“Images of Nyongo amongst Bamenda Grassfielders in Whiteman Kontri”

Francis B. Nyamnjoh

A copyedited and copyrighted version of this paper was published in Citizenship Studies Vol.9(3):241-269, 2005

Call me back’ or ‘Kontri fashion go catch you’
‘You bring me wetti from Whiteman Kontri?”

Excerpts:
Whiteman Kontri as Nyongo
Bamenda Grassfielders abroad compare Whiteman Kontri to Nyongo and liken themselves to victims of Nyongo. It is common to call and ask to speak to someone and be told he or she ‘has gone to work Nyongo’, meaning that they have to offer devalued and highly exploited labour at factories, as cleaners, maids, security guards or prostitutes, sweating and toiling round the clock, just to make ends meet. I was first intrigued by this comparison among undocumented Grassfielders in Italy, and as I discussed further with others, I realised the comparison was indeed widespread. But Cameroonians also use Nyongo to capture the excessive demands for remittances and consumer items by people who are not always family or friends, and who do not care much about them as human beings.