On a warm rain-washed day – July 24, 1937 – in the rolling green hills of Besongabang, in Cameroon’s verdant Manyu Division, Southwest region, a boy was born whose life would ripple far beyond the humble borders of his village. That boy, Carl Enownewu Tabenyang, grew to become not only a father and patriarch, but a community leader, and above all, a sage whose words carried the weight of truth and whose actions left the fragrance of integrity. Pa Tabenyang as he was fondly called entered the world in an era when births went unrecorded in the ledger of dates, hence his arrival went unremarked on paper; yet his impact, as time would show, was to be profound and lasting. His passing in June 2025, days shy of his 88th birthday, was more than the death of one man; it was the silencing of a steady moral voice that spoke consistently for peace, love, justice, education, family, and unity. His extended Manyu family and friends around the world will remember him as a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great-grandfather. A man for all seasons who moved with the times his passing marks the end of an era. Pa Tabenyang will be buried on Saturday, September 12, 2025 in his native Besongabang. Although his earthly voice is stilled, his spirit still resounds, in his family, community, and in the countless lives he touched with integrity, and love.

Humble Origins of a Great Man

Pa Tabenyang’s story is one of resilience, providence and destiny. From the outset, his path – neither smooth nor certain, was marked by both challenge and promise. His mother, deeply traditional and determined, saw little value in formal education. But destiny had other plans and fate intervened. A Swiss missionary, Dr. Martin Stucki-Stirn, saw in young Carl a rare spark, and through his intervention, secured his admission into CPC Bali in 1958. Later, another benefactor, Mr. Donald Capill, stepped in to sponsor his further education. But in 1960, circumstances drew him back home, and thus began his journey as a teacher in Besongabang and later in Ntenako. His life ceased to be about personal ambition; instead, it became one of service. Besongabang had not merely a son but a torchbearer – one who would illuminate paths for generations yet unborn.

Teacher and Mentor

Pa Tabenyang was more than a teacher. He was a beacon and symbol of possibility as he carried the torch of knowledge into the classrooms of Besongabang and Ntenako. He imparted reading and writing, but more importantly, he offered hope. He did not just teach children to read and write; he taught them to believe. He taught them discipline, fairness, and the conviction that their roots did not determine their destiny. To a generation of Manyu youth, he was the living example that one of their own could stand equal to anyone, anywhere. Through him, children saw that a larger world existed beyond the familiar hills and modest homes of their youth. He was not only a teacher of books but a teacher of life. His insistence on integrity and his refusal to bend to corruption became legendary. He taught his students that knowledge without character was empty – and he lived that lesson daily. Those who knew him then testified to his dedication to duty and zero tolerance for corruption.

Politician, Patriot, and Public Sage

It is impossible to speak of Pa Tabenyang without acknowledging his boldness in public life. A member of the ruling CPDM, he nonetheless stood apart from those who sought politics for personal gain. His militancy was not for privilege but for principle. He belonged to the lineage of patriots who believed Cameroon’s greatness lay in diversity of opinions, justice, fairness, and equity. Once, during a meeting at the Mamfe town hall, then Manyu CPDM leader, erstwhile Minister Peter Agbor Tabi (RIP) vowed to crush and even kill his political enemies, including Pa Tabenyang’s son – Thomas Tabenyang (TT) – then Southwest Provincial chairman of the main opposition SDF party, whom he cited by name, as he scornfully sneered at Pa Tabenyang. In the presence of the security and administrative top brass, including the erratic and impulsive Southwest Governor, Oben Peter Ashu (RIP), Pa Tabenyang with his trademark poker face like a gifted ventriloquist, fired back without mincing words: “Mr. Minister, with all due respect, I am very proud of my son’s militancy in the SDF; in the same way you should be proud of your brother, [Chief John Agbor Tabi (RIP)], who is leading the secessionist SCNC movement; which unlike the SDF is not a legally registered political party. So, if you are going to kill your political enemies, start by killing your elder brother, who wants to break up Cameroon, before threatening my son.”

