BANDECA Hints That The Annual Cultural Festival, LELA, May Resume In December 2025

 But for this to happen, BANDECA calls on all sons and daughters of Bali Nyonga “not to relent in joining hands together to build mutual confidence and lasting peace”.

The Bali Nyonga Development and Cultural Association, has earmarked a number of rehabilitation projects at the Bali Fon’s Palace, which includes the LELA Stand

The Bali Nyonga Development and Cultural Association, BANDECA, has hinted that the much cherished annual cultural festival of the Bali Nyonga people known as LELA, which has been suspended for number of years now due to the Anglophone Crisis, may resume this year. It should be noted the cultural festival always hold in the month of December.

The information on the possibility that the organization of the annual cultural festival, LELA, may soon resume, is contained in a communiqué which was issued at the end of an enlarged meeting of the National Executive Committee, NEC, of BANDECA, which held in Yaounde early this month. The enlarged meeting also saw the participation of Divisional Councils of BANDECA.

As for the annual cultural festival, LELA, which has been suspended for a couple of years now, the communiqué said: “Recognizing that the cultural expression of the Bali people at home in Bali Nyonga, across the Bali Divisional Councils nationally, and in the diaspora, has been sustained with great momentum and admiration resulting in mounting expectation by all to see LELA celebrations resume”. However towards the end of the communiqué, the BANDECA leadership which understandably does not come out clearly to say whether LELA will resume in December 2025 or not, tacitly makes it known that things will depend on the security situation. In this light, the BANDECA leadership has called on all BANDECA members as well as all sons and daughters of Bali Nyonga, “not to relent in joining hands together to build mutual confidence and lasting peace which are fundamental for us to enjoy the Bali  culture we all cherish so dearly”. The Bali culture being mentioned here is definitely an indirect reference to LELA.

Meanwhile  the enlarged meeting of the National Executive Committee of BANDECA which held in Yaounde, listed a number of  projects, including rehabilitation works, that will be done at the Bali Fon’s Palace this year, one of which is the construction of a fence round the palace.

It should be noted that Bali Nyonga has known some relative peace or calm for over a year now, though there are still occasionally some problems in the outskirt – areas like Naka, where armed groups from neighbouring Chomba village in Bamanda II a times cross into the  place to cause havoc, and rapidly retreat.  In Bali central itself, many activities are now picking up.  Last December, dozens of Bali Nyonga sons and daughter in the Diaspora who had not been able to come home to join their families for Christmas and New Year festivities since 2017, travelled to  Bal and spent some good times, and all returned safely.

MEANWHILE, BELOW IS THE ENTIRE BANDECA COMMUNIQUE SIGNED BY ITS PRESIDENT GENERAL, BA SAMA FOHTUNG SAMUEL TANGANG:

                                                   FINAL COMMUNIQUE

                                                         OF

                   BALI NYONGA DEVELOPMENT AND CULTURAL ASSOCIATION

                                                        (BANDECA)

             ENLARGED NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

                  This 1^st FEBRUARY 2025 – BANDECA HALL Yaounde

The BANDECA National Executive Committee (NEC) Members in an enlarged meeting, with the Presidents of the Divisional Councils of BANDECA, and in the presence of the representative of the Patron of BANDECA, HRH Senator Emeritus Dr Doh Ganyonga, convened on the 01^st February 2025 in the BANDECA Hall in Yaounde, with overarching purpose of defining the organisation’s priorities for 2025,

Recognizes that the cultural expression of the Bali people at home in Bali Nyonga, across the Bali Divisional Councils nationally, and in the diaspora, has been sustained with great momentum and admiration resulting in a mounting expectation by all to see the LELA celebrations resume,

Takes note with appreciation of the proper functioning of BANDACA Divisional Councils at home and abroad through the carrying out of their activities with normalcy, and of the strong and growing commitment expressed to revamp the designing and implementation of development project back home,

Welcome the efforts by BANDECA affiliates, partner organisations and concerned Bali sons and daughters who have continued to mobilise support for diverse social, cultural, recreational and health initiatives in Bali Nyonga, and

Reaffirms BANDECA NEC’s commitment to the responsibility of providing leadership in achieving both the development and cultural objectives of the organization through this year of great expectation and without discrimination

After a fruitful deliberation, resolves as follows:

• BANDECA National focus for the year 2025 is to significantly contribute in the reconstruction of the community and restoration of the unique cultural values of the Bali people, and thus prioritize the following development and cultural projects: Secure the solemnity of the palace with the construction of a fence, repair the Lela Stand in the palace, repair the Ndah Nkoms (as a specific Nkom supported project), repair the Ndah Ngwaga, designing and integrating a strong Information Technology component in BANDECA projects, and for this purpose:

BANDECA NEC in consultation with the traditional authorities and relevant resource persons will set up the organisational structure and processes for carrying out the cultural aspects of these projects, the mobilization of the required resources, and the development of the required technical documents,

• Invite BANDECA Divisional Councils to proceed with the collections for BANDECA National as follows: BANDECA membership cards to be sold at CFA 1000 frs, annual development levies will remain at CFA 1000 for men and CFA 500 for women, and special levies to be agreed upon once a project is adopted.
• Request the BANDECA President General in consultation, to convene a BANDECA General Assembly thin year in Bali Nyonga, at a date to be determined, and with the conduct of election on its agenda.
• Call on all BANDEC members, and all sons and daughters of Bali Nyonga not to relent in joining hands together to build mutual confidence and lasting peace, which are fundamental for us to enjoy the Bali Culture we all cherish so dearly, and further call on all to participate in the wide distribution, and sensitization on this communiqué.

                                 DONE THIS DAY, THE 1^ST OF FEBRUARY 2025 IN YAOUNDE

                                                           THE PRESIDENT GENERAL

                                                  BA SAMA FOHTUNG SAMUEL TANGANG