Walter Wilson Nana
Buea, Cameroon
The Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Garoua, Mgr. Antoine Ntalou was part of the grand and spiritually rich ceremony that officially closed the year of faith in Cameroon. That was in Buea, recently. After the ceremony, the Prelate from Garoua spent some extra time in Diocese of Buea. During that period, he granted this exclusive interview to iCameroon.com, where he shared his views on Cameroon’s celebrations of the year of faith, the situation of his Archdiocese and what he thinks about the just ended parliamentary and municipal elections in Cameroon.
Excerpts:
What is your assessment of Cameroon’s closing ceremony of the year of faith celebrations that took place recently in Buea, Southwest Region?
Mgr. Ntalou - Faith is the journey with Christ
A lot of initiatives were carried out in Dioceses across Cameroon, beginning from mission stations, parishes, deaneries and at the level of the Dioceses. Buea was only a culminating ground for all Christians across Cameroon, who could make it for the great celebrations of spirituality and faith. Once more, congratulations to the Diocese of Buea and the Christians out there. It was a celebration that was spiritually well prepared. Big thanks to the Christians and all who contributed to make it a huge success that it was.
How will you define faith?
Faith is the journey with Christ. It is a life with Christ. It is to become the friend of Christ. That is faith. To move along with this life with Christ, it goes with many things; the mysteries expressed in the creed and our Church. You have to live and be with Christ, like him. That’s faith. Faith is something that must be experimented every day, in all the aspects of our life.
How are the people in your Diocese in Garoua living their faith?
The Diocese of Garoua is 70 years old. It is an area where Christianity was not expected. It is an area where another religion has a strong opinion on the ground. So, the Christian faith came in and it has been positioning itself in another way to believe in God; praying and looking at things and looking at everything. The Christian faith in our Diocese is young, though 70 years is already something. The roots of such a tree are not strong enough.
What did you take home from the celebrations in Buea?
It was a wonderful experience being part of the spiritual gathering in Buea. We shared the common gift we received. The faith of our church has been given to us. It is a wonderful gift. We are sharing the riches of the gift. The Buea gathering was an opportunity for individuals to strengthen their faith.
What is your reading of the just ended parliamentary and municipal elections in Cameroon?
I will not look at it from a personal perspective but invite you to read the communiqués the Bishops of Cameroon issued before and after the elections. The Bishops of Cameroon have been calling on the citizens of the country to know what they are doing, to choose people whom they know will carry out their respective responsibilities; councils, the parliament and more. Cameroonians were also enjoined in the letters from the Bishops to choose the right people, doing it with their conscience. That was the message of the Bishops to all Cameroonians. Nobody should impose on the Bishops and Cameroonians his or her way of imagining things. The Bishops were asking Cameroonians to know why they are voting.
How is your Diocese faring?
We are struggling! We are engaged in the struggle for the faith. We are bearing witness to the hope that is in our hearts. We are doing this in the midst of many difficulties. We have many things to do and so people think first of what Cameroonians call ‘life’ and not their faith.
Any message to Cameroonians?
They should live in peace, respect one another and be concerned with the common good of this country.
Interviewed by Walter Wilson Nana
