Elizabeth Mbiwan

Ma,
you have ran the race, and fought the good fight of faith. Sleep in the bossom of Christ!!

Aunties' Ebob, Didi, Egbe,

The pcitures are a testimony of how many lives were touched by Auntie Lizzy, and how much she will be missed by all. I dedicate this poem by Ron Tranmer to Auntie Lizzy, Uncle Mbiwan, and all those who we have loved, and whom God keeps for us for a little while.

Broken Chain

We little knew the day that, God was going to call your name;
But in life we loved you dearly, and in death we do the same.

It broke our hearts to lose you, but you didn't go alone;
For part of us went with you, the day God called you home.

You left us peaceful memories, your love is still our guide;
And though we cannot see you, You are always at our side.

Our family chain is broken, and nothing seems the same;
But as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again.

RIP, Auntie Lizzy. Till we meet again.

Dear Egbe, 

Many thanks indeed for sharing everything with us about your mum.  l have never felt more ruffled up . And l thought l had seen it all, endured it all about death but each time a loved one goes my pains resurface creully and l go for the escape route which never can be found . I was in Buea when I met Ebob after church . l thought she looked stressed and l had to ask about mum for her to unfold " she is in the hospital in fact in a comma . "  l told my sisters who rushed there immediately  aren't you coming they asked ? No i replied?  Why they wondered ? And l slowly responded if she is already in a comma why don't  you let me remember her as the tower of strength she was !! silent but powerful and so deeply unshakable.  There are some people about whom you can never dare to write because you never know where to start or finish. Your mum was one of them . I can see from the pictures she died exactly the way she had lived ....loving and surrounded with so much love!!!.  This is certainly the passing away of a GOLDEN ERA . The history of which is too difficult to be told in words , the childhood memories , the inspirations , the lessons... and yes these must remain eternal .  l thank you and your sisters for the Golden farewell. She deserved all of that and much more. 

Sister Elsie 


Ms. Elsie Effange-Mbella
Senior Gender Adviser
Head, Office of Gender Affairs
MONUSCO  BCDC

You know Mama,
I never met you but I could tell you things about you, your loving husband, your beautiful kids and their spouses, your grand kids and your dearly departed son that would make you wonder....ah seh eh Etonde...who is this child?! It is unfortunate that Etonde who is the story teller, the writer  and the entertainer cannot MC this occasion! WE are all testimonies to the "don" you have left on this earth. 
I know how much they loved you, and I know as much as they will miss you, they knew you were tired and wanted to go see their brother and your darling husband. I know they will understand that the boys need more nurturing than the girls. You have instilled in them, a heart and a head...yes mamie...their sense for school pass sasse boys, and their heart is full of gold. If ah no sleep, Etonde no di sleep. She will call, and text and call and text. On her way to Cameroon, she was at the airport more worried about me! I could not bring myself to talk to her but yesterday when news got to me that Bomaka was the place to be on Saturday Sept 15th, I smiled...because I knew if anybody could pull it off, it was them 3 girls! I heard you were beautiful and the clothes you had on knocked cousin whitney houston's, and the ceremony, the speeches, the organization was very befitting for you mama. That is why I come today to introduce myself to you and tell you thank you for your wonderful daughter, my friend, ETONDE.
Fair thee well mama!!!!! IT IS INDEED WELL!!!!!!!!

My dears may God be with you all at this time as you all celebrate the life of your mum. You are all blessed and privileged to be laying her to rest. The Lord is your strength.

Mes chères soeurs et amies,

Il est des chagrins bien difficiles à surmonter quand disparaît un être cher. Mais quand les peines s'atténuera, il restera les plus beaux souvenirs, partagés par vous ses enfants, et toute une génération de femmes et d'hommes qu'elle a encadré  lors de son passage à l'Ecole Bilingue de Yaoundé dont j'en fais partie.
Permettez moi de vous apporter toute mon amitié dans ces difficiles moments et de vous offrir mes plus sincères condoléances. Que son âme repose en paix.

