Chariot of the Gods and The Den of Thieves

Louis Egbe Mbua

When the Carthaginian -- from Carthage (Tunis) with exactly the same geographical longitude as Theon Okhema, Mount Fako -- explorer, Hanno, arrived the Gulf of Guinea in 600 BC, he recorded a frightfully amazing scene while he was at sea. There have been disputes as to exactly where he actually stood to witness the present day Mount Fako, Cameroon, erupting, pouring lava into the sea. It was surely not in Buea or even Victoria, Cameroon, as the peak of this volcanic giant cannot be seen from these locations since they are part of the Mountain. As Equatorial Guinea could be seen at any vantage point from these cities and coastal areas in Cameroon, one must assume that a view from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, would reveal the power of this Mountain; and that the most likely location of Hanno's observation of lava pouring into the Atlantic ocean was just off Malabo's waters.

The awesome power of Mount Fako, Chariot of The Gods, Theon Okhema, Cameroon, as viewed by Hanno, the Carthaginian (Tunisian), from Malabo.

Hanno, watching red hot Lava pouring onto the Atlantic ocean while the peak was exploding with fire; and feeling the unsustainable heat, was so frightened that he ran away believing that the gods (It is still the belief of the Bakweri natives of Fako to this day) were living on the summit of this Mountain: he was aware that it was the Chariot of the Gods and immediately left without looking back.

Almost 2500 years later, the Germans also arrived the scene, climbed from Victoria and reached Buea so as to take this Mountain for themselves. They failed because the natives put up a fight, routed the German army, and sent them parking. The Germans, having been humiliated mobilised their forces from Germany, and parts of German Africa, rounded up the natives into concentration camps, killed a large number and then seized the lands of these brave natives to create plantations for themselves without any consideration of who actually owned these lands -- The Bakweri natives. The Germans were then sent parking from the land after their defeat of the World War 1 at the hands of the British -- and the French. The British acted sensibly, amalgamated the German owned plantations; and seeking permission from the indigenous Bakweri leaders, who actually regained the land, they formed the Cameroon Development Corporation in 1947. After Independence, a new kind of administration arrived these lands -- They came from French Cameroun. This administration is so cruel and corrupt that they do not even acknowledge the natives as being present in their own land.

The corrupt regime of Mr. Paul Biya and other right wing members of his government, mostly, from French Cameroun natives, East of Mount Fako, Cameroon are in the process of carrying out the worst kind of subjugation, massive theft and the most frightening land grab from the natives since the Germans left. The problem here is that these people are Africans with so much greed that surpasses understanding. The Cameroon government, in tandem with the Cameroon Development Corporation, continue to grab these lands; dividing it amongst themselves and thieving government officials in clear violation of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights' ruling that the land belongs to the ancestral Bakweris; and that the Cameroon government must not touch it. The first scenario is that they have expropriated nearly all lands at the coastal regions from Victoria, where Mount Cameroon rises suddenly from the sea; and now they have reached the Mountain itself. All recent indications are that their insidious objectives will not spare even the Mountain with all its awesome power.

Recently, February 2009, the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope was organised in Buea, the City on this Mountain. Reliable reports reaching us state clearly that corrupt officials from Yaounde, French Cameroun, used this race to embezzle funds, ruin the race by massive dishonest officiating; and refused to hand in running materials to genuine registered athletes but gave French Cameroon natives the required materials; and that the person who won the race cannot provide enough evidence of his full ascent to the visible summit of Mount Fako. We must, therefore, conclude that the theft has now reached the peak. When a man is pushed so that his back is on the wall and has nowhere to run, the author believes it the time to strike back on the intruder with enough force as to send him packing without delay. We must recall that it was at this Mountain town of Buea that the native Bakweri began the fight to take back their land from the Germans; and all indications are that this is where the fight will end. Hanno, while watching from the Atlantic coast about 30 miles off Cameroon, wrote :

"Sailing rapidly, we passed by a fiery region filled with vapours, from which great torrents of fire flowed down to the sea. The land could not be approached because of the heat. We sailed away very quickly, being struck with fear."

Hanno came and left hurriedly. He was a very sensible man indeed. Only a complete fool will tempt fate. The corrupt Yaounde regime has tempted fate; and they will receive their comeuppance for poetic justice will prevail at the Den of Thieves.