Lessons from the family

Short personal Family history

My family is one of the smallest tribes in Cameroon, the Yezum trib. One day, my Grandpa told me about the history of our family. From what I can remember, our family started from my grand grandpa, MBE Abanda. the Yezum trib is originally from the east side of the country, but one day my grand grandpa, because he didn’t want to be involved in the quarrels that were opposing his two older brothers who were disputing over a piece of land, migrated to the center region of Cameroon with his wife in 1909. At that time,  in a Yezum family, all the decisions are taken by men, women opinions didn't count. nowadays things are totally different. women are treated equally as men. after installed in the center region, my grand grandpa decided to buy a  large portion of land. He built houses and created farms. Many of those houses and farms are still in a good state until today. After my grand grandpa passed away, my grandfather, Lujema who was the only male out of 6 children, inherited almost everything. In our family, the elderly are the ones who have the last words in all discussions. My grandpa was the one who draws the moral lines that everybody should follow even those who are married. I remember every child's duty every morning was to sweep the floor of each house and main courtyard of all my grandpa'ssisters. My Grandpa succeeded in impressed in the entire family a high sense of responsibility and dedication. Our family because having emigrated from the east side to the center of the country has usually be perceived as invaders and that caused us a lot of problems with our neighbors. My grandfather's peaceful and humble attitude has always permitted him to calm down much dispute with the other local tribs. 

The invisible culture

Dr. Nicki Lisa Cole in her article So What Is Culture, Exactly?, states “According to sociologists, culture consists of the values, beliefs, systems of language, communication, and practices that people share in common and that can be used to define them as a collective’’. The culture has a double aspect. There is, on one hand, the visible culture which usually refers to tangible artifacts that share a common meaning to a group of people. On the other hand, the unseen culture. It is the set of beliefs and practices that most of the time are written nowhere.  For example, I have noticed in the yezum trib, wearing a purple outfit during major ceremonies as funeral or marriage means that the person belongs to the royal family because only the king or his family can wear purple. The story behind that belief is that the purple dress was the favorite color of the first king of the Yezum trib and in order to please him and show him respect the Yezum population stopped progressively wearing purple.  

 

Globalization and Immigration

According to investopedia.com, “Globalization is a social, cultural, political, and legal phenomenon. Socially, it leads to greater interaction among various populations. Culturally, globalization represents the exchange of ideas, values, and artistic expression among cultures.” Immigration is the direct consequence of globalization. The new trends of immigration can be explained by the fact that people in some countries around the world desire better conditions of life or want to flee an oppressive political regime or simply want to live in a different culture. That movement of populations affects families positively as well as negatively. For the positive impact, e can say migration allows a family to reunite or to recreate itself. We have families that are multi-racial or multicultural. In the negative consequences, immigration can lead to the disappearance of some cultural values.

Transcultural adoption

The transcultural adoption is the act of becoming the parent of a child who is not from the same culture as you. For example, a US white adult adopting a child from Cameroon. In some cases, that type of child will eventually understand that his white Caucasian mom or dad is not his or her real parent, opening the door to several questions among them the question to know who he is. To that question is usually linked the desire to know “where am I from?”. In that case,I think the parent should do more than to just assimilate his child into his culture. he should make sure that at a certain moment of the child’s life, he visits where he is originally from.

Life perception

In Jeremiah 29: 11 God says "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. Before the conversion to the Adventist faith of my Grand-father Lujema, our family was an animist family. Wikipedia defines animism as the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Even though pretty much all in our family has embraced the Christian values and way of life, this primitive thinking is still rooting the life perception of some of my uncles and aunts. For my part, I see everything based on and only on what my Adventist Christian faith carries as teaching. Therefore, concerning the very import questions of life as where I am from? My answer is in God’s word. I have been created by an awesome God who gives His beloved only son Christ for my salvation. Why am I on this planned? I am here to know God and to make God known to others through my lifestyle given by God in his word (Bible). What will happen to me when I died? I find the answer in the word of God: “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” Rev 20:12

References;  Cole L. N. So What Is Culture, Exactly? / investopedia.com

The Nature of Cultural Identity 

I was born in Cameroon. It is a country rich of it great cultural diversity. In the Yesum Culture, which is one the 253 ethnisis in Cameroon, the grand-parents have a major role in the structure of the each family. It is the grand father for example who gives the blessing for the marriage of his grand-children. My mom was the favorite of my grand-father who passed away in 2014. He wanted my mom to focuse only in her studies and not worry about getting marriage at the age where most of women of our trib usually get married. In the Yezum culture, young women go in marriage at 21. But my mom was very intelligent and my grand-father wanted her to go very far in her education till the point if possible she could get her doctorat and be an exemple for other women in the trib.

 

 Unfortunately things didn’t happened the way my Grandfather, Lujema wanted. In the summer 1987, my mom went to spend few months in the city with her aunts. When she came back, it was with a painful heart that my grand-father realized that her favorite grand-daughter was pregnant. That’s how I came to this world. After I was born, the sadness of my grand father turn into joy. It loved me so much till the day he passed away on his bed at the hospital. He was the one who taught me about Christ and the Adventist message. I was always by my grandfather. When my cousins will be gathered at the courtyard to play soccer, I will rather go seat next to my grandfather who will count me amazing stories of the bible. He used to call me his Joseph.  It is in fact the one I always consider to be my father. I was in absolute admiration of his faith and wisdom.   Even while writing this paragraph, I have tears in my eyes. I miss him immensely and it is for him I want to get a PhD, what he dreamed his daughter my mom, will bring into the family. 

