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Papers by Ngome Elvis Nkome
Not that religion and spirituality can, in their very nature, ever be neutral subjects of discuss... more Not that religion and spirituality can, in their very nature, ever be neutral subjects of discussion. In fact, religion is one of the most interest-laden of all discussions. Religion supplies meaningsin-the-world, nothing less. Spirituality is an ultimate source of interest. Religion provides an account of human origins, responsibilities, and destinies. It sets out to explain the nature of being. And it creates a framework for interpreting human action according principles of good and evil. Religion's stance is not only interest-intensive. It is also transcendental. Religion strives to reach beyond the lifeworld, grasping deeper meanings that may not always be self-evident in the ordinariness of everyday experience. This much can be said of religion-in-general. As for religions-in-particular, the range is as wide as the cultural experiences of human species-being. "First nations" or indigenous peoples practiced a broad range of immanentist religions, including variants of totemism, animism, nature worship, shamanism, and ancestor worshipperhaps, in one perspective, for as long as the one hundred thousand years or more of our existence as a species. Religion then was less a separate institutional, spatial and temporal space than it became in subsequent moments of human history. Religious meanings were deeply and integrally layered into the material and social worlds, thus representing a belief in the pervasive immanence of spiritual powers in natural circumstances and human affairs. From about five thousand years ago, religious modes take a radically new textual-narrative form in conjunction with parallel revolutions in agriculture, the domestication of animals, village or city dwelling, the invention of writing and institutionalized economic class inequality. The new religions are rarely unequivocally monotheistic (monotheistic systems of deity mostly have multiple personalities and deified prophets or saints). Nor are they simply polytheistic (polytheistic systems of deity mostly have hierarchies of major and lesser deity). Their key features are the progressive solidification of religious expression into sacred texts, sanctified buildings and the institutional formation of a class of priestly interpreters and intermediaries. The common modes of meaning of these second phase religions are even signified at times to the extent of sharing historic origins or exemplary persons and narratives. Religious meanings take a third paradigmatic turn with the arrival of modernity. Or, more to the point, a new mode of spirituality emerges in a parallel universe of meaning alongside the persistence of the first two. For the first time in human history, modernity provides an alternative meaning system which is areligious-based on mixes of the epistemes of science, civic law, economic progress, vernacular materialism and human reason. At the same time, atheism and agnosticism emerge as engaged counterpoints to religion. Religion, nevertheless, powerfully persists in forms characteristic of all three of these worldhistoric moments of meaning-ascription. Modern, liberal reinterpretations of second phase world religions recast sacred cosmologies as metaphorical, and not incompatible with science. They perform re-readings of sacred narratives in the light of modernity's ethical aspirations such as for gender equality, human biomastery, non-violence, and material wellbeing for all. The shift is so profound that these modes of religiously themselves might be characterized as third phase. Meanwhile, others insist on holding to the truths of second phase religiosity. In practice they do this by means of textual literalism, religious fundamentalism and didactic religious education. The chasm between liberal and fundamentalist religiosity in modernity at times seems as great as that between religionists and anti-religionists. And to add an original layer to our contemporary complexity, first nation religions persist and at times thrive, while revivals of immanentist religion are found in "new age" and other such spiritualities. Today, the search for meaning-grounds can only be described as a scene of unprecedented pluralism. To this, we can react in several ways. We can adopt pluralism as a modern value and strive for shared meanings and harmony-indifference on earth. Or we can regard pluralism as force undermining the integrity of religion and with it, the communal distinctiveness of specific religious ways of life-in this frame of reference pluralism is an aspect of modernity that should be resisted.
Sumediang and Subaltern Development Sumediang and Subaltern Development in Bakossi-Cameroon: A Historical Assessment of the impact of a Women's Common Initiative Group c1985-2015in Bakossi-Cameroon: A Historical Ass, 2015
Since the Beijing Conference, there has been a growing concern about the contribution of women in... more Since the Beijing Conference, there has been a growing concern about the contribution of women in local and global development. Before the conference, the role of women especially in African political and socioeconomic development was relatively underprivileged due to a number of traditional and institutional stereotypes amongst which was the believe that a woman was made for child bearing and food preparation. Following the Beijing conference and the economic crisis that plagued most African countries in the 1980s and 1990s, women gradually became conscious of the necessity for them to contribute to the alleviation of not only their condition but that of the entire society in which they live. This saw the emergence and proliferation of women's common initiative groups and self-help schemes. In this paper, we argue that the contribution of such groups especially in subaltern studies has not acquired the desired coverage. We therefore articulate the contributions of one of such organizations called Sumediang; a leading women's Common Initiative Group among the Bakossi ethnic group of Cameroon in addressing the over-arching challenges confronting women of the area. Our theoretical base is Women and Development (WAD) and our methodological approach is historical with interviews and some primary source literature study as the main data collection tools.
