Bishop Francis Lysinge: The Courage to Step Aside

The Bishop has defined in practical terms, the true meaning of leadership, in a country held hostage by a gerontocracy. Surely he personifies the leader that Cameroon needs.

                                                                                       By Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai*

     The decision of Bishop Francis Teke Lysinge to retire from his exalted position as Bishop of Mamfe Diocese, upon reaching the canonical age (75years) for the retirement of bishops on December 28, 2013, speaks of an uncommon courage and humility. By stepping aside and walking away from the ephemeral active Episcopal ministry in favour of a well-deserved retirement; a spiritual life dedicated to prayer, Bishop Lysinge has set a template for true leadership, not only in the spiritual world but in the secular too.

      A prodigally gifted man, Bishop Lysinge is an erudite and well-travelled scholar, whose ebullient stature and convivial nature are ably augmented by his simplicity. He is also an urbane social crusader and motivator with a self-effacing and unassuming style. What’s more? He is tenacious with a magnanimous disposition, but he is not vociferous. Besides his pastoral and intellectual pedigree, he has been a dogged promoter of justice and champion for the poor, and an inspiration to many who have met him. An intellectually sophisticated man of distinction, Bishop Lysinge knows when to quit the stage, and has chosen to leave honorably; when the ovation is loudest.

      This move has, naturally, shocked not only the community of Catholic faithful in Mamfe Diocese, the entire Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province, but even the whole nation. For the reasons that the Bishop was both the spiritual head of the local Church, and pioneer Bishop of Mamfe Diocese, this move cannot but bear in different ways – doctrinal, spiritual and moral implications for the church. Bishops are men of no mean influence. As ecclesiastical authorities, they have their Diocese as their constituency, and as servants in the Lord, they enjoy the powers and privileges that high public office bestows. Besides being men of demonstrable spirituality, they are also men of perceptible moral stamina, champions of faith and instruments of peace and compassion, and defenders of human dignity. In short, Bishops are great men. Being part of this clique carries a great responsibility. This in itself speaks volumes of the prestige, power, authority, and influence that attend this one-of-a-kind office; privileges and appurtenances that would derange the thinking of and entrap most mortals.

      Not so for Bishop Francis Lysinge. His candor in admitting that, “after fourteen years as Bishop of Mamfe, and forty-seven years as a priest, by the grace of God, the Holy Father rightfully thinks that I deserve some rest from active pastoral ministry. I will therefore, be at the service of my bishop, the Most Rev. Andrew Nkea, once I hand over the baton to him upon reaching the canonical age for the retirement of bishops, on the 28th of December 2013” is worthy of commendation and his example is rare, in present day Cameroon; where the mantra is: “he is up, so he must be brought down; he wants my post, so I must destroy him; pull him down and take his place.” Announcing the appointment of his successor in a pastoral letter entitled “Something Beautiful for God”, Bishop Lysinge said: “it was my wish that (Mamfe) Diocese be assigned a Coadjutor who will govern with me for a while to ensure that there is a smooth transition when I turn the canonical age of retirement. From the very beginning of my Episcopal ministry, I have always prayed for a smooth transition so that the work of evangelization in our young diocese of Mamfe continues without any interruption…I did not want to leave things to a vague future after I retire”

      However one looks at it, Bishop Lysinge’s Episcopal retirement is indeed an epochal event. There has not been one in the Mamfe before. It is, therefore, important to emphasize the lessons – spiritual and temporal – to draw from this unusual incident; lessons that are worth commending to all men and women in leadership positions at any level in Cameroon; where the humility to admit to advancing age or failing health is viewed as a sign of weakness. The country is replete with too many ignoble examples of sit-tightism. In contradistinction, Bishop Lysinge had no difficulty recognizing that both the strength of body and mind are necessary to fulfill the episcopal ministry entrusted to him. His popularity as the “Peoples’ Bishop” is a measure of the trust placed on him, his distinct attribute as a leader; his incorruptibility, courage, sincerity, firmness and decisiveness. These traits, highly required of a true leader, are sadly in short supply with Cameroonian leaders. 

     Put in perspective, between a choice to remain in office while still capable of providing effective leadership; and the desire to respect the rules of engagement and stand down for another able shepherd, Bishop Lysinge chose the latter. By putting the common good of Mamfe Diocese above his self-interest, Bishop Lysinge demonstrated that he has conquered the self; indeed, he has waged and won the first and the greatest of all human struggles, without compromising principles. This is the hallmark of greatness. In truth, the work of a bishop is to be a father; responsible to those for whom he cares but at the same time accountable to the Lord for the divine commission given by the Good Shepherd Himself; to be faithful is to be true to the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, not seeking personal gain or private fulfillment but always and only what the Lord requires.

      Therefore, the Ministry of a Bishop is not measured in terms of achievements or successes but is understood only in the language of faith, hope and love. Steadfast in faith, inspired by hope, and motivated by love, Bishop Lysinge employed his eloquence and personal charisma to articulate an evangelization campaign that brought the “medicine of mercy” to thousands of Christians and non-believers alike. He was unwavering in this pursuit. An intellectual of no mean order, Bishop Lysinge, read the signs correctly that, after 51 years in the service of the Lord, he is entitled to a well-deserved rest from active episcopalism. Surely he personifies the leader that Cameroon needs.

