By Bakah Derick
Since the disappearance of Fo Angwafo III in the second half of May 2022, almost every detail has been on social media. Though www.hilltopvoices.com can authoritatively state that the father of the Mankon people slept several days before his disappearance was made public even by the Bamenda administration, that was the most the dreaded Kwifo could do without the knowledge of the android generation.
Immediately the administration made the unpopular outing accoridng to traditional conservatives, the battle for who announces the successor began even before the kwifo could make the official announcement confirming the disappearance of the Fon. Even the announcement that convened a meeting of quarterheads and those ranking as such or above was seen on social media platforms unlike before when such announcements were made with the talking drum. The Kwifo explained that both were all means of communication and that the social media could go faster.
The decisions relating to what would happen during the mourning period circulated just almost immediately after Anye Joseph, spokesperson of the Kwifo approved it. During the mourning, much did not however feature on social media but for the later days when images of women weaving the "adzaga" from banana and plantain plants that were to be used on the mourning circulated.
As early as 5am, pictures began emerging from the Mankon Royal home as mourners arrived. Very few cared about the saddened faces of the Mankon queen mothers, sons and daughters all covered in tears. Before many could mourn with the Mankon people, the android generation showed up with slaying pictures and mini adzagas. Even the sacred act of washing off the wood ash and removal of adzaga was not spared.
Then that awaited moment, when the found Fon is to be presented for the fortification ritual of "stoning." He had to cover a distance of slightly above 200M from the palace inner chambers to the plaza and before he could reach the plaza, the pictures were everywhere.
The final presentation and naming of the Fon seem to have attracted more phones that one could imagine in an environment that was almost lifeless weeks back as a result of the ongoing armed conflict in the region. Everyone struggled to get a personal picture of the found Fon.
This did not only popularised the enthronement of the new Mankon monarch, but also illustrated the impact of what is now known as the android generation to the people's culture. Most of the things that were not common knowledge can now be accessed by anyone anywhere in the world.
With an ongoing armed conflict, managing information around such a heralded Fon in this generation will no doubt be a challenge just like maintaining the sacredness of Mankon traditional institutions.
Should this technological advancement be a threat then it must be watched with care.
Returning most traditional activities to night time will be an easy way to manage or otherwise security be intensified with appropriate explanations as to why such serious activities deserve some protection.
