A Dictionary of Popular Bali Names

A Dictionary of Popular Bali Names is an extraordinary minefield of Chamba names meticulously assembled and expatiated for the modern user. This edition combines a short history of the Chamba people in Cameroon as well as detailed ethnographic description of the naming ritual among the Bali Chamba. John Fokwang’s work stands in a class of its own and will serve as a reference material for all people of Chamba descent in Nigeria and Cameroon as well as for individuals who fancy the use of African names. This edition is a worthy contribution to the ethnography of the Cameroon Grassfields and indeed, the growing literature and interest on African names and languages.

John Koyela Fokwang was born in Bali Nyonga in the then British Southern Cameroons. He attended the Native Authority School in Bali where he later taught as a Probationary Teacher (1963-1965). John Fokwang continued his professional training in 1965 and obtained his Teachers' Grade III, II and I in 1968, 1970 and 1975 respectively. He completed his studies for the ACP in 1980 and became a Senior Grade I teacher in 1981. In the summer of 1987, John Fokwang completed studies towards a diploma in Project Management at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Always driven by the desire to enrich his professional and personal life, John Fokwang trained and obtained a certificate in General Agriculture from INADES Formation Cameroon in 1998. He was a founding member of the Association for Creative Teaching (ACT) and the Kaberry Research Centre, Bamenda. He has edited many children's and teachers' literary works such as The Lion and the Monkey. He is also the author of several academic articles on the rites of passage among the Bali Nyonga of Mezam Division and the Aghem people of Menchum.