ekottomagazine
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MUSIC
Ë KOTTÒ, is a magazine of the cultural field in all its disciplines.
We are committed to bringing culture closer to our readers. Our goal is to give visibility to sectors that lack this opportunity of presence in large media platforms.
Our publications will be monthly and we will focus on four basic sections and four complementary ones.
INFORMATION, INTERVIEWS, ACTIVITY AND PROMOTION, and SOKKÒ, ËTYÖ LAÖTYA, OPINION y EDITORIAL
INFORMATION: Its content will be based on knowing the path of our guests. That is, what you could call their biography.
2. INTERVIEW. Focused on the professional field.
3. ACTIVITY: Focused on our guest's current affairs.
4. PROMOTION: Publicize everything related to the works of our guest or in its case what it believes necessary to promote related to his or her professional work.
SOKKÒ
It is a section with a variety of socio-cultural news.
ËTYÖ LAÖTYA
It is a section of learning and knowledge about the Bóbë-Bubi identity in its different manifestations.
OPINION
It is a section for sociocultural opinion articles.
EDITORIAL
A general story on a specific theme of each edition.
With the magazine Ë KOTTÓ, we will bring culture a little closer to our homes.
Editorial
THE DIRECTOR?
YES. Without a doubt.
A discreet person, a committed worker and a great thinker.
In our editorial section of this edition, it has been done almost by the editors who were part of the director's work team.
We wanted to relive the story of what was the last day of the director at the head of the house of culture of Rebola.
Relive the reading and these shocking images of a young population that could not understand what was happening and living.
About a hundred children and young people were in tears when the RCC director said that today was his last day as RCC director.
It has been a beautiful story... 6 years of cultural bonanza for Rebola, Bioko and Equatorial Guinea.
The CCR up to this point has functioned thanks to the will and dedication of the “volunteer” managers and the support of the young people we affectionately call “collaborators”.
It has been 6 years of pressure, threats, psychological torture? We will not tell our story because all those who have followed us know it? we will let everyone have their own version, let everyone throw out their own conclusions... it is freedom!
The problem was never the CD of the Second Hip-Hop Festival in Bubi, the problem is not the Director of the CCR, the problem is not the Rebola youth.... The problem is another... only that “nobody dared to be happy looking at his executioner in the face and we did it... and that causes envy...”.
We are still Bönótyó-Bönótyó.
P.S.: for those who can't read between the lines, the CCR is closed as of tonight.
Rebola, August 25, 2015 @ 20:35pm
Fuente: Facebook.com
Story
BENJAMÍN BUACHEBITÁ CHONI LOLA
1997 – 2001: Bubi Cultural Association (Madrid-Spain).
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Member of the Board of Directors, responsible for statistics. Evangelina Car Sambo (President), Justo Mete (Secretary) Fernando Dekeno (...)
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We try to create a Federation of Bubi Associations in Spain: ACBubi, La Dona de Valencia, Asocuba, Rebola, etc.
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Cultural activities around August 15, Feast of Our Mother and Virgin Bisila.
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Red Cross food distribution to the Bubi population living in Madrid.
2002 – 2008: ADER (Rebolan Students Association)
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Founder of the Asociación de Estudiantes Rebolanos, together with Cristian Eteo Botau; later joined Agustín Iridi Belakí as a monitor.
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Support classes at the Gandhi School of Rebola and cultural activities in April and August, on the occasion of the Rebola Village Patronal Festival, April 27th, Our Lady of Montserrat and the Rebola Youth Festival, August 31st, “Los Dominguitos del Val”.
2007 – 2009: Project CCRebola (Rebola House of Culture).
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Ex officio member of the Rebola House of Culture project.
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President of the Cultural Council
2009 – 2015: Rebola's Cultural House of Culture.
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Director of the Rebola House of Culture
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Various activities during all the months of the year:
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January: Talks on traditional rites of bihem, bilö, twins, cocoa, etc.
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February: Talks about the youth and activities about the Bubi mother tongue.
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March: Activities about women.
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April: Patronal celebration, reading contest “Mömó Eteo”.
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May: Fertility rites, cleaning of the Bötói road.
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June: Anniversary of the CCRebola, Cultural Diversity Week, typical dances “Remei Sipi”, JM Davies literary contest, soccer tournament, integration of immigrants, visit and cleaning of the Menhir Rebola surroundings, Gymkhana, etc.
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July: Summer courses
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August: Summer courses and activities at the youth festival with the Hip-Hop Bubi festival.
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September: Student day and tribute to outstanding person in education. Pilot: Demetrio Bitorosa; 1st Dr. in Medicine: Margarita Roca; Doctors Carmelo Cluse and Maximiliano Fero, in Education Sciences and Biology, respectively.
