Recommended Reading: Enduring Legacies And Thumbprints Of Historical Facts

By Chief Charles A. Taku Fuatabong Achaleke.*

1) Lebialem Story by M.N. F Ashu,

Dedicated to Madam Chiara Mafua Lubich,

The Italian Foundress of The Focolare Movement

That came to rid Lebialem

People of disease and discomfort

While expanding the frontiers

Of the great new religion ..

“ That all may be one”

First Published 1994 and Republished by NGT Publishing 1102 Frisch Road . Madison WI 53711, 2025. 254 pages

Yesterday, 2 June 2025, I received a surprise parcel in my mail from the venerable editor of Pan-African Vision Mr Ajong Mbapndah. I read the book when it was published. I read it at the time as a contemporaneous account of contextual events which occurred at the time. This time, around, some of the events recounted in the book had taken out assume a prophetic significance.

The historical facts concerning the advent of the Focolare Movement, its spirituality, the hospital and college among its institutions in Fontem.p 85-96. The author was not only a witness to the factual events but at one moment, was an interpreter to His Majesty the Fon of Fontem. This later fact is disclosed in the next book on Fontem Defang. He chronicles the struggle for the creation of Lebialem Division which he was a key actor and driving force but equally important, the struggle for human rights. P150-177.

The Judgment of the Military Tribunal reproduced at pages 171-176 is symptomatic of a repressive system which has since 1962, use the court-martial as an instrument of state terror against civilians. Thousands of citizens, most prominently, Albert Mukong before and today, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, and 9 others who were abducted from Nigeria are held in illegal detention in the Military Tribunal Yaoundé in violation of international law.

2) Fontem Defang: Reminiscences of Leadership in a Post-colonial African Kingdom, Edited by Michael Fontem Taku was sponsored by Helen Atabong Asaba Fontem Foundation and published by Nkemnji Global Tech Madison, WI,53711-3120 , 2008. 387 Pages

In the Preface to this book, I wrote inter alia: “ The advent of Chiara founder of the Focolare Movement started with one man’s love for his people and his belief in God Almighty. ……… In a world where selfish leaders in possession of power and influence are prone to misusing it to exploit the poor and the weak, rather than to love and seek love for the very people they are called to serve and love, it behooves us to document the qualities of this great yet very humble powerful man for our generation and posterity”. Time has proved me right.

This book has taken a significant importance because of its unique historical important. It contains a comprehensive record of evidence from correspondences between Chaira Lubich Mafua Ndem, the Founder of the Focolare Movement and Fontem Defang, on the advent of the Focolare Movement, of the establishment of the hospital, Seat of Wisdom College and Fontem Parish and the infrastructure accommodating them.

A comprehensive record of contacts and discussions between Fontem Defang and Bishop Peeters is well recorded and the intention of all the parties on the matters discussed are well recorded as documentary proof of their intentions. There are other records in different places of the extensive contacts and coordinated actions between them. Letters of Fontem Defang and Chiara require comprehensive reading. They speak for themselves.

Some notable contributions in this historical record are, (1) Celebrating Fontem Defang, Pino Trova p 220-222, (2) Chiara Lubich, Fontem Defang and Mafua Nkeng, In Honour of Fontem Defang ,King of Bangwa in Cameroon Martin Nkemnkia p 241-308 ( with correspondences and pictures which were released by Chiara for inclusion in the book), (3) Significant dates and events by Dominic Ajong Fontem p-235-240, (4) The visitors’ Book by Dominic Ajong Fontem p 230-234, (5) Towards Reinforcing Paramountcy with Leadership: HRM Fontem Defang, Member of the House of Chiefs 1960- 1972 by Dr Michael Ndobegang p209-219, (6) Fontem Defang. A Dynamic Leader and Educator in Lebialem 152p145-by John Nkemnji p123-129, (7) Transition King that met the Challenges of Governance by Professor Asonganyi p 138-144,( Fontem Defang and Education by Mafua Fontem p115-122,( 9) Shared Palace Governance and Team work by Michael Fontem Taku-: 145-151, (9) HRM Fontem Defang : The story of a role model, by Bibiana Taku p195-200, (10) The Focolare Movement in Bangwa, 40 Years on: 1966-2004: A Public Health Impact Assessment- A Legacy of Fontem Defang by Mbi Asaatong Fontem and Bangwa Focus Group p 223-229 (11) An Eye Witness Account: Fontem Defang that I knew by Tom Bekong p 59-64. Every witness testamentary Account in the book is valuable.

This seminar book has already been a resource reference for my struggle to obtain the return of our ancestral heritage in colonial possessions. The poem “ The Bangwa Queen, Ngwi Ndem” (God’s Wife) by prominent artist Irene Epie at page 204 of the book was referenced by me in my contribution in the Publication of the PAESE on International Conference on Provenance Research on Collections from Colonial Contexts, Principles ,Approaches, Challenges 2 1-23 June 2021 see my Published Paper, The Legal and Moral Conscience of Justice in the European Collection of Colonial provenance: The Bangwa Quest for Restitution and Reparations by Chief Charles A. Taku PAESE -Projekt https://www.postcolinial-provenance

My strong recommendations:

I strongly recommend these two books to every Lebialem person, to procure a copy from the publisher because they contain strong evidence with which alone or together with other strong evidence, our generation and posterity may require to protect ourselves against existential threats which abound or are lurking by us. Some of the information and facts contained in the books were provided by many of us who were witnesses or participants in the events.

The corroborative nature of each account by persons writing separately are very compelling. Although Chiara, Bishop Julius Peeters and Fontem Defang might have left to the heavenly paradise; also, key credible participants such as M.N.F Ashu, M.W Nkeze and many others, the contemporaneous correspondences, and historical renditions contain their records of their activities, their expressed will and intensions in manners which are obvious and clear as day follows night. We are all living in the early paradise of their heavenly works of love and this will endure. They are in heaven interceding for us and defending the product of love which the Lord inspired and sent them to do to us.

Rush to the publisher Nkemnji Tech Publishing and obtain your copies. If they are finished, your organized requests for copies may encourage the publisher to reprint copies. The need to own copies of these and many other books about our own history is more urgent now. These are extremely trying moments for us so also our resolve to keep a complete and comprehensive historical record for our own protection.

It is too soon for some persons on their behalf or that of an organization to attempt to eviscerate recent history of which we are witnesses, actors, participants or even attempt to pretend that Fontem Defang did not exist or was not the main motivator on his behalf, his people and his peers for the ‘ Miracle in the Forest’ for which we are benefactors and rightful inheritors.

*Chief Charles A. Taku Fuatabong Achaleke is a human rights crusader and former President of the International Criminal Court Bar Association- ICCBA. Nkemnji Global Tech can be contacted for copies of the books via email mail@ngtpress.com, Tel: 6082393994