I am giving you my version
of the story of the legend called Ba Ayaba. This is the answer to a request made
by Dr Sema Fofung on this forum I must start by dissipating the fact that to the
best of my knowledge Ba Ayaba never entered the Police Force. However his story
is legendary but he is and was not a legend. He lived in Bali and his compound
is still in Bali, just before one gets to Doh Bangu’s compound on the left.His
great grand children carry his name. I went to primary school in Bali with
Babila Ayaba, one of his great grand sons.
This episode on his life
centers on a word. RAM. The Chambers 20TH Century Dictionary defines the ram as a male sheep, a tup.
Three lines away there is another definition; a water ram or a hydraulic
ram.
Thus goes the story. When
Dr Zintgraft [ in Bali he was and is still called Docta Singri ] arrived and was
accepted [another story] by the Fon of Bali,he settled in the Palace and stroke
a military alliance with the people. Bali became the de facto capital of the
Grassfields. And the well trained local soldiers started to flex their muscles
and look more a field. But they could not speak German except for an
enterprising young man who had mastered in a short time many german words and
sentences. He was at the same time a cook, house boy, mail runner and finally
interpreter. His name was Ayaba.
Before long anybody who
wanted to communicate with the whites had to pass by him.Consequently when the
Germans started to explore the North west
and West Provinbces he was part and parcel of the expedition. He had an
added advantage as he could dabble many local dialects. He is responsible for
the Ba [the people of] that we find infront of the names of many towns. Each
time they arrived a place they turned to him for the name . The locals will say
for example, Nde, Tibo, Mufut, Foussam, Ngante,Forchu,Nwa
and Ayaba will say Bande , Batibo, Bafut,
Bafoussam,Bangangte,Baforchu,Bannwa
Once you see Ba before the
name of any town then know that Ayaba had been there.
It so happened that Ayaba
and his masters went on a colonial visit to NSO==BANSO and after a very hectic
reception HRH the Fon requested that they in Banso will like to have water rams
built in some strategic places in the town as was the case in Bali. Water rams
were found in Tih, Djam Djam, Mbad Mandate, Njenka Intelligent, Sang and Boh
Bangu.
In Bali the rams were
simply called PUMPs.Ayaba therefore never related the word ram to water.But
since the Fon had made alusions to water
he immediately cooked up a translation. In translating the reply to the
Fon and his people he added that their request had been granted on condition
that rams [male sheep] were given to the white man.
At 5am the next day the
Officer woke up to the sound of sheep .As he looked through the window there was
a sea of sheep. He rushed to Ayaba for an explanation. Ayaba said they were the
Fon’s sheep and that he was going to give orders for them to be removed.. Ayaba
duely thanked the Fon on behalf of
his master and said his master had counted all of the sheep in the night.He then
instructed that they should be kept on palace grounds. Two should be sent by a
messenger every Friday to the station in Bamenda.
The rams were built in
Banso. For many months two sheep were brought to the station from Banso. As soon
as the messenger left Ayaba’s brothers who were waiting will take the booty to
Bali.
Before long he had a good
quantity of sheep in his compound. The Fon got to know and he became the
appointed supplier of sheep to the Palace for ceremonial purposes. And that is
how he became knighted by the Fon.
Ayaba became such a house
hold name to a point that in gatherings one person will
throw,
Who say? D.O. say!
Who say? Ayaba say!
As to the question on how
and why a Hotel and a Hill were named after him , much had been said and
written.
Ba Dinga
Daiga