 

Dear friends and family, please call Etonde !
It has happened. The "call" finally came – the call from Heaven and to heaven, and of course, the call from Sister Ebob, announcing the end of the road.   It is time to “weepoice” with Egbe. Of course I mean time to weep and rejoice at once. Both are in order, for while we have lost a GREAT WOMAN, mother, grand mother, teacher, educator, disciplinarian, woman of faith, we have cause to rejoice that she has gone to rest after her fruitful labors as a WOMAN OF WORTH, and trust me, this is not just for the gallery as is bandied whenever anyone, yes, I mean anyone dies. I am proud I was thrashed by Ma Mbiwan, and without permission the tears begin to roll....
Yes, as I type, I cannot but allow them to flow.....

Mama, did you have a word with your husband who took off about the same time last year?
“Please madam” tell me, did you both have any communication by simple EPS before I wipe a tear?
Aunty, did you decide to board that flight with Justice Nyoh Wakai? That must make quite a duo, right?
This great BOBAN was my dad's best man and since then I have known worth between them and the rival SOBANS from where you chose your beloved husband. Today you are all gone and I ask, what will we become in a nation where crime is exalted and discipline is mocked? I am proud you gave me Etonde, one of my best classmates and sisters.
And as I sit here the tears flow....
Go ahead...let them roll.....


Weep not, Sister Ebob.
You did your part, and the  Lord said, now is my turn to have her in my immediate presence....
Lament not Sister Didi, You were home twice last year for her, were you not?Look at that pose, that endearing embrace in church with your mum, Didi. There could not be a better souvenir to cherish. It has no match! Y’ a pas photo, n’est-ce pas?
Lefam so, Etonde, lefam so, ma sista! Lefam….
You have seen them off, one after the other, beginning with Acha’s death that you had to announce to Aunty Mojoko, whom you later saw off earlier this year and, of course your father last year. Now, after your father it is your mother’s turn. You have comforted many before, now be comforted.   
As you let them flow, remember this one thing: you were blessed to have had them in the first place, then to have had each of them for as long as the Lord permitted. You can be proud of each of them. Yes you can, and you should. In your characteristic manner, you wrote your personal Psalm 151 after your dad passed.
Now you have cause to weave a personal Psalm 152, even as the tears flow…
Take heart, and go ahead, even as you let them roll……

 Yes, Ma Mbiwan made discipline a beautiful tool,
 I am today a joyful victim of that tool
If I escaped a lashing at Sunday school,
I was booked for a thrashing in Primary school
How could she miss pruning any promising lad?
Do listen to a plea more than than a ballad
As another one, born and bred in “GBEYA,”
Now made more famous by Ma Mbiwan and her family,
I join my Class one schoolmate, Dr Njoh Endeley,
And sincerely chime: Yondo swelele, Ma Mbiwan.

We can console ourselves, but things will never be the same again until we all rise to follow in the footsteps of these great folks that have graced a planet benighted by crime, pain and shame. Many have tried to make us believe success is the money you have, and this, in various currencies, the power you can wield in stifling the life and progress of a nation by staying in office for ever, or the amount of fame you enjoy at functions or across diverse media. What a waste! They will pay for many to write a eulogy for them, light a candle for them on their memorial website or sing a dirge for them, when they eventually succumb to Death, the leveler, but all what will be produced will pale in comparison with the spontaneous and sublime outburst of love, emotion and worth attested here. With time, and as we have seen in recent times, success may just be the number of lives you impacted positively down here and the guarantee of LIFE secured over there, thanks to faith in Jesus Christ.  For Kah Wallah, “I have not seen you ( Ma Mbiwan) for years, yet you remain in my mind and spirit as that pillar which defined.” I will take it a step further: you defined success for me, and there are few honest souls that will not accept that yours was a great life, gaining the world and saving your soul, as opposed to the dreadful “what shall it profit a man if he gains the world and loses his soul?”