Constructing From Reminiscences: Indigenous Conflict Resolution Mechanisms among the Bakossi (Cameroon), C.1750-2000, 2020
The current social and political conflicts that characterize many post independent African states... more The current social and political conflicts that characterize many post independent African states is indicative of the fact that existing western modeled national and international conflict prevention mechanisms have failed to provide lasting solutions to the different conflicts that the continent is renowned for. Drawing from the Bakossi ethnic group of Cameroon, this article argues that traditional African societies could offer more effective conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms based on the African's strict respect for traditional symbols and institutions. We demonstrate that traditional Africa was not a conflict free society but that, the societies had evolved highly respected systems which did not permit the intensification of conflicts. We recount how some of these symbols/systems were effectively used in conflict situations among the Bakossi and at the same time calling for their reappropriation in contemporary times. We argue that German and later British colonialism used and later discarded these mechanisms in abating conflicts. We have relied on oral tradition and some selected literature in gathering and presenting the data.
The current social and political conflicts that characterize many post independent African states... more The current social and political conflicts that characterize many post independent African states is indicative of the fact that existing western modeled national and international conflict prevention mechanisms have failed to provide lasting solutions to the different conflicts that the continent is renowned for. Drawing from the Bakossi ethnic group of Cameroon, this article argues that traditional African societies could offer more effective conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms based on the African’s strict respect for traditional symbols and institutions. We demonstrate that traditional Africa was not a conflict free society but that, the societies had evolved highly respected systems which did not permit the intensification of conflicts. We recount how some of these symbols/systems were effectively used in conflict situations among the Bakossi and at the same time calling for their reappropriation in contemporary times. We argue that German and later British colonialis...
Conference Presentations by Ngome Elvis Nkome
Globalization and Cultural Identities: An Ethno-Historical Survey of the Decline and Resilience of the 'Country Cloth' Culture in Cameroon, C. 1850-2015, 2016
The importance of cultural studies in the reconstruction of African history cannot be overemphasi... more The importance of cultural studies in the reconstruction of African history cannot be overemphasized especially in this era of globalization. African history can be recounted and rewritten purely from African perspective using music, dance, funeral, and enthronement ceremonies as objects and artefact to write African history. Drawing from an afro-centric view point, this paper examines the influence of globalization on indigenous African identities, focusing on the decline and resilience of African cloth culture or 'traditional regalia' in this era of globalization. Scholars have argued that culture remains the most influential mark of identity of a people and hence must be protected or preserved. Several ethnic groups have through western contacts and other forms of globalization lost their cultural identity or become acculturated and this affects their identities in different ways. This paper uses the Sawa Sanja country cloth pattern and the grassfields attires of Cameroon as case studies to elucidate the impact of foreign cloth culture and popular media on their identity over the years. The study adopts a historical approach, while relying on both primary and secondary sources of information.
Not that religion and spirituality can, in their very nature, ever be neutral subjects of discuss... more Not that religion and spirituality can, in their very nature, ever be neutral subjects of discussion. In fact, religion is one of the most interest-laden of all discussions. Religion supplies meaningsin-the-world, nothing less. Spirituality is an ultimate source of interest. Religion provides an account of human origins, responsibilities, and destinies. It sets out to explain the nature of being. And it creates a framework for interpreting human action according principles of good and evil. Religion's stance is not only interest-intensive. It is also transcendental. Religion strives to reach beyond the lifeworld, grasping deeper meanings that may not always be self-evident in the ordinariness of everyday experience. This much can be said of religion-in-general. As for religions-in-particular, the range is as wide as the cultural experiences of human species-being. "First nations" or indigenous peoples practiced a broad range of immanentist religions, including variants of totemism, animism, nature worship, shamanism, and ancestor worshipperhaps, in one perspective, for as long as the one hundred thousand years or more of our existence as a species. Religion then was less a separate institutional, spatial and temporal space than it became in subsequent moments of human history. Religious meanings were deeply and integrally layered into the material and social worlds, thus representing a belief in the pervasive immanence of spiritual powers in natural circumstances and human affairs. From about five thousand years ago, religious modes take a radically new textual-narrative form in conjunction with parallel revolutions in agriculture, the domestication of animals, village or city dwelling, the invention of writing and institutionalized economic class inequality. The new religions are rarely unequivocally monotheistic (monotheistic systems of deity mostly have multiple personalities and deified prophets or saints). Nor are they simply polytheistic (polytheistic systems of deity mostly have hierarchies of major and lesser deity). Their key features are the progressive solidification of religious expression into sacred texts, sanctified buildings and the institutional formation of a class of priestly interpreters and intermediaries. The common modes of meaning of these second phase religions are even signified at times to the extent of sharing historic origins or exemplary persons and narratives. Religious meanings take a third paradigmatic turn with the arrival of modernity. Or, more to the point, a new mode of spirituality emerges in a parallel universe of meaning alongside the persistence of the first two. For the first time in human history, modernity provides an alternative meaning system which is areligious-based on mixes of the epistemes of science, civic law, economic progress, vernacular materialism and human reason. At the same time, atheism and agnosticism emerge as engaged counterpoints to religion. Religion, nevertheless, powerfully persists in forms characteristic of all three of these worldhistoric moments of meaning-ascription. Modern, liberal reinterpretations of second phase world religions recast sacred cosmologies as metaphorical, and not incompatible with science. They perform re-readings of sacred narratives in the light of modernity's ethical aspirations such as for gender equality, human biomastery, non-violence, and material wellbeing for all. The shift is so profound that these modes of religiously themselves might be characterized as third phase. Meanwhile, others insist on holding to the truths of second phase religiosity. In practice they do this by means of textual literalism, religious fundamentalism and didactic religious education. The chasm between liberal and fundamentalist religiosity in modernity at times seems as great as that between religionists and anti-religionists. And to add an original layer to our contemporary complexity, first nation religions persist and at times thrive, while revivals of immanentist religion are found in "new age" and other such spiritualities. Today, the search for meaning-grounds can only be described as a scene of unprecedented pluralism. To this, we can react in several ways. We can adopt pluralism as a modern value and strive for shared meanings and harmony-indifference on earth. Or we can regard pluralism as force undermining the integrity of religion and with it, the communal distinctiveness of specific religious ways of life-in this frame of reference pluralism is an aspect of modernity that should be resisted.