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October: Lectures on the Independence of Equatorial Guinea.
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November: Various activities and International Children's Day.
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December: Activities on HIV/AIDS, Human Rights and Christmas Carols.
2014-2017: Platform - Network of Houses and Cultural Centers of Bioko.
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Cultural activities for the revitalization of the Bubi Language and Culture on Bioko Island, concentrated around February 21, International Mother Language Day.
Desde 2015: K-TUE Rebola (Multicultural Platform).
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Member of the Multicultural Platform K-TUE
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Various activities for the promotion and dissemination of the Bubi language and culture, in collaboration with the Network of Cultural Centers and Houses of Bioko.
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Rebolano Children's Day (August 14)
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Cleaning of the path of the Bötói, Feast of Fertility.
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Visit and cleaning in the surroundings of the Rebola Menhir.
Interview
Hola BENJAMIN.
Gracias por aceptar la invitación de la revista Ë Kottò.
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In short, who is: BUACHEBITA CHONI?
Good question; I really don't know. I would simply say that I am a person proud to be a Bubi, a lover of the values of the Bubi People.
2. If you had to identify yourself in the world of culture, what would be your profile? Cultural activist or simply a man of culture?
I identify myself more as a man of culture, which I think sounds simpler than cultural activist.
3. Tell us about your cultural experience in the diaspora with the Bubi cultural association.
The Bubi Cultural Association (Madrid) is one of the first immigrant associations formed in Spain. In my second year of stay in Spain-Madrid, in 1997, I became a member of the Board of Directors chaired by Mrs. Evangelina Car Sambo. I was in charge, to practice what I was studying at the university, of elaborating the statistical reports of the association, of the registry of the natives of the Island of Bioko residing in Madrid, mainly in the South Zone. We used this information for the distribution of food that the association received from the Red Cross.
We organize cultural days around the 15th of August of each year, the Feast of the Virgin Mother Bisila.
4. The Rebola cultural center is undoubtedly the driving force of this cultural wave in Bubi society. Do you think you have achieved your goal as the first director of this entity?
Before answering your question I would like to inform you that the Rebola House of Culture (CCRebola) was a project that was born from the concern of some young people from Rebola (Victor Buiyaban, Marcelino Capote, Carlos Oná, etc), to build a wëtya (nipa hut) that would serve as a place of recreation and leisure for the young people of Rebola Village. The idea of the project was improved and the oil company Exxon Mobil financed the construction of a two-story building with permanent material, as well as its basic equipment.
The inauguration of the CCRebola was not possible, as there were many conflicts we had to face from the laying of the foundation stone of the building, December 2006, until the date of my resignation as director, August 2015. Our cultural promotion activities were not interpreted as such by some local, district and governmental authorities.
That said, not to tell the whole story of the CCRebola, and knowing that it is my truth, answering your question, I say that I do not think I fulfilled my goal as director of the CCRebola, I failed, among other objectives, to leave a replacement to continue in the struggle of the aspirations of the Rebolan youth.
5. You have information about one of the best initiatives inspired by your time as director of the house of culture, such as the bubi hip-hop festival. Why did it go down in history?
The initiative to organize the bubi hip-hop festival, which we called Bubi Hip-Hop, was presented to us by Lucas Etundi Paco, colleague and friend, DJ, party entertainer, dancer, etc.. We chose to hold the event during the Rebolan youth festival, “Los Dominguitos del Val”, which is held annually in the last days of August. The objective was to introduce the bubi language, in danger of extinction, in this musical genre very appreciated by young people. In addition to the economic incentive given to the three winners of the contest, a CD of the music of the finalist groups was recorded and a musical concert was organized, outside the village of Rebola, for the presentation of the disc.
We managed to hold two festivals and produced two CD's with the titles: Ëbóbë, in 2013, and Böhuelò, in 2014, by rappers from Rebola, Baney and Basakato, who were the finalist groups of the festivals of those editions.
In August 2015 it was not possible to organize the third festival of Bubi Hip-Hop, the song “È BÖIÈ” of the group Wekatyòpëta, song number 8 of the CD Böhuelò of the second festival, was interpreted as “unconstitutional”.
6. We know that you were one of the main thinkers of the song Ëbóbë-Ëvóvë. Haven't you thought about a second edition and other singer-songwriters who were not so lucky to participate?
“Ëbóbë è rímele” is the title we gave to the song in which twelve Bubi singers, residents and non-residents of Bioko, put their voices to support the work done by the Sociocultural Association Ëvóvë / Ëbóbé in raising awareness among the population about the danger of the disappearance of our language if we do not make an effort to preserve it.