      The appointment of Andrew Nkea as Coadjutor Bishop of Mamfe Diocese could not have been more proverbial. However, among those who have known Bishop Nkea or followed his career, the appointment was not a surprise. In Bishop Lysinge’s own words, Bishop Nkea: “is my spiritual son, having been his spiritual director in the Major Seminary in Bambui. As an efficient administrator and canon lawyer, he will definitely lead our diocese along the beautiful path of God. It is a happy coincidence that the then Bishop of Buea, Most Rev. Pius Awa, charged the Bishop-Elect, then his Secretary and Chancellor of the Diocese of Buea, to prepare for my Episcopal ordination in Mamfe on the 21st of  April 1999. He read the bull of my appointment by the Holy Father at that mass. How mysterious are the ways of God! Who could tell that fourteen years later, the one reading the bull will take over from me? How mysterious are the ways of God! How unfathomable his ways!”

     As admirers wait to see how the new Bishop would engage his flock, Bishop Nkea should be reminded that being a Bishop lends him a transcendent voice that translates his position to a call to duty. The trickling effects of his profound intellect, cultural intelligence, motivating power, and solicitude, as well as the influence of his new position should be harnessed to resolve the hydra-headed problems bedeviling not just Mamfe Diocese, but the entire country. In practical terms, this would entail turning his lectern into a bully-pulpit to fight not only for the souls of his congregation, but for the cause of all Cameroonians; speaking truth to power, when and where necessary.

     As the first Bishop of Mamfe Diocese is celebrated in impressive words and colors - a well-deserved celebration - the question for the Catholic faithful and Cameroonians is: what lessons can be learned from Bishop Lysinge? His retirement signals a new direction in the Mamfe Diocese, as well as introduces a new value into, not just the Diocesan leadership, but leadership everywhere. Deriving from this, it may be said that any man worth the honor of leading at any level must have the humility, the courage, and the selflessness to, in a manner of speaking, walk away from it all. It is in this context then that it can be said that, like great men who define real greatness by challenging the spirit of their age, Bishop Francis Lysinge has, by his decision to retire, altered the spirit of the age in Cameroon where a gerontocracy has taken the nation hostage. And in doing so, he defined in practical terms, the true meaning of leadership. The lessons of his episcopal ministry ought to be paramount and imbibed by present and future Cameroonian leaders.

*Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai is a Public Intellectual and graduate of Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he was Managing Editor of the Harvard Journal of African-American Public Policy. A former Research Analyst for Freedom House, he is a Consultant and lives in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.



The Bushfallers: The Rise of a New Breed of Cameroonians

 

  By Emmanuel Konde

      The years between 1975 and 1991 something happened in Cameroon that transformed the generations after into creatures radically different from the before generations.  This work is about the generations after.  It traces their development through the prism of Cameroon’s political history. As the first generation of Cameroonians born under the United Republic of Cameroon, their character reflects the political changes of their country.  They attained maturity with the political maturity of Cameroon.  

                                                 Prologue

      A new kind of Cameroonian, either derogatively or approvingly designated as bushfallers in his native land, was conceived in the 1970s by a variety of social forces that intersected and then converged to give social birth to this formidable breed in the early 1990s.  These forces, mainly political and economic, also contributed to the inauguration of a quasi-multiparty political system in the erstwhile single-party state of Cameroon, and, accordingly unleashed a new ethos of aggressiveness among Cameroonians hitherto known for their passivity as a people who were always seen but seldom heard. Bushfallers, the human product of these forces of social change, are not only smart, determined, daring, calculating, enterprising, at once assertive and aggressive, but also seemingly unstoppable.  There seems to be nothing that this edition of bushfallers cannot accomplish if they set their minds on it.  These are the new exports of Cameroon to the world.  They are out to make money, the one thing that sets them apart from many generations before, and the one and only thing that compelled them to venture out of the Land of Promise into foreign lands far and wide.

     Markedly different from their antecedents who traveled abroad for various reasons, the driving force behind this driven breed is money. Again, unlike their antecedents, bushfallers never forget their roots.  They are first and foremost Cameroonians, nationalists of sorts, and totally devoid of tribal sentiment; they love their country, eschew tribal affiliations, are determined to make an indelible mark on the history of Cameroon, and to that end are making magic, literally, by their own exertions.  This new breed is transforming Cameroon from the coastal town of Limbe through Kumba to the Bamenda hinterlands.  Former shanty towns are being remade by the remittances of bushfallers.  Here and there marvelous buildings sprout from the soil like the corn crop. Indeed, even in the Bassa quartier Nkong Mondo in Douala, Francophone bushfaller wealth filtering into Cameroon from Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, France, etc., is wreaking wonders there to the utter amazement of Bamileke merchants who once thought of the Nkong Mondo Bassa youths as lazy and un-enterprising. 

