Omgba Bissogo(c. 1855 – 1896) was an
Ewondo tribal chief
A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom.
Tribe
The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia.
Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as ...
and warrior who, during the
colonial
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* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
Architecture
* American colonial architecture
* French Colonial
* Spanish Colonial architecture
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* Colonial (1920 au ...
period in
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
in 1895, led a rebellion against German forces present in Cameroon. Omgba Bissogo was the head of the
Ewondo Mvog Ottou sublineage.
[Ahanda, "Memorandum".] Bissogo and his army won their initial battles against the Germans.This was the first
German
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* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
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**Ger ...
defeat on Cameroonian soil.
However, the Germans responded with a brutal strike against the Mvog Ottou tribe even committing crimes against civilians. Bissogo was betrayed and arrested thanks to one of his numerous wives who revealed his cache to the Germans. He was immediately put in jail in the German station in Jaunde (present-day
Yaoundé
Yaoundé (; , ) is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,50 ...
) and beheaded.
This defeat and the brutality of the German response would later have a great impact on the future
Powermount Chief of the
Ewondo and Bene
Charles Atangana
Charles Atangana (c. 1880 – 1 September 1943), also known by his birth name, Ntsama, and his German name, Karl, was the paramount chief of the Ewondo and Bane ethnic groups during much of the colonial period in Cameroon. Although from an un ...
who in his book
Jaunde Texte talks about the fallen hero.
Even today the tales praising Omgba Bissogo's fierceness and courage against the German invaders are part of the
Beti
Beti may refer to:
People
* Mongo Beti (1932–2001), Cameroonian writer
* Beti George (born 1939), Welsh television and radio broadcaster
* Beti Jones (1919–2006), Scottish social worker
* Beti Kamya-Turwomwe (born 1955), Ugandan businesswoma ...
folklore.
Notes
References
* Ahanda, Marie-Thérèse Assiga (2003)
"Charles Atangana" Bonaberi.com. Accessed 30 October 2006.
* Ahanda, Marie-Thérèse Assiga (30 July 1997).
. Accessed 4 November 2006.
African resistance to colonialism
Cameroonian rebels
Cameroonian traditional rulers
Kamerun
19th-century African people
Executed Cameroonian people
People executed by the German Empire
People executed by Germany by decapitation
19th-century executions by Germany
Year of death unknown
Year of birth unknown
Year of birth uncertain
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