Interview
At the moment we are not thinking of re-recording an album like the previous one, in which we were fortunate to have the participation of great stars of Bubi music. We are studying how to reward our singer-songwriters who present new songs in the editions celebrating the Day of the Bubi Language.
7. Do you think your dismissal as director of the Rebola cultural center was fair, despite the extraordinary work done by your team of collaborators?
As I have stated before, in August 2015 I tendered my resignation as director of CCRebola, I did not wait to be terminated.
Most of the members of the team that directed the CCRebola were volunteers, we liked the work we were doing, but, after the third call to the leaders of the CCRebola and rappers in the Ministry of Interior and Local Corporations, to translate from bubi to Spanish the lyrics of one of the songs of the album of the second Bubi Hip-Hop festival, we saw the need to abandon our functions to make way for a new team to lead the CCRebola.
8. What is the Rebola cultural center for you.
Today the Rebola House of Culture is for me a building that needs financial support from the state of Equatorial Guinea and any other entity for its normal operation and it also needs a lot from the Rebola youth.
The CCRebola was for me a cultural project, a place of rescue and dissemination of the cultural values of the people of Rebola, of the Bubi people, of the peoples of Equatorial Guinea and of all the peoples of the world. The CCRebola was part of the daily life of many young people of the village of Rebola, it was open to all lovers of culture, it was a place where children, young people, women's associations, immigrants living in Rebola, the players of Real Rebola FC, the elderly of the village, the disabled, etc., etc., could meet to learn, teach and collaborate for the sustainability of the project.
9. Would you accept again the responsibility of directing the House of Culture if you were offered it?
I do not believe and I am not waiting to be proposed to direct the CCRebola again, “ënápua tyè uwelò”. On August 25 next year, it will be ten years since the incidents that caused me to return the keys of the CCrebola building to the Town Hall a few days later.
I take this opportunity to report that, although I returned the keys of the building, I did not stop following up and advising on some projects that had already begun, such as the rehabilitation project of the CCRebola, which allowed to cover the outdoor stage and to condition the entrance of the building; and the internet project, so that young people could continue to connect to the internet with the wifi network that the CCRebola had contracted.
In short, although I do not accept the responsibility of directing the House of Culture of Rebola, I will always be available to collaborate in whatever is needed for the good of my beloved and always dear town, Rebola.
10. What is your vision for the future of the Bubi language and its community of speakers.
The Bubi language is in danger of extinction, as demonstrated by all the sociological studies carried out in recent decades. It is a fact that the number of Bubi villages where the inhabitants cannot communicate in their mother tongue, Bubi, is increasing.
Most of us who speak Bubi today learned it at home; it was the language we used to communicate with our parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, neighbors, etc. It is no longer enough to teach the Bubi language at home, we have to make the leap, to teach Bubi in schools for its survival. It is also necessary to make teaching and entertainment programs in the Bubi language on radio, television and the Internet.
Interview
11. What achievements would you highlight from your work at the Rebola cultural center.
During the six years of life and history of the CCRebola project, we managed to become a reference in Equatorial Guinea on many topics related to the Bubi language and culture, we published five calendars with Bubi names, we organized six editions of the “Remei Sipi” typical Bubi dance contest, four editions of the “JM Davies” literary contest, we built the esplanade for activities in front of the building, we organized two forums on the Bubi language and it was at the CCRebola where the “JM Davies” event began, four editions of the literary contest “JM Davies”, we built the esplanade for the activities in front of the building, we organized two forums on the Bubi language and it was at the CCRebola where the event Ëvóvë / Ëbóbë began, which this year was organized for its tenth edition in Bariobé.
12. How do you think learning the Bubi language can impact the community and future generations.
As I mentioned above, the Sociocultural Association Ëvóvë Ëbóbë has been developing for ten years campaigns to raise awareness among the Bubi population about the danger of extinction of the Bubi language, encouraging parents to speak the Bubi language with their children. We are now giving Bubi language teaching workshops in some villages, while conducting studies on the normalization and standardization of the Bubi language.
As you know, the Bubi language has a dialectal plurality in a reduced space, which is a linguistic richness that we want to preserve but which also obliges us to carry out more research for its normalization and standardization, to have a common form of writing and speaking.
We want to move from orality to writing so that the Bubi language can be taught in schools. Although much of this work has already been done and collected in the various books of Professor Dr. Justo Bolekia Boleká, we still need, in my opinion, to organize forums, workshops and seminars to better address this issue.
13. What measures do you think should be taken to further promote the use and teaching of the Bubi language.
That communication be in the Bubi language among people who know how to speak this language, regardless of the village or dialectal form, and that Bubi be taught at home and in schools.
14. What strategies did you use to maintain the children's interest in learning the Bubi mother tongue during your time