For decades, Manyu has been longing for an organization which can deliver hope to its people. Many Manyu organizations have risen and fallen, breaking the hearts of many development-oriented minds.

When MOHWA rose from its own ashes like the proverbial Phoenix a few years ago, many were excited and the excitement was reinforced when MOHWA USA, Inc raised a huge amount of money for the razed Mamfe District Hospital.

No other Manyu organization had raised such an amount before and news of such an exploit spread across Manyu Division like wildfire during the dry season.

Today, MOHWA USA Inc has morphed into EYUMEMA and if the joy and unity that were on  display in Ohio, USA, on the weekend were anything to go by, then Manyu has finally found that piece of the puzzle which has been missing for decades.

According to some EYUMEMA members, their organization is about to build some structures at the Mamfe Preventive Hospital which was made to act as a full-blown hospital following the burning of the district hospital some years ago.

This noble act by EYUMEMA comes on the heels of other projects such as the Manyu borehole project which has helped to alleviate the hardship of the local population.

Water is life and he who has access to drinking water has guarantees of health as good drinking water helps the population to avoid water-related diseases while enabling women, who in most cases, have the arduous task of fetching water for most households, to devote their time to other productive tasks and granting the girl child the time to devote to her studies.

Manyu has many organizations. There are hundreds or even thousands of Manyu community organizations around the world but their focus is not always to bring much-needed development to Manyu, but for members to socialize and to even compete against each other; a mentality which has retarded economic and financial progress in the region.

Across the globe, diasporic communities are being considered as engines of economic growth but in Manyu Division, the Diaspora has not made its impact felt. The unhealthy competitive spirit that is the hallmark of the people of Manyu is hurting the Division in a big and bad way.

Many Manyu people still think that it is the government which must develop their region. Unfortunately, government-driven development has remained a distant tomorrow affair in Cameroon and Manyu, noted for its plethora of academics and intellectuals has been lagging behind many other regions whose diasporic communities have organized themselves to trigger a wave of development in their regions.

NOMA, MECA, and other Manyu organizations have not been able to mobilize the people of Manyu for development purposes. Infighting and bloated egos have stood in the way of development efforts and even Ekpe which claims to be the traditional judiciary of the Division has not been able to instill order in some of those organizations or has not been able to lead collective development efforts in the Division.

But this does not imply that there are no development efforts in the Division. Individual efforts are ongoing and there are some villages which are making some baby steps towards development.

It is the absence of collective efforts which is at issue here and a source of constant criticism of Manyu people. The Division has the numbers. Its people are educated, but these assets are not being exploited to give the Division the facelift its needs and the shot in the arm that the Division’s economy is begging for. The Division’s economy does not count for much in terms of the country’s GDP and this is affecting the Division when it comes to national politics.

Power is usually controlled by those who control finances and those who make their numbers count both financially and politically. Manyu Division has not got the financial leverage its needs to count nationally.

Despite this dismal picture, some green shoots are gradually emerging. EYUMEMA may not be that silver bullet the Division needs, but its unity of purpose and determination are delivering hope to many people of Manyu descent around the world.

As EYUMEMA makes some strides towards unity and progress, it may trigger something more important which may ripple out to other Manyu organizations which have been ripped apart by conflict and mismanagement.

The joy, enthusiasm and the sisterhood which were on display for all to see over the weekend could become infectious, causing other organizations to revisit their own efforts which have been latent for a long time.

Like most organizations, there will be differences of opinion within EYUMEMA but if its leaders who have so far put on a great show can ensure that when members disagree, they should not be disagreeable, EYUMEMA will finally deliver that hope which the people of Manyu have been scanning the horizon for.

Disagreement is as old as man and when it emerges, it simply implies an organization has to take a look at the way it operates in order to engineer new ways which will keep members together. Ideological differences should never be considered as enmity and a contrary view should not be seen as a challenge.

Nobody knows it all and others people’s contribution, regardless of how they package them, should be seen as an opportunity for growth. The people of Manyu need all their organizations for development purposes and any organization which can hold its members together regardless of the challenges will bring smiles to the people of Manyu Division.

While many hail what they saw over the weekend, events of the past still make them to ask if the hope and enthusiasm triggered by EYUMEMA will stand the test of time. This question can only be answered by time and the leaders of EYUMEMA who have clearly demonstrated that they want to make a difference in Manyu Division.

By Dr. Joachim Arrey