The Symbiosis of Bali Nyonga-basel mission relationship: understanding the influence of Bali Nyonga through the prism of basel mission vernacularization in the western grassfields of Cameroon, 1902-1963

Abstract

One of the main features of pre-colonial Cameroon history was the migration of different ethnic groups in search of eco-human friendly environments for settlement. During this period, the Western Grassfields became a hotspot for the settlement of different groups, one of which was Bali Nyonga. Their settlement was followed by attempts to spread their influence on proximate polities. The annexation of Cameroon by the Germans in 1884 added a new twist to the social influence of Bali Nyonga, as it became the base of the Basel Mission in the Western Grass fields. The Fon(ruler) of Bali supported the Basel Mission, which in turn made the Mungaka language of Bali its official medium of communication in the Western Grass fields. This article seeks to unveil how the said mission popularized Mungaka. But how exactly did the Basel Mission popularize Mungaka? What were the effects of vernacularization, and how did the two colonial regimes (Germany and Britain) and indigenous groups react? To address these issues, the paper summons and analyses data from primary and secondary sources. From the fertility of its thesis, the paper contends that the Bali Nyonga-Basel Mission enjoyed a symbiotic relationship; the Fon promoted the missionary enterprise which in turn helped spread Bali influence through its vernacularization programme. The programme gave birth to identity crisis, translated in the form of sporadic resistance