Sumediang and Subaltern Development Sumediang and Subaltern Development in Bakossi-Cameroon: A Historical Assessment of the impact of a Women's Common Initiative Group c1985-2015in Bakossi-Cameroon: A Historical Ass, 2015
Since the Beijing Conference, there has been a growing concern about the contribution of women in... more Since the Beijing Conference, there has been a growing concern about the contribution of women in local and global development. Before the conference, the role of women especially in African political and socioeconomic development was relatively underprivileged due to a number of traditional and institutional stereotypes amongst which was the believe that a woman was made for child bearing and food preparation. Following the Beijing conference and the economic crisis that plagued most African countries in the 1980s and 1990s, women gradually became conscious of the necessity for them to contribute to the alleviation of not only their condition but that of the entire society in which they live. This saw the emergence and proliferation of women's common initiative groups and self-help schemes. In this paper, we argue that the contribution of such groups especially in subaltern studies has not acquired the desired coverage. We therefore articulate the contributions of one of such organizations called Sumediang; a leading women's Common Initiative Group among the Bakossi ethnic group of Cameroon in addressing the over-arching challenges confronting women of the area. Our theoretical base is Women and Development (WAD) and our methodological approach is historical with interviews and some primary source literature study as the main data collection tools.
Constructing From Reminiscences: Indigenous Conflict Resolution Mechanisms among the Bakossi (Cameroon), C.1750-2000, 2020
The current social and political conflicts that characterize many post independent African states... more The current social and political conflicts that characterize many post independent African states is indicative of the fact that existing western modeled national and international conflict prevention mechanisms have failed to provide lasting solutions to the different conflicts that the continent is renowned for. Drawing from the Bakossi ethnic group of Cameroon, this article argues that traditional African societies could offer more effective conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms based on the African's strict respect for traditional symbols and institutions. We demonstrate that traditional Africa was not a conflict free society but that, the societies had evolved highly respected systems which did not permit the intensification of conflicts. We recount how some of these symbols/systems were effectively used in conflict situations among the Bakossi and at the same time calling for their reappropriation in contemporary times. We argue that German and later British colonialism used and later discarded these mechanisms in abating conflicts. We have relied on oral tradition and some selected literature in gathering and presenting the data.
The current social and political conflicts that characterize many post independent African states... more The current social and political conflicts that characterize many post independent African states is indicative of the fact that existing western modeled national and international conflict prevention mechanisms have failed to provide lasting solutions to the different conflicts that the continent is renowned for. Drawing from the Bakossi ethnic group of Cameroon, this article argues that traditional African societies could offer more effective conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms based on the African’s strict respect for traditional symbols and institutions. We demonstrate that traditional Africa was not a conflict free society but that, the societies had evolved highly respected systems which did not permit the intensification of conflicts. We recount how some of these symbols/systems were effectively used in conflict situations among the Bakossi and at the same time calling for their reappropriation in contemporary times. We argue that German and later British colonialis...
Globalization and Cultural Identities: An Ethno-Historical Survey of the Decline and Resilience of the 'Country Cloth' Culture in Cameroon, C. 1850-2015, 2016
The importance of cultural studies in the reconstruction of African history cannot be overemphasi... more The importance of cultural studies in the reconstruction of African history cannot be overemphasized especially in this era of globalization. African history can be recounted and rewritten purely from African perspective using music, dance, funeral, and enthronement ceremonies as objects and artefact to write African history. Drawing from an afro-centric view point, this paper examines the influence of globalization on indigenous African identities, focusing on the decline and resilience of African cloth culture or 'traditional regalia' in this era of globalization. Scholars have argued that culture remains the most influential mark of identity of a people and hence must be protected or preserved. Several ethnic groups have through western contacts and other forms of globalization lost their cultural identity or become acculturated and this affects their identities in different ways. This paper uses the Sawa Sanja country cloth pattern and the grassfields attires of Cameroon as case studies to elucidate the impact of foreign cloth culture and popular media on their identity over the years. The study adopts a historical approach, while relying on both primary and secondary sources of information.