Les basaa-Mpoo-Bati du Cameroun : analyse des confréries et de l’unité historique des Originaires de Ngok-Lituba (du XIVème siècle au XXème siècle)

Abstract

The peoples of Africa have always structured their social space through systems of socio- political organizations drawn from their conception or vision of the world. These political systems are the ancestral legacies bequeathed to the descendants by the ascendants who are the custodians of them. Within these ancestral heritages are the brotherhoods which are organs of regulation of social life within each people. These brotherhoods have always acted in the materialization of life within each ethnic group, like the Basaa-Mpoo-Bati community. Therefore, what roles did the Basaa-Mpoo-Bati brotherhoods play in order to promote community unit of the native of Ngok-Lituba from the 14th century to 1996? To carry out this work, we opted for the explanatory method by integrating diachronic and synchronic approaches in a transdisciplinary vision. The transdisciplinary vision is backed by the theory of culturalism backed the school of the new African historiography which allows us to understand the weight of culture in this ethnic group on the one hand, diversify our research sources in order to better understand the impact of the Basaa-Mpoo-Bati brotherhoods on their community unit other hand. In this diversification of sources, we have used first-hand sources, general and specialized works, iconographic documents, oral sources, etc. The observation that emerges is that among the people of the unitary trilogy, the brotherhoods are the executive bodies of the Mbok or Mpéé. They accompany the descendants of Mban-Ngé-Nnanga as part of their socialization from the beginning. The Basaa-Mpoo-Bati brotherhoods experienced periods of transition due to colonization and the advent of the Republic of Cameroon. The two periods are marked within the peoples of Cameroon by the introduction of new forms of institutions, notably the school and the church. These new forms of institutions are rooted in the Western Christian worldview characterized by capitalism and individualism. In their action in Basaa-Mpoo-Bati country, they will come up against the grip of the land of the brotherhoods of this people. Despite the threats and intimidation carried out by the colonial administration, both German and French, present in Basaa-Mpoo-Bati country, they have not abandoned their Mbok or Mpéé heritage. At the end of these phases of ruptures, the initiates of the various brotherhoods of the Basaa-Mpoo-Bati people succeeded in safeguarding their traditional legacy, the basis of their community unit and of their living together. The brotherhoods of the natives of Ngok-Lituba, have always accompanied the members of this people in their development within their social space. This action is observed in all areas that constitute their framework of life, including politics, economy, culture and religion. Within each domain, the initiates of the different brotherhoods act in a concerted manner in their action, so that the members of the ethnic group can feel fulfilled within their community. The Mbok or Mpéé of which the Mbombok or Mpéé Mpé are custodians is the common expression of the rules governing the life of the Basaa-Mpoo-Bati. Each member had to obey the standards of socialization as prescribed by the Mbok or Mpéé. This identification of the Mban-Ngé-Nnanga with their Mbok or Mpéé is the mark of their community unit. This results in integration which results in the living together which is real within this people.