     Never before has Cameroon beheld a marvel like the one being wrought almost everywhere in the country by bushfallers.  It is improbable that such a breath-taking marvel could again be fashioned in the future; neither shall the country ever again behold a breed in the likeness of bushfallers. This newness,   this transformation of the Cameroonian being is novel as it is unique and epochal.  

     Bushfaller wealth is also transforming the lives of many in their respective families, clans, tribes, and the entire country. Because of the special qualities of bushfallers, this breed constitutes the wave of the future of Cameroon. What is not clear at this time, however, is whether this new wave of change represented by bushfallers portends good or ill for Cameroon.  Admittedly, the ultimate end of “bushfallerism” in Cameroon is a prognosis too premature to make at this juncture.  Time will, however, tell.

     The emphasis on bushfallers should not be misconstrued as a denigration of non-bushfaller achievements; for, we recognize that bushfallers were assisted by their older brothers and sisters who either preceded them to Mbengue Europa and Mbengue Amerika, or labored in the Fatherland to ensure the advancement of their brethren.  But the visible achievements of the Cameroonians who first ventured abroad simply fade into insignificance when compared to those of bushfallers. On this conclusion I stake my reputation as an observer of social change in Cameroon..

      I write as a social philosopher and student of history, whose task is to interpret and explain the workings of the social order as accurately as possible. I examine how individuals and groups behave in society; I analyze the actions of individuals and aggregations and draw general conclusions from these about society.  From this vantage point, I am able to discern a striking social phenomenon that has been unfolding before our very own eyes during the past 16 years or so.  This phenomenon is now taking concrete form.  Its locus of incubation is the Fatherland, Cameroon.  Although there was in fact a commingling of variables that ushered in this bushfaller phenomenon, I have decided to isolate a few pivotal ones that influenced the making of this new breed.

     My last teenage escapade in Cameroon happened in Victoria, present-day Limbe, in 1975.  We were in Bay Hotel one Sunday afternoon dancing to Makossa during “Tea Time” when a scuffle ensued between one local boy and a military man over a girl.  I was inside gyrating to the deafening blast of a medley of Toto Guillaume and  the Black Styl, and did not witness the scuffle.  The soldier carried a pistol, which he pulled out.  He did not fire a single shot.  But the mere sight of a small gun sent more than 100 civilians running helter-skelter for dear life.  I was one of those civilians, and those were the waning years of Ahmadou Ahidjo’s Cameroon when some contemporary bushfallers were either toddlers or yet-to-be-born.  Fast forward to 1991, sixteen years later during the teenage years of our bushfallers now come of age.  We behold them battling armed soldiers with fists and stones during “Operation Ghost Town” under the auspices of John Fru Ndi.  From all apparent indications, a lot had happened in Cameroon that created something of a generational gulf between my teenage years and those of our bushfallers.  It is that something, which distinguishes the new breed of Cameroonian, that this work promises to unravel.

     The years between 1975 and 1991 something happened in Cameroon that transformed the generations after into creatures radically different from the before generations.  This work is about the generations after.  It traces their development through the prism of Cameroon’s political history. As the first generation of Cameroonians born under the United Republic of Cameroon, their character reflects the political changes of their country.  They attained maturity with the political maturity of Cameroon.  When in the early-1990s Operation Ghost Town released Cameroonians from the dictatorship of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), an offshoot of Ahidjo’s Cameroon National Union (CNU), the children of the Unitary State were the foot soldiers of this struggle and contributed to the making of the new epoch President Paul Biya aptly called the “New Deal Society”. Born in chains, these children were released from their chains by the promises of Biya’s New Deal Society, which opened up the closed society of Ahidjo’s “Old Oder” and gave vent to Fru Ndi’s “Operation Ghost Town”.

     If Operation Ghost Town provided them freedom domestically, the forces of globalization extended this freedom internationally. By the late 1990s, the would-be bushfallers were looking outward to the larger world for those things that the sagging Cameroon economy could not offer them.  Once abroad, their intermittent visits to Cameroon, which revealed behaviors, attitudes, and showmanship never before seen in Cameroon, won them the sobriquet bushfallers—those who fall bush (chappia bush), work (plant), and after harvesting come home to show off their newly acquired….

     The Bushfallers: Rise of a New Breed of Cameroonians is the story of their origins, growth, and transformative power.  As chronicler of the compelling story, that follows, I cannot help it but echo the sentiment of American sociologist C. Wright Mills: “I will try to be objective; I do not claim to be detached,” for, I am an offspring of Cameroon and can therefore not pretend detachment by any stretch of the imagination.

     This exegesis is an exposé of bushfallers cast within the context of some defining moments in the history of Cameroon from 1960 to the present. It does not attempt to pass judgment on this new breed because they defy social conventions and their proper place in the social order is yet to be defined.  The narrative style employed in this expose is the motif, drawn from music, whereby certain musical patterns recur time and time again throughout the piece.  In the case of this work, instead of musical patterns the focus of emphasis is on ideas, which are reiterated over and over again at different points and in different chapters of this work.  This narrative strategy is adopted in order to drive home the significance of the rise of bushfallers and the role that history seems to have pre-determined for them.  But, will they defy historical imperative?