By Kanute Tangwa aka K(C)anute Tangwa
Sandwiched between two tumultuous and rollercoaster generations, 70s and 80s, our class, the ‘79 eclectics could not but pick up and valorise the positive traits of these generations; bonding, networking, curiosity, innovation, taste, and solidarity.
When on September 1979, Bishop Rogan College welcomed a not too significant number of young freshmen from diverse backgrounds but with one goal, aspiring to the catholic priesthood, Buea, the one-way-in and one-way-out town ‘splashing with rust’ then, and particularly the village of Small Soppo, Bolikawo host to the college campus for the past 60 years had not broken with the past in terms of weather; cold, chilly, drizzling, foggy, and rainy.
On day one, we did appreciate the well-manicured velvety greenish carpet-like tea plantation that formed an arc around the campus. At the entrance, by the main road, leading to the college grounds proper, the century old cathedral and its imposing columns and towers of stone, on the left, and the grand Father’s House of pure German masonry, on the right, were apparently a foretaste of the challenges we would face in this citadel of knowledge and excellence.
Then the seemingly long drive to the campus through an alley of sorts with pine trees forming a guard of honour on both sides of the road, broken by two short stretches, one leading up to the tutor residences, on the left, and the other, to the basketball court, on the right, down to the refectory onwards to the stately main bloc gave a pilgrim touch to our arrival and stay in Birocol.
Normal routine checks and instructions over, we became de jure students of the Birocol we imagined, heard on pulpits and over the radio, and saw on basketball and football pitches. We were led to our various designated cutting-edge dormitories: St Martins, Jules Peeters, and Charles Lwanga. The welcome at the refectory, tables of four arranged in rows and per dormitory, was warm, introductions cool and the food good. However, one thing caught our attention, the bell on Table M1 where the senior prefect reigned supreme.
When Augustine Ndi, the senior prefect, rang the bell and spoke, the pidgin adage came to mind ‘authority pass power’ and Jervis Kebei could pass for a tutor! Indeed, we saw and hobnobbed with the last generation of manly men who passed through Birocol. They exuded discipline, strength, confidence and authority. It was often whispered that the senior prefect could unilaterally declare a day of outing!
Indeed, he could dare do so only under the rectorship of the late lamented enigmatic polyvalent Fr Anthony Fontegh aka Après with his trademark quip: Nonsense Talk Like That! He oversaw one of the glorious epoque of basketball and football in Birocol. He virtually passed for a Deng Xiaoping in cassock; open-minded but firm. The Sunday Conferences he presided at were often a delight. He taught phonetics and summary; it was compulsory to read at least a novel or a treatise every week and do a summary. This exercise was made easy because Birocol then had one of the best stocked libraries.
Then disaster struck! Barely one year and some months in Birocol, we lost our classmate, Fobisong Emmanuel Fotabong (FEF) a studious student and a fine footballer. Death, the grim reaper apparently lurked somewhere in the ember months only to come out stealthily like a thief to pluck one of ours. The atmosphere was grim and the gravity of the moment was exemplified by discussions in hushed tones. We rallied and bonded. The dour reaper also knocked at the door of Fr Michael Kelleher as we learnt of his transition after drowning at Mile 6 Beach, Limbe. It was a devastating yuletide for our class and the school.
Like stoics we moved on and drank from the academic and spiritual fountains of female Irish volunteers such as Ryder, Shanly, and Gribbon who initiated our excursion to the Limbe Oil Refinery (SONARA); reverend fathers like Bill Tollan, Michael Kelleher, Patrick McDonald, Donatus Basebang and Leyen; sisters (Franciscan) and seminarians (Bambui Major Seminary) like Euphrasia, Bianca, Imelda and Jude Nfah respectively as well as selfless laymen such as Messrs Sone, Ndoncha, Ngong, Keba Joe, Ebone Paul, Njiwung Kitts, Francis Wache, Yongabi Thaddeus, Goddy Chungag, Jimmy Tansinda, Wule Aloysius, Fonji, Ngalim Nsaigha, Fuh Franklin, Vutung Eric, Forcha Beltus, Vefonge Patrick and so on.
Indeed, this calibre of men and women were compatible with an infrastructure comparable to a mini-university i.e. a well-equipped library and science laboratory, a modern language auditorium with projectors and slides, a photography laboratory, a sick bay, and a well-stocked bookstore.
Besides academic and spiritual pursuits, the school administration laid emphasis on sports, enhancement of diverse talents, manual labour and endurance-resilience. Hence, the upper and lower football fields, the basketball, lawn tennis, handball, volleyball and badminton courts where students displayed their individual and collective sporting skills; clubs such as drama, informer, photography, music, shoe-mending, farming where innate diverse talents were showcased; the lower and upper plantations where students learnt how to knead the soil, appreciate its ever-increasing value and savour its produce as well as trips up Mt Cameroon (Mt Fako or the Chariot of the Gods), the highest peak in Central and West Africa in Form III were veritable exercises in mentalo-physical endurance-resilience coupled with shots at tourism and physical geography.
Apart from class, prayer, play and work within campus, there were out-of-campus vocation boosting and bolstering inspirational events namely ordinations. We actively participated in the grand ordinations of John Kubuo, Peter Nzenkeng, Suh Ngwa, and George Nkuo. It was one of the few times we had the opportunity of catching a glimpse and listening to the inspiring sermon of the venerable Bishop Pius Suh Awa. It was also during one of such events that the scholarly Kevin Mbayu, one of the most emblematic Birocol Exsa presidents delivered one of his matchless discourses.
Enter Father Donatus Basebang, passionate music master, alias Bobo, as rector; a smooth transition since he was music instructor under Fr Father Fontegh. He shepherded the class through Form V, a decisive level since we were supposed to renew our calling to the priesthood in the form of an application to continue high school studies in Birocol. Some did and others did not. Indeed, as they say, the harvest is always bountiful but the labourers are often few. However, the number of priests ‘79ers have produced so far is quite impressive compared to our onboarding number viz Fr Peter Takov, Fr David Fomanka, Fr Bernard Ngalame, and Fr Tatah Cyprian.
Lastlines: The ‘79ers were the last to go on mid-term holidays; the first to introduce the transistor radio, Paddy’s, on campus that assembled almost half of the school to follow Sport et Rythme and live commentaries on Sundays over Radio Cameroon; and arguably the first to spar at both the intellectual and faux courage planes with seniors especially the 1978 class.
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