King Wilhem Madola of Batanga Yassa remembered

The people of Batanga – Yassa in the Ocean Division of the South Region have commemorated the centenary of the execution of King Wilhem Madola for resistance and rebellion to German colonial rule in 1914.

The celebration which brought together the elite and people of the four main groups that make up Batanga Yassa was occasion for the traditional chiefs and notables to preach peace and reconciliation which are essential pillars for the growth of Grand Batanga.

According to the notables, King Madola was amongst the influential kings who strongly opposed colonial rule while consolidating the customs and traditions of his people.

Born in 1932, the King of the Batangas was executed in 1932 alongside other leading anti-colonialist chiefs like Martin Paul Samba and Charles Atangana.

The celebration was marked by the unveiling of a unification monument erected on the tomb of late King Wilhem Madola of Batanga – Yassa.

The monument made of four pillars that unite at the tip is standing at the sea shore in Kribi besides the ruins of the palace of the king which was destroyed during the First World War.

Bedoung Gerard, a Batanga Yassa notable indicated that the pillars represent each of the four clans that make up Batanga Yassa with each supporting one another as they strive to achieve unity which is indispensable for development.

The commemoration was a grandiose celebration spiced with cultural music and a display of the cultural diversity of the coastal people of Kribi.