The African Roots and Heritage Foundation’s Executive Director, Professor Anita M. Diop was invited to the official launch on the Grassfields Research Institute as a guest speaker during the Pa’a Ngouo’ok Bapa 2023 Festival. A small delegation comprised of the Assistant Director, Dr. Dora Mbu and the Administrative Assistant, Jeannette Ndzehgah accompanied the ED into the grassfields of the Western Region of Cameroon.  The event took place on November 28, 2023 at the Bapa Museum located in Bapa, Cameroon, Central Africa.  

Among the esteemed guests were Christian Nana, Director of the Blackitude Museum, which is located in Yaounde, Cameroon. Domfang, Andre, Ancien Chef de la communaute Bapa. Andre Kounchou Feze, owner of Fiia, a Restaurant featuring beautiful and cozy Bed and Breakfast that offers free short-term stay for the African Diaspora. Prince Theophile Theotatsita PMC and other notables. The President for Coordination of the Festival is Dr. Kemmegne Joseph.  

Bapa is a small village with large stones and the history has it that it was once a larger land base but is was downsized and rejected by another village taking over.  These stones has a great significance because it bears the name of the Festival.  Pa’a Ngouo’ok which means rejected stones, the people were rejected from the larger group and land mass, therefore rejected and sent to live among the stones.

During the visit to the Kingdom of Bapa the ARHF delegation was granted a meeting with the King, His Majesty Simeu David after a brief introduction of ourselves and our YCLPDP _ Youth Cultural Language Preservation Discovery Program, His Majesty agreed to partner with ARHF for future programs.

The spokesperson for the Grassfields Research Institute insists that a research institute on the heritage of the Grassfields will therefore allow, beyond the BAPA museum, to make the heritage of the country of the grassfield space an object of study, the aim being to rearm our people and allow them to better root themselves in their past The Grassfield Research Institute will allow its daughters and sons, Researchers and Academics from around the world to appropriate the extent of our socio-cultural and traditional heritage, and to promote it.  It will participate in the enrichment of world heritage and in doing so, contribute to human diversity Academics, Researchers, Students, men and women of culture, festival-goers, Traditional Chiefs, etc. will be at the forefront of this event which will have two major articulations: i) Conference-debates and ii) Visits to exhibitions on works dealing with subjects on  the cultural and traditional heritage of the Grassfields.