THE OFFICIAL DETHRONEMENT OF FON CHAFA

MY GRASSFIELDS PERSPECTIVE ON THE DETRONEMENT OF FON CHAFA.

I have carefully read and analyzed the press release issued by the Senior Divisional Officer for Ngoketunja condemning the decision of the king makers of Bangolan to dethrone Fon Chafa. With due respect to the administrative authority, I must state clearly and firmly that the position taken by the SDO reflects an outright executive oversight that undermines Grassfields tradition and misrepresents the lawful authority of king makers.

In the Grassfields of Cameroon, the king makers are not ceremonial accessories to power. They are the custodians of custom. They enthrone a Fon, and by the same custom, they retain the authority to sanction discipline and, where tradition so permits, remove a Fon who fundamentally violates the sacred norms of the institution. This authority predates colonial administration and has not been extinguished by modern governance. It is preserved under Cameroon’s legal order, which recognizes customary law so long as it is not repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience.

The SDO’s assertion that a Fon is enthroned for life and nothing less is a sweeping generalization that does not reflect the lived traditions of the Grassfields. Grassfields customary law does not treat a Fon as infallible. The institution of Fonship is sacred precisely because it is regulated by tradition, ritual norms and by the king makers. Correction, sanction, and in extreme cases, deposition are part of that regulatory framework. To reduce the role of king makers to mere electors without corrective authority is to distort tradition.

I am particularly concerned by the tone and content of the press release, which goes beyond administrative clarification into outright criminalization of the kingmakers’ actions, branding them as dissident miscreants and perpetrators of sacrilege without any judicial finding. Such allegations coming from the executive arm are not only premature but dangerous. They risk prejudicing ongoing traditional processes and weaponizing state authority against a customary institution that the same state claims to recognize.

This is a classic case of executive overreach. The SDO does not sit as a traditional court, nor does his office have the competence to interpret rituals, declare customary acts sacrilegious or nullify internal traditional decisions by fiat. Where there is a dispute within a traditional institution, the role of the administration should be facilitative and peace-oriented, not accusatory, coercive or dismissive of the authority of kingmakers. This act of the S.D.O is a pattern commonly used by the executive arm of government in Cameroon. It is one of the root causes of the deteriorating sociopolitical situation of the country today.

For transparency, I wish to state that I personally spoke with the dethroned Fon Senator Chafa Isaac last week. That discussion forms part of my ongoing inquiry. I am also in touch with some law offices that have filed legal depositions or oppositions on this matter. I will update my earlier publication after I have equally gathered facts from the kingmakers who took the decision to dethrone the Fon. My objective is not to vilify any party but to bring clarity grounded in Grassfields tradition and the classical laws of Cameroon.

My investigation into this conflict is guided by one purpose: to help surface facts restore legal and traditional balance and propose a lawful and culturally respectful way forward. I hope that my goodwill report at the end of this process will help shed more light on the matter for all stakeholders.

By way of background and to attest to my mastery of Grassfields tradition, I wish to state that for over ten years I served two mandates as Regional President of the Hotel Industries and Tourism Promoters Syndicate. During that period, I was elected to the Network Tourism Establishments in Cameroon and overseas in the United States. I worked closely with Fondoms across most villages in the Grassfields to develop cultural tourism. Many Fons regarded me as their child not only because of that long collaboration but also because I am a descendant of a royal family. That lived engagement with Grassfields institutions informs my position today.

Cameroon is a state of law, yes, but it is also a state of traditions. One cannot survive by suffocating the other. Peace in Bangolan and in the Grassfields at large will not come from executive declarations that delegitimize kingmakers. It will come from truth, respect for customary authority and a sincere effort to harmonize tradition with the rule of law.

Awah Cletus Fobuzi