 

I haven’t travelled a lot so far. I lived in Cameroon most of my life. Life in my country is considerably different to life in the US. But in each place, I have experienced a lot realities that has shaped my vision of the world. In Cameroon, I have learned that the family is the supreme good. Every choice that I make will impact it positively of negatively. The honor of the parents is greater than anything else, that’s why in our culture, even being already married and adult, the parents still make some of the most important decision in your household. In US, things are quite different. I learned to live without having my parents telling what to do. I discovered that the focus our efforts in life should be to make ourself happy. 

 

According to Wikipedia.com, Cultural identity is the identity or feeling of belonging to a group. It is part of a person's self-conception and self-perception. It is formed through nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture.

 

In the Yesum culture, the adherence is feasible. The cultural identity is more nostalgic notion than reality. How can I explain my identity to someone? I will say I’m the product of the combination of the yezum culture and the Christian message of salvation. 

Recent demographic researches have shown the non-white Caucasian ethnics group is now in minority in the US. I think that reality will reshape the dominant value in this country. More and more non- Caucasian value will be predominant. For exemple the national holidays are going to include the cultural celebrations of those who yesterday were the minority. 

 

The first show I watched, after coming to the US, is the Cosby show. Watching that made me think that in America, every single child in the US have the same right as the parent. He is the one who, decide what he or she want to do for his or her life. The wife is the ruler of the household. And the dog is more important than the neighbor.  

 

I think that I have learned to clearly see the good and the bad in my culture. I have been privilege to benefit from it value as the respect of the elderly people, the notion of perseverance in any ambition engaged and the solidarity towards any member of the family. But it is with a great sense of humility I can also be partaker in the improvement of some aspect of the Yezum culture. That’s why I think I’m in the cultural identity achievement stage based on Lustig & Koester’s table 1. 

           References: Wikipedia.com  ; Youtube.com

😭 A king is gone !! 

Thank you King T'Challa, R.I.P

Your words will live in our hearts as a burning fire of inspiration and encouragement. 

here is the speech, he gave at the Howard University Commencement address in May 2018 and we humbly think it is probably the greatest one after " I have a Dream " .

Here is the summary of that powerful speech

“Sometimes you need to feel the pain and sting of defeat to activate the real passion and purpose that God predestined inside of you. Purpose crosses disciplines, purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason why you’re on this planet at this particular time in history.
Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill. Whatever you choose for career path remember, the struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose.  
    I don't know what your future is but if you are willing to take the harder way the more complicated one,  the one with more failures at first than successes, the one that has ultimately proven to have more meaning more victory more glory then you will not regret it”

Chadwick Boseman . 

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The Origins of my name 

and its meaning

 

 

“Names hold a big importance to all of us. They are who we are, the mark of our identity and each name is special and unique in its own way.”

                                                   enkiquotes.com

 

 

I was born in Cameroon, a country located at the heart of the African continent. In many of central African countries, the environment plays a major role in how people identities are built in the society. In our country, there is a great variety of wild animals as lions, elephant or Buffalo who are admired by local population that live around them. My parents who are from one the 253 ethnicities that compose the verity diverse Cameroonian cultural net, named me “Eboule” which means in “Bobliss”, our tribe’s dialect, Buffalo. My parents wanted to me to have the positive qualities of a Buffalo as fearlessness, strength, and resilience. And Somehow those personality traits underline who I am today. 

A nickname can be worse than a name wrongly pronounced

“But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”

Isaiah 43:1 (KJV)

 

One of the first missions of Adam in the garden of Eden was to give names to all things that God has created. A name is what differentiates someone or something to the rest of what exist. So, calling someone by its name is also acknowledging his or her very existence. In a communication setting, calling someone by his or her name create attention and when the attention is valuated it gives place to connection and openness. A teacher that has impact into the learn process of his students is the one who has been able to create a true connection with them no matter what social cultural background they have.  It is therefore important that teachers thrive to know each of his student with his name pronounced at the best possible. I remember in high school I had my Mathematics course lecturer who enjoyed calling me “Bruce” (in reference to the worldwide known actor Bruce Lee) instead of Brice. He said it will be easier for him to remember my name that way. Been called a whole school year by someone else name, just made me think that I wasn’t valued at all. I felt that he never really cares to know who I am. It was hard for me to trust him at all since I felt no connection.  That situation has contributed to my underperformance in Mathematics since then. 

“Ignorance and mediocrity” 

“For my father, a human being’s maximum sin was to be ignorant and mediocre. Ignorance and mediocrity, he claimed, prevent people from behaving according to the highest order of integrity, honor, knowledge, and wisdom” Lustig & Koester, 2006, p. 14

Before I came to the U.S I learned via Google pretty much all the different name of the 50 states with their geographical and cultural specificities. I remember one day I had to ask my manager if he has internet shortage at home or on his phone because every day at work he will asked me questions like, “how did your family survive the genocide in 1994?” or “are you from the same village as Nelson Mandela?”. That day, after seriously confronting him with his ignorance, I discovered that in his mind he thought that Africa is just one big country with many different villages. And this was in 2017! If that still has to be call “ignorance” then we need to start thinking for a new definition to the word “mediocrity”. 

References:

Lustig & Koester, 2006, p. 14; enkiquotes.com ; Bible

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