The ensuing silence was deafening and you could hear a pin drop. Deflated and confounded, Agbor Tabi was left speechless. Pa Tabenyang’s words, sharp and unflinching, exposed Agbor Tabi’s hypocrisy and reminded all that he who seeks equity must come with clean hands. That was vintage Pa Tabenyang – fearless, principled, and unwilling to bow to intimidation. It was a moment that defined him as a man of integrity and courage, unafraid to confront and speak truth to power no matter whose ox is gored

A Father to His Family, A Father to His People

Beyond public life, Pa Tabenyang’s greatest pride was his family. He delighted in being a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. His philosophy of kinship was expansive; for him, kinship was covenant. “Tabenyang Carl Enow’s family,” he once said, “includes my children, my grandchildren, great-grand born and unborn, including the mothers… Anyone who tears or decides to break away from this bond does so at his own will.”

These words were more than sentiment -they are a testament to the human ties that bind Besongabang, past, present, and yet-to-be-born. They were the philosophy of his life. They spoke of his insistence that family, in all its branches, must remain united. For Besongabang, too often divided by disputes and chieftaincy quarrels, Pa Tabenyang was a bridge-builder, a quiet force urging reconciliation and reminding everyone that no cause was greater than kinship.

The Walking Encyclopedia and Sage of Besongabang

Pa Tabenyang’s life was threaded with humility. Not seeking acclaim, he cultivated wisdom in everyday acts – teaching students, comforting a grieving mother, bridging divides, urging kin not to sever blood ties. His was a leadership not of pomp but of presence, incarnating the ancient values of responsibility, kinship, and steadfastness. One of his greatest attributes perhaps was his consistency in words and in deeds. Even when he disagreed with his associates in a group, he never abandoned that group to form another. Pa Tabenyang was principled, fair-minded and with a detribalized and cosmopolitan outlook.

Indeed, those who knew Pa Tabenyang best often marveled at the breadth of his mind. He was, in truth, a walking encyclopedia of rare precision, a lover of English literature-Shakespeare, John Keats, John Milton, Geoffrey Chaucer – and a devotee of classical music – Mozart, Beethoven, Bach. In him, Manyu had a man whose intellect straddled numbers and poetry, grammar and imagination. To converse with him was to be lifted, to be stretched, to be reminded that the life of the mind was as important as the labor of the hands.

Enduring Legacy

Today, like the Besongabang Diaspora that rallies for community development projects worldwide, the memory of Pa Tabenyang lives on not in monuments, but in the character of those he taught and the unity he forged. In the end, the monuments Pa Tabenyang leaves behind are not of stone or bronze, but of character and conviction. They live in every student and every family reconciled by his counsel. They live in every Cameroonian who still believes, despite everything, that their country can still be great.

Pa Tabenyang was, above all, a man of the people. Born in humble circumstances, elevated by acts of kindness and committed to returning that gift tenfold, he was a teacher whose classroom extended to every heart; a leader whose authority was love; a sage whose council was silence and compassion. He was a principled man who, by his personal style and distinction, invited either passionate praise or rabid criticism. Still, in all that he stood for, no one could fault his undying love for people.  But perhaps his greatest legacy lies in his example; in his humility, in his consistency between word and deed. In his cosmopolitan spirit that transcended tribe and embraced fairness for all. In his ability to combine frankness with gentleness, principle with patience.

Indeed, history will remember Pa Tabenyang for what he contributed to humanity, and he will always remain alive in the hearts of Manyu people, especially the Besongabang people, as a most valued sage.In death, Pa Tabenyang matters because Besongabang has lost a sage, Manyu has lost a pillar and Cameroon has lost a true patriot. But none of us has truly lost Pa Tabenyang – for his life, like the great classical music he loved, plays on in memory, in inspiration, in action. May we honor him not with grand memorials, but by building the compassion, unity, and wisdom he lived by. May every child he inspired, every relationship he mended, and every life he touched be his lasting monument.

By Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai, Boston, USA