Farewell, Ma Mbiwan.
With you the title "Ma" is not just an achievement of age and time.
With you, it takes on a special ring that transcends history and geography as in generations you impacted and in people across nations that you educated.
Yesterday, they left from the first Bilingual Primary School, built by parents like her out there by the Yaoundé Municipal Lake in post re-unification Cameroon, and today they are serving on all continents.
Where are you Walters Aziah, Judith Shang, Dora Bille, William Egbe, Michael Awasum?
Did you get the news, Doris Forlemu Kamwa? Did you, Edney Ndumbe? Please tell Chris Nasah!  
Where are the Fonlon boys, the Kisob kids, the Elangwes, the Agboraws, the Ekaneys, the Mongwas?
Yes, where are the Ekobenas, the….the ….and the ….and  the…..?
If there was ever a need for Central Bilingual Primary School Alumni, it is now…
And the tears continue to flow....
Let them flow...

This time, as we look back, none can stop the flow….
This time, because they come with joy, let them roll ….

 

 Aatsa Atogho for the Atoghos & the Etas.

Words still feel inadequate today. Auntie Lizzie, dear and cherished friend of our family for many decades. Among her numerous qualities, this rare breed of woman inspired us through her unbridled grace. Most of all, my siblings and I will never forget how much she contributed to our formative years, particularly at Ecole Bilingue Yaounde (Bilingual Primary School) which she elevated to Ivy League status during her time, and also the fun annual events she orchestrated for us at Sunday School. Sister Ebob, Didi and Egbe, may the warm memories of her beautiful spirit sustain you, and may her legacy live on for eternity.

In sympathy and grief,

Ozong Agborsangaya-Fiteu on behalf of The Bate AGBORSANGAYA Family

TEARS IN CELEBRATION

 

For Elizabeth Efeti Mbiwan

 

Auntie Efeti, you lived a long and full life,

You bore the stark scars of love and strife.

Yet by the Lord’s grace were you blessed,

You faced and endured each tough test.

It’s now time for you to rest.

 

I have known you since I was seven,

Even then your kindness came from heaven.

The last time we visited you last November

You were weary but your smile shone all over.

Your sun has now set. You deserve to rest.

 

You were a loving mother like no other,

You were a sister even to many a stranger,

You were an aunt without comparison,

You were a spouse with a heart of reason.

You have earned the right to rest.

 

Even during the years of waning health,

When you struggled to catch your breath,

When memory receded into an unfathomable hole,

Your fortitude and grace remained whole.

Your journey is now done. You can rest.

 

We will miss you each and every day,

But you are now in a place better in every way,

For you will forever thrive in God’s Kingdom,

And to us will stream your guidance and wisdom.

For our sake, by God’s side you should rest.

 

So let us now celebrate you with joyful tears,

Let us thank God for all of your 82 years.

For how many of us will reach your mark?

How many of us will possess your spark?

Auntie, until we join you, go in peace and rest.

 

                                                                                  Edwin & Brunhilda Forlemu

                                                                                   8 September 2012.

Ma Eli, gracious lady, how I always admired and respected you! I admired your strength, perseverance, faithfulness, dignity and humility. I admired the way you endured physical pain and disappointments with hope.
Ebob, Didi/Namondo and Egbe: Know that you did not become what you are today by accident! You had a mother who took her job of motherhood seriously. Mami devoted her life to your stewardship, and she worked hard to instill her values and qualities in you. Ma Elizabeth Mbiwan, the Sunday school teacher in her youth, the perfect teacher all her life.
As we grieve her loss, we say to our Mbiwan cousins, especially to the children and grand-children: you are in our thoughts and cradled in our prayers.
Ma Eli, we commend you to your Heavenly Father. Please say hi to your husband Brother Ebaiachuo Mbiwan, and sister Theodosia McMoli who loved you very much.

Faustina Yembe (on behalf of Susana Ebainso Ojongtambia's children).