- be a legitimate son born of a proper marriage. Illegitimate sons and
the children of slaves are thus excluded. - be able to marry (have at least one wife) and to procreate. This is
essential.
One might say that here leadership is expressed in terms of biology,
matrimonial status and property.
b) In the Village Community
The organisation of the village community corresponds to that of
the Nda bôt, so that the family and the villages have the same ethical
and, above all, political concerns.
For the Nya mbôrô (true man) both biological and ethical consid-
erations count : a man is a Nya mbôrôaccording to age, the Nya mbôrô
being the oldest of the group (Nto mbôt, Mvéngômô). From the ethi-
cal point of view, a man is a Nya mbôrôif he is wise, mature, upright
and responsible. This ethical criterion is the most important because,
in our society, younger men are sometimes classed among the Be nya
bôrô while older people who are immature or irresponsible are placed
among the zeze bôt(useless men).^3 It is this ethical consideration that
concerns us here. By virtue of his wisdom, the Nya mbôrôis the
judge, the mediator, the one who finds a solution to individual and
collective problems. In this capacity he is called Nyaamemviè. Having
moral authority, he may also assume the duties of village chief (Mbi
ntum, Evet), which are purely political, but alongside him there may
also be a village chief who today is not chosen on account of his moral
authority but because it is the will of the sub-prefect representing
the modern political authorities, themselves a product of the colo-
nial regime.^4
The duty of the village head or Ndzoé(the verb dzoémeans to
order or command) is to direct, inform and mobilise the members of
the village community for a specific purpose or goal, as decided by the
village council, which is a deliberative gathering. In agreement with
Mbala Owono, it should also be noted that the notion of giving orders
strikes a false note in the ears of the Fang, who abhor subordination
and any word that seems to refer to it. They prefer the art of persua-
sion and negotiation demonstrated by the Nya mbôrô, whom they
recognise as having moral authority. This is why the political sector
needs to use the ethical language if its authority is to become more
familiar, more ‘natural’ and more acceptable. Our study will examine
the ethical aspect of the traditional leader. On the traditional level, a
man is a Nya mbôrôif he can meet the following criteria :
- moral integrity
- sense of responsibility
Traditional and Christian Approaches in Cameroon 37