Ngono and Her People

Synopsis—When a child of nine, Ngono was purchased from her family by Ngele, chief of a neighboring village in French Cameroun. As a child bride she was put under the care of Ngele's senior wife. Mistreated by the older wife, Ngono ran away into the jungle where she was found by a white woman, a teacher at a mission school some miles away. Having hurt her leg, Ngono went with the missionary to have it treated by the mission doctor. Once she had experienced the kindly atmosphere of the school, Ngono told the missionaries her story and asked to stay. Her new friends, eager to keep her, raised enough money to repay the bride-price to Ngele, who was impressed by their fairness. A good student, Ngono made rapid progress and after a period of years finished her education by training as a nurse. Toward the end of this period, Eman, a graduate of the mission school engaged in government service asked Ngono to marry him. To his surprise she refused, saying that she owed a debt to the school and to "Our Father God" which she could repay only by sharing with her people, as a teacher, the faith and the knowledge she had received at the school. (Local proprieties make this impossible for a native woman save as the wife of a teacher or evangelist.) A few days later, Eman happened to be sent on an errand to Chief Ngele, Ngono's former husband. Eman found the chief very sad because he believed his eldest son had come under the power of a witch and would die in thirty days. When Eman told Ngele that the love of "Our Father God" is greater than the power of any witch, Ngele was interested and asked him to stay and tell the people more about "Our Father God." At first Eman was hesitant. Then he recognized that he, like Ngono, had a duty to share his faith and knowledge. Promising Ngele to return, he went back to his government office, resigned his position and persuaded Ngono to marry him. Happily the young couple returned to Ngele's village. Their first task was to convince the chief's son that he would not die if he would let the love of God drive out the fear of the witch. Success in this tremendous effort won for Ngono and Eman the faith of the villagers. Together they established a church and school while Ngono cared for the sick and taught mothers how to care for their infants. Meanwhile, Ngele pondered, "How better it were if more of my wives had run away to the mission."