Teaching of Bafaw Language to Be Launched In Schools

-Says BAFLADEAS President

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

BAFLADEAS officials receive Bafaw alphabet chart from CABTAL

The President of the Bafaw Language Development Association (BAFLADEAS), has revealed that the teaching and learning of the Bafaw language will soon be launched in schools across the Division to hasten the results of the project to translate the Bible into Lifaw, the local language of the Bafaws.

            Akwo John Eyoh was speaking at the weekend in an event to officially present the Bafaw language Alphabet chart by the Cameroon Association of Bible Translators and Literacy, CAPTAL, in collaboration with BAFLADEAS at the Kumba city council hall on August 16, 2018.

            Akwo said with the official presentation of the Bafaw alphabet, they look forward to implementing what is on the chart.

            “For us to be able to write our language, we must master the alphabet with the rules of autography,” Akwo revealed, adding that the chart doesn’t contain only the alphabet but the rules that they have to observe when writing the ‘Lifaw’ language.

            The former Secondary Education Delegate for Meme said that the project to translate the Bible into ‘Lifaw’, conceived since 1996 witnessed several breaks along the line but their zeal to achieved their objective kept them going before finally arriving the final product, the alphabet chart. He added that the best way for this achieved result to made better with time is for it to be implemented in the classrooms.

            “Now we can start classes and open schools to ensure that the language is taught in all the schools be there government of private. This is so because it is government policy to teach the mother tongue and you can’t do that if you don’t have a solid base”. He urged all Bafaw sons and daughters who couldn’t make it to the event to be with them in spirit and prayers for the realisation of the most cherished project.

            Speaking at the event, Emmanuel Keyeh, CAPTAL's Director of Technical Services said the official presentation of the Bafaw alphabet chart was a dream come through adding that CABTAL will continue to work with communities towards the improvement of their languages and towards development. He promised that they will in the weeks ahead embark on training seminars for Bafaw sons and daughters in the reading and writing of Lifaw while promising that not only the Bible will be translated but books as well.

            The event brought together some traditional rulers of the Bafaw clan, prominent Bafaw sons; Ngoh Nkelle Victor, Government Delegate to the Kumba City council who urged the BAFLADEAS team to ensure the language is taught in schools, the Mayor of Kumba I, Ebako Abel Ndoh, Prince Ndoki Mukete, members of the Bafaw traditional council amongst others. It was punctuated with dance and singing from the Bafaw women.

            To recall is the fact that a memorandum of understanding, MoU for the project was signed on July 29, 2017 between BAFLADEAS and CAPTAL at the Nfon Mukete’s palace in Kumba. The project is estimated to cost FCFA 250 million for a period of 10 years. FCFA 25million is needed annually for the project to translate the Bible into the Lifaw to be in steady progress.