Bali Nyonga Cultural Association (BNCA), Washington District of Columbia Metro Area, United States of America (USA) is a non-profit association created in 1990. The objectives of the BNCA are to: propagate the rich cultural heritage of the Bali Nyonga people of the North West Region, Cameroon; welcome, promote and assist new migrants of Bali Nyonga ancestry integrate in the USA; provide support for and foster fraternal relations amongst its members; and; promote the socio-cultural, educational, and health aspirations of the Bali Nyonga people in Cameroon and the USA.
Bali Nyonga is one of seven Bali villages in the North West Region of Cameroon on the West Central border of the continent of Africa. It is the home of the Bali Nyonga, a warrior clan of the Chamba Leko group – an entity that migrated from Chamba around 1600. It is located about 10km from Bamenda, the administrative seat of North West Region.
It has a 1st class chieftaincy and boast of many academic institutions from primary through secondary and high schools, and universities. Amongst the most prominent are: the Cameroon Protestant College Bali, the Government Bilingual High School Bali, and the Cameroon Christian University.
“Mungaka” is the local language of the natives of Bali Nyonga, who also speak and write English. “Mubakoh”, the original language of the Bali Nyonga people is mostly spoken by the older generations and used in folk songs. Bali Nyonga celebrates the Lela festival. The Lela festival is a traditional dance, which is ancestral to the Bali people and very popular in Cameroon. This annual celebration brings together Bali sons from far and near.
This website showcases the history of the Bali Nyonga people and their rich culture. It makes public the activities of the group within the Bali Nyonga, USA and world. The Bali Nyonga people humbly ask for your generous support of their objectives as outline above. The Bali Nyonga people hope that you will find the information posted here enriching, and that you will tell others about us. Please come back as often as you may to learn new and exciting new information about us.
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A Brief History of the BNCA
Bali reunion opened its door in the District of Columbia Metropolitan Area (DCMA) in January 1982 with the appellation “Bali Cultural Association Washington (BCA Washington).” BCA Washington was established as a non-political or non-partisan association. At the inception, members were mostly students. The primary objectives of the gathering were: to reunite all Bali people; to practice the Bali culture; and to safeguard or lookout for each other. The secondary objective was to raise funds to support Healthcare, Education and Sanitation projects within the Bali Nyonga Community in Cameroon. Between 1982 and 2000, the association elected seven presidents (four male and three female). During this period, the association raised funds and supported the Bali Community Water Supply and School projects in Cameroon. In like manner, the association performed community services in the DCMA by gathering and donating household suppliers to the needy, and by voluntarily serving at lunch counters during holiday seasons.
In 2001, the association added ‘Nyonga’ to its name to distinguish it from other groups with similar affiliations and to emphasize its origin as Bali Nyonga Cultural Association Washington District of Columbia Metropolitan Area (BNCA Washington DC). The new association had as motto: unity, respect, growth and sustainability, which is represented by its logo (a fig tree at the center, surrounded by rocks at the heart of Bali Nyonga).