Fr. Peter’s February 2007 Dispatch
Dispatches
by Fr. Peter Abue
February 2007
Fr. Peter sits with friends and members of the Hanns family in front of the St. Joseph’s sign
Hello Friends of CORAfrica. Greetings from Ogoja, Nigeria!
One
major stride recorded for February was my formal pastoral posting to
the rural community of Ipong in Obudu. Obudu is a town in the state of
Cross River, Nigeria that is known for several historic landmarks and
is yearning for education. In the villages that make up the Ipong
community, for example, education is a cherished dream and this can be
seen from the existence of several ‘mushroom’ institutions of learning
stemming from local efforts. My new appointment coincided with the
visit of the Hanns family from Barrow, Alaska USA, who were hosted in
Ogoja and Obudu from February 13th to the 27th, 2007. Cyd Hanns and her
mother, Martha Hanns, originally lived in Ogoja 43 years ago while
volunteering at the Moniaya Hospital. These two were accompanied by
their youngsters Sam George (14), Cyd’s son, and Tyler Hanns (20),
Cyd’s nephew. You can read about their adventure in a Journal we have put together specifically in honor of this trip.
Obudu,
my new location, is significant in many respects. The most popular
landmark of course being the Cattle Ranch located towards the
Nigeria-Cameroon border in the South-East of Nigeria. The Ranch is over
1,524 m, and has a temperate weather climate to ensure green vegetation
and grazing of cattle year-round. In popular parlance, it is a tourist
delight as a result of its divergent attractions:a natural swimming
pool, horseback riding, beautiful waterfalls, a gorilla camp, bird
watching, sporting facilities and accommodations thanks to the effort
of the Cross River State government. There is an airstrip in Bebi-Obudu
about 55 km from the ranch resort, making it accessible by charter
flights. There is the Cable car project; the longest in the world,
constructed to convey visitors up to the Ranch, and covers a distance
of 11 km from the bottom to the top of the Ranch. The Cable car project
accommodates a reception hall expected to bring in the bulk of guests
from down the hill, with a bamboo bar at the top of the hill to
complement the reception hall at the bottom.
The Hanns family, Fr. Peter and friends at The Cattle Ranch
Apart
from the unique ranch resort, other landmarks in Obudu town include the
Federal College of Education, Obudu, still being sited at the
comprehensive secondary school. Subsequent expansion of the FCE forced
the relocation in 2000 of this town’s premier secondary school. In
turn, the local high school also displaced the first primary school in
that part of the country. Obudu’s pioneer primary, secondary and
tertiary institutions all stand along Hospital Road. That avenue’s name
derives from the Catholic Mission-run Sacred Heart Hospital, which
stands adjacent to the Saint Charles Parish of the Catholic Church. As
could be seen, the first primary school in Obudu was founded by the
Catholic Mission around 1922. In other words, it is not surprising that
Obudu LGA is largely a Catholic enclave. One of its key constraints,
however, is the lack of virgin educational institutions founded on new
locations and boasting local ownership.
Parish School Students
Our
hope is that the CORAfrica initiative of Community Education Centers
would harness most existing and divergent local efforts at educating
rural children in Nigeria and thus complement local initiatives towards
rural community ownership. In the villages of Ipong-Obudu, for example,
one sees several nursery, primary and secondary schools located in
huts, thatched or mud houses. Communities in Obudu are also notorious
for their ethnic dances and festivals such as the New Yam Festival.
Obudu could fittingly serve as a breeding ground for CORAfrica’s new
understanding of tourism as an opportunity to experience new lands and
cultures as well as volunteering in participative education for rural
children. Take, for example, a typical dance performance in Obudu that
includes Alom, an interesting puppet show that dramatizes local
folklore. Obudu people also boast a war dance called Ayita, during
which sacrifices are made to mythical creatures in appreciation of
military victory. Another celebration of dance, called Udeng, is
usually performed in commemoration of circumcision, an age-old
tradition among Obudu indigenes.
Already the CORAfrica
Nigeria Team is looking at possible partnerships with developing
agencies within and outside Nigeria to inaugurate its premier Community
Education Center to harness educational efforts within villages. With
the view that the core goal of education extends beyond simply building
traditional schools, CORAfrica indeed hopes to leverage community
talents and knowledge toward value-based education for young people.
With the courageous examples recorded from the Hann’s family visit this
February, we are hoping that our working vacations will in the future allow more volunteers to help build our centers from the ground up.
Thank
you once again for offering to be our partners in our efforts to bring
education and value-based development unto the grassroots.
May God bless you all
Sincerely,
Fr. Peter Obele Abue
