An open letter to the Nso community from a son of the soil amid the crisis

By Yundze Beryu

Dear Nso,

There is a common song in the Catholic church that goes: Ven m’a Christians ve’à dzén é nsai fen, vesin dzé’em kwati jang vifii bam, ‘ji veé saa ghan’le baa dzé’ nsai fen…”
I would like us to borrow from this song to “sit down to think, call our back our senses and question how we got here…” (direct translation of the opening sentence above). It will be great to ask ourselves who we are and what makes us what we are? Evidently, we are something that we perhaps already know and still to make good use of it or something that we are yet to know. There are many who respect Nso, many who envy Nso. We just need to listen to others when they talk about us, and we will know that greatness is already in us, and we simply have to put it to good use. A strong people are built from the foundation – and a strong foundation we have! This foundation is our culture! It gives us our identity, our mannerisms and our essence. Our foundation is based in our institutions and beliefs.
Nso believes in justice, empathy, resilience and good faith. Nso leaves this justice and revenge to the soil (Nsai) which is considered sacred. Nso believes that Nsai Nso gives us life and many other good things. Among those good things is brilliance. This is a common compliment that others give to Nso. In other words, this gift is unmistakable. This can also be seen in the distinction Wirnso (the Nso person) has shown in different walks of life across the globe. However, it is time Nso puts this excellence into use for the common good. It is time for Nso to drop emotions and pick up logic.
Let Nso bear in mind that before the various politics that we are playing today, Nso was in existence and has stood the test of time and blessed its children with essence (something to live for). It is common today to hear a Wirnso accuse another of “playing politics”. But one thing Nso forgets is that the statement is in itself political. If we consider a simplified definition of politics which describes politics as a game of interest, then everyone is a politician. Everyone is simply “dragging the blanket to their side”. Nevertheless, as we enter a new year 2025, I will like for Nso to “jang vifii bam” (recall our senses) and play the politics that benefits Nso.
It has been established – especially by others – that a revolution without Nso is doomed. In 2017 when militias were popping up in every corner of the former West Cameroon and Nso was calm, others raised calls for Nso to join and join Nso did. In the 1990s Nso was dubbed Baghdad because it was raising the stakes of the revolution. In 2008, the talk was that Nso should live up to the 1990s expectations, and consequently a group went out burning public and private properties. Every October 1, the SCNC faction in Nso ensured that if the Ambazonian flag was not raised anywhere else in the former Southern Cameroons, it should be raised in Nso. This sometimes resulted in the loss of lives.
Since 2016, Nso as a group have arguably buried more people than any other group in “the struggle”. These are not just deaths that occurred in Nso but in other parts of the former West Cameroon and Cameroon at large.
While Nso is rethinking, I will also like for us to borrow from another church song that goes: “Count your many blessings name them one by one…”! This time around, we will sing in the opposite direction and count our many losses, naming them one by one. The purpose of counting is to remind those doing politics in the name of Nso to know that politics is a game of interest and that if Nso is to sacrifice, it must have a befitting reward. Recently, an Ambazonian armed group came out in Squares, Kumbo to warn against the celebration of the planned Ngonnso festival. Prior to their outing, some non-Nso Ambazonian “leaders” had pressed for the disruption of the planned event. Some even mentioned that a return to normalcy in Nso will mean the end of “the struggle”. It should be noted that cultural activities have been going on smoothly in various other places, especially in Bakweri land and Mankon.
These outings made me reflect on the Nso politics. Are we being used as puns for others to make their political gains? Is our natural quest for justice and our resilience being used to another’s advantage? Is our homeland, our institutions and our culture a theatre for a cause that we have less stakes in? That seems to be the case! Since the 1990s, Nso has incurred huge losses in the various revolutions but is yet to have a Wirnso as the head of a revolution or that of the outcome of such a fight or yet to make major gains from any of such a revolution. Because of the dedication and belief in justice that comes from the Nso foundation, others can be seen to be using Wirnso to reach their goals while keeping Wirnso in a secondary role.
Most often Nso makes the mistake of attacking its foundation for a cause that will have little to offer to Nso. While some are using the palace to their advantage and sometimes taking the Fon to campaign in the market square for their cause, others repeatedly abduct the Fon and desecrate some sacred sites.
In another instance, some are throwing deadly punches on and off social media attacking other Wirnso and Nso institutions. Ironically, others describe Nso as a united people and they envy the willingness among Nso to cooperate especially out of the land. They envy the reverence Nso gives to their Fon and to their culture. What if Nso used this force to demand for the things that will make Nso stronger? What will the passive or active attacks on our institutions do for us apart from hurting us? Our culture and tradition makes us who we are and we need to guard it jealously. All a Wirnso wants is a better home from which he will go to the palace on ‘Reevey’ for Ngiri, on Ntangrin for Nwerong and on the various Mfuh days. A Wirnso wants to be able to go to the palace and watch palace jujus and talk about it all week while going about his or her business. The larger politics is just a plus to Nso and should thus benefit Nso.
Whoever is playing politics in the name of Nso should ask themselves if it was Nso that was here first or the politics they are playing. You are your name, your language, your land and your culture first before any other thing. And if you start by destroying what makes you – you, then you should ensure that the reward is worth the price Nso is paying for. Nso should understand that this is politics and Nso should be put first. Only a child that has lost his or her mind will point to his father’s house with the left hand. If Nso can lose as a collective, why not gain as a collective. Let us “jang vifii bam” and count our losses.

Beryu Yundze holds a PhD in Political Science and International Relations from Istanbul Aydin University – Turkey. Before pursuing graduate studies, he worked as a journalist with several newspapers in Cameroon. He is currently a researcher at Luxan Research Institute, Turkey with interest in African traditional governments, security, democracy and governance.