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