The Council of Traditional Chiefs of the Western Region signals the anarchic use of sacred coats of arms and calls on the sons and daughters of the Western communities.
In their role as guardians and protectors of the cultural heritage of the Western communities, the traditional chiefs of the said region alert on the misuse of traditional attributes. The Council, which brings together these chiefs, draws the attention of the sons and daughters of the West living in the country or abroad to the use they make of sacred objects. The council expresses its indignation at the recurring desecration and anarchic use of the Ndop, leopard skins, traditional stools, hats, cowries, horns, and other insignia of dignity and power. Which are used “indiscriminately, disregarding the customary rules that strictly govern their use,” the council states in a message.
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The kings thus denounce what they call the “observed cacophony” and sound the alarm in view of the situation. They, who define themselves as guarantors of the authenticity of the rites of the communities, indicate that these deviations contribute to creating “a total confusion in the hierarchy of values and symbols.” The risk being to weaken the foundations of social and cultural organization.
To avoid reaching this level, the traditional chiefs remind the sons and daughters of the Western communities to order. By raising awareness, they urge them to approach their respective higher chiefdoms. There they will receive teachings, training, and the necessary initiation for the appropriate use of traditional attributes. Just as they will undergo initiation, purification, and rehabilitation rites if needed.
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The alert from the traditional chiefs of the West also serves as a measure to limit the imposture of those who can, by using these attributes, usurp titles for personal purposes. It resonates at a time when several communities in Cameroon outside the West are taking initiatives to restore or rehabilitate the cultural heritage threatened with extinction.
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