 years into his reign, Fo Angwafo III discusses growing up in colonial times; his surprise appointment as king; the 1961 Cameroon Plebiscite and his initiation into politics; being king and politician; coping with the hostility of the modern power elite towards his active involvement in politics; churches, schools and politics; life as an agriculturist; and investments in tending the Kingdom of Mankon. He argues that the best way of consolidating traditions is to make them modern, and that modernity can only make sense to the extent that it is firmly grounded in traditions. In many ways he feels his life encapsulates this negotiation and reconciliation of continuity and change.

Mankon Lexicon: A Bilingual (Mankon-English) Dictionary is an in-depth analysis of the Mankon lexicon. Its bilingual (Mankon-English) thesaurus interface makes it a palatable pedagogic and self-help learning tool. It is a useful reference book for pupils and students, and other independent adult learners of the Mankon Language who will find it easier to learn the language because of the adjuvant English glosses (translations/interpretations). This dictionary is highly recommended for the Mankon and Ngemba home and Diaspora elite and their children. Equally, lovers of the Mankon Fondom will use it for interactive insights into Mankon and the Ngemba tribe at large. A lexicon of about 5000 active vocabulary items and their glosses is analyzed for the learner's useful reference.