Brief Background & Career
Fr. Emmanuel Nyenabone Nyong Edet, SPS, author of “Wisdom from the Hills“. is a missionary priest of St. Patrick’s Missionary Society. He was born in Oban, Ejagham East of Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. He considers himself first and foremost a missionary.
His missionary journey took him to South Africa where he did his philosophical studies and to Nairobi Kenya where he earned Bachelor’s degree in religious studies. He completed his master’s degree in Psycho-Spiritual counselling and therapy in Marist University College, a constituent college of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in 2019. Fr. Nyenabone is currently a PhD student in the same discipline. Since his ordination in 2007 he has worked as missionary priest in South Sudan, Kenya and Bauchi in North of Nigeria.
Motivation to Write this Book
In 2002 while doing his theological studies in Tangaza College, Nairobi Kenya, he took some elective courses in African studies at the Mary knoll Institute of African Studies, Nairobi Kenya.
What struck him then was that the Institute was set up by an American Mary knoll missionary priest who had a lot of passion for documenting African traditional knowledge. Fr. Emmanuel was sad that a non-African was promoting African cultural knowledge while we Africans didn’t care much about our heritage. He felt challenged to research on Ejagham tradition especially his own people Ejagham Oban, and to document some of its tradition and customs for posterity.
The Message of Wisdom from the Hills
The book begins by presenting a brief historic origin of Ejagham people. It then goes on to record in some details the different cultural expressions that make up cultural identity of Ejagham community, the Oban people. The book treats traditional practices around birth, marriage, initiation, death, etc. It also looks at cultural arts such as legends, fables, proverbs, dances, and masquerades.
Ejagham people have a body of cultural knowledge and practices that guided our ancestors on how to live and relate meaningfully not only among them but with the whole universe. “If we don’t reclaim this time-tested wisdom in Ejagham tradition we cannot possibly have a voice in our world today,” he said.
Outlook About Writing More Books About Ejagham Tradition
“Since I published Wisdom from the Hills, it is clear to me that Ejagham people have got very rich cultural and religious traditions that must be further researched and brought to public knowledge. For instance, there is a whole healing system such as Obasi-njom among the Ejagham that compares to modern day psychotherapy practices,” Fr. Edet said.
Fr. Nyenabon’s Message to the Youths
There is an Ejagham proverb that says “Mone njim ebae, Mone njm esa, Mone njim jit areh nsung”. For the young people, modern technological society if care is not taken, would severe you from your traditional umbilical cord that accords you an identity in a world that doesn’t seem to know what it stands for or believe in anymore. Take advantage of this phenomenon to foster Ejagham tradition instead.
My pleas to the youth is that you be careful not to become slaves to other people stories and narratives while forgetting yours.
