''Evou'' the Mystical Journey: A Fiction on the Political Arena of Cameroon

By Thomas Essama Mveng

Nearly fifty years after independence, a revolt is raging in Cameroon and could leave the country anemic. A brutal revolution is on the way: Mbang Zoa saw it in his dream, during one of his nightly journeys. Mbang Zoa, the prodigal warlock, initiated since his tender childhood by his uncle, witnessed the unraveling of violence, hecatombs, and the tetany of a country that has gotten stuck into its issues of domestic policy and has sunk into psychoses. Mbang Zoa knows it, change is necessary. But he is also convinced of the pointlessness of weapons. Now, the big question is: how do we remedy this upcoming disaster and silence the dissensions to put Cameroon back on the tracks?
Political fiction on the contemporary and past Cameroonian society, EVOU, the Mystical Journey tightly binds the Romanesque to the Reflexive. Earnestly describing the ailments that are gangrening his country (neocolonialism, corruption), anticipating the social and harsh movements that are preying on him, Thomas Mveng, through the magical character of Mbang Zoa -but also through the suggestive magic behind any fictional work- imagines a solution to these threats which are lingering over an entire nation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 23, 2008
• ISBN: 9781462835935

Thomas Essama Mveng

Thomas Essama Mveng est né à Yaoundé, au Cameroun. Titulaire du Doctorat 3e cycle de Finances de l’Institut Supérieur de Gestion de Paris (ISG Paris), il a servi tour à tour dans diverses sociétés: Rhône-Poulenc SA et Société de Banque Thomson (France), Aéroport du Cameroun SA (ADC SA-Cameroun) et Fonds Monétaire International (IMF-USA), et a été enseignant de Contrôle de Gestion à l’Université Catholique d’Afrique Centrale à Yaoundé (Cameroun). Il est membre de l’Institut des Auditeurs Internes (IIA-USA).

Book preview

"EVOU’’

THE MYSTICAL JOURNEY

A FICTION ON THE

POLITICAL ARENA OF CAMEROON

Thomas Essama Mveng

Copyright © 2009 by Thomas Essama Mveng.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Translated from French by Anne-Marie S. Esse

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

54883

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Glossary

To Leonie Mveng…

Cameroonian Woman

Beti Woman

Brave Woman

I pay you tribute

My love for you is for ever

Your voice from beyond the grave

Radiant in eternity

Your encouragements

Your advice has been very helpful.

This book is dedicated to you

May you rest in peace?

Thomas Essama Mveng

October 12, 2007

Acknowledgments

This Book Is Dedicated To All The Cameroonian People, In The Hope That It Will Serve Them As A Sudden Awareness Facing The Stakes The Country Is Experiencing Today.

Sincere Thanks To My Daughter Stephanie Christelle Mveng Essama, With Whom I Spent Entire Nights Researching The ‘Evou’ Phenomenon; Jacques And Marie Claire Mbazomo, For Their Unfailing Support;

Thanks To Raphaël Ebanga Mballa, Whose Pieces Of Advice As Well On The Technical As The Thematic Plan, Were Of An Essential Contribution.

A Peck On The Cheek To Archbishop Barthelemy Tsila, Arthur Befidi, Ndongo Bengono Germain, For Proofreading And Editing;

To My Mother, For The Solicitude She Has Displayed Since My Childhood, Making Sacrifices To Show Me The Road Of Success;

To My Late Father, With The Hope That The Promise Had Been Kept;

To My Late Namesake, Whose Name I Proudly Bear And Who Had Not Stopped Encouraging Me, Giving Me Pieces Of Judicious Advice For A Full Bloom;

A Deep Gratitude To The Powerful Mbang Zoa Whose Life Strongly Inspired Me;

Sincere Gratitude To Ibrahim Baba, For The Time Spent Rereading This Book;

To All Those Who, One Way Or The Other, Took Part In The Elaboration Of This Book, Thank You.

Thanks To My Publisher Xlibris;

Last But Not Least, Thanks To Armand Fouda Ngoa

To All My Family And Friends, Mystically Evou; And From The Bottom Of My Heart, Thanks To Everybody.

Preface

The Wind Of Democracy Is Sweeping Africa Which Is Resolutely Turned Toward Change. Following The Extinction Of Apartheid In South Africa, The Rwandan Genocide, The Troubles In The Democratic Republic Of Congo, The Kenyan Revolution, Etc…, Mbang Zoa, In A Mystical Journey, Experiences Though Witchcraft The Threats That Linger Over The People Of Si-Bot (The Land Of Men).

Si-Bot In This Book Represents The Republic Of Cameroon In The Central Africa Region. The Country Is Made Up With A Multitude Of Tribes (Approximately 250) Of Which The Biggest Group, Fang Comprises The Betis (Bulu, Mvele, Ewondo, Eton…).

After Acquiring Its Independence, The Young Nation Falls Under The Spell Of Mismanagement, Embezzlement Of Public Funds, Moral Degradation; At The Same Time The Country Is Subjected To The Global Economic Crisis Setback. As A Result, Si-Bot Sinks Into Poverty And Misery. The Entire People Aspire To Change And An Armed Revolution Is Brewing, With The Risk Of Destroying The Country And Its Historical Assets. Mbang Zoa Experiences That Threat During One Of His Mystical Journeys And Undertakes To Counteract That Action That Could Be Detrimental To The Country.

The Evou Phenomenon In The Fang Community Is The Ability For Any Initiate (Warlock) To Split By Making His Spirit Travel Out Of His Body For Another World. It Is A Mystical Phenomenon Which Not Only Allows To Master The Nature, But Also To Live In Advance During Occult Sessions, The Events That Will Take Place In The Real World.

The Nation Of Si-Bot (Land Of Men) Abounds In Mystical People. It Uses Them To Reconcile With Itself, Thus Transcending Ethnic And Tribal Cleavages. It Rises To The Metaphysical Dimension To Harmonize And Rescue The Development Of A People And A Land Full Of Potentials.

Convinced Of The Uselessness Of Weapons In The Settling Of Conflicts, Mbang Zoa Promotes The Birth Of A Collective Consciousness To Silence The Dissensions And Lay The Foundation Of A Durable Development And Lasting Peace.

This Fiction Calls For The Awakening Of Consciousnesses, The Birth Of A Collective Awareness Which Would Not Only Reunite The Children Of Si-Bot, But Those Of The Entire Africa, So As They Can Grasp The Stakes Of The Modern World.

My Take Is For The Vision Of A Better World Via Stability And Peace, Without Which No Harmonious Development Is Possible.

Thomas Mveng Essama

Part One

The Night Of Drama

Chapter 1

Si-Bot, A Peaceful Country

In Between His Snores, Mbang Zoa Screamed, Startling His Wife Ndzengue, Who Was Unable To Fall Asleep. Ndzengue Wanted To Wake Him Up But Refrained, As She Knew Mbang Zoa Hated Having His Sleep Interrupted Under No Circumstances.

Mbang Zoa Curled Up, Cleared His Throat And Resumed Snoring As Saliva Trickled From The Corner Of His Lips. Ndzengue Scowled And Watched Him Sleep. She Understood That Even Though Her Husband Slept Next To Her, He Was Experiencing An Unusual Event While Visiting The Country Of The Ghosts. She Turned Her Back To Him To Try To Get Some Sleep And To Avoid Smelling The Bad Breath Which Was Coming From His Half-Open Mouth.

He Eats Too Much Cola! She Thought.

Mbang Zoa Was Far Away, Very Far From The World Of The Living. His Spirit Had Left His Body For His Daily Journey In The Other World, The One Of The Initiates. He Had The Particularity Of Splitting Himself, To Have His Spirit Travel In A World Where He Was Very Powerful And Very Rich. He Thus, Apprehended And Lived Before Hand Upcoming Events And Had The Possibility To Change Their Direction. For, As A Matter Of Fact, In The World Of The Initiates, Where Only The Strong Spirits Meet, The Future And The Big Stakes Of This World Are Decided. It Is The World Of Darkness, Of Witchcraft In The African Sense Of The Word.

Located In The Heart Of The Equatorial Forest, Si-Bot Was A Peaceful Country Where Coexisted A Multitude Of Tribes. As Migrations Allowed, Its Inhabitants Had Found Themselves On A Tiny Area Abounding In Inestimable Natural Resources And Wealth. The Fauna And The Subsoil Were So Rich That It Felt Good To Live There.

Mbang Zoa Often Recalled The Fantastic Stories His Grand Parents Told Him About The Migrations And Occupation Wars That Took Place On Those Lands. Various Tribes Migrating From Different Places Had Lingered At Si-Bot And Did Not Want To Leave Under Any Circumstances. Some Came From Egypt, And Others Came From Southern Africa, Running From The Repression Of The Then Great Conquerors, Looking For A Welcoming Land Where They Could Settle Down.

On The Back Of A Snake [Boa], Mbang Zoa’s Ancestors Crossed The Yomo-River Fleeing Their Chasers And Found Themselves In Oding-Otoa. They Occupied A Portion Of Land In The Heart Of The Equatorial Forest And Fought Fiercely To Protect Their Territory. The Fang Group, Which Was Mbang Zoa’s Ancestor, Split. Some Went Further In The South, But Others Went On Towards The West.

Mbang Zoa’s Great-Grandfather Held On To The Land, Pushing Away Other Migrating Tribes Who All Wanted The Big And Rich Territory. He Settled Down At Oding-Otoa, Living Off Of The Hunting And Harvest. Fishing Was An Accessory, For There Was No Big River. That Did Not Bother Him. He Lived Peacefully, And Slowly He Founded His Own Family And The Small Tribe Expanded.

Other Migrants Found Themselves On Those Fertile Lands And Did Not Want To Leave Under Any Circumstance. There Were Some Hegemonic Squabbles Which Were Quickly Repressed By The Neutralization Of The Various Communities’ Occult Powers. The Plethora Of Ethnic Groups Finally Accepted Each Other And Smoked The Pipe Of Peace. Each Occupied Its Area And Agreed To Share A Narrow Triangle Of Land.

The Prosperity Of Si-Bot Was Legendary; And More Specifically At Oding-Otoa Where The Crops Were Abundant And Of An Exceptional Quality. The Ancestors Used Their Evou Not Only To Solidify That Prosperity, But Also To Make Women More And More Fertile For More Manpower. In That Era, It Was The Right Thing To Do, That At Birth, The New Born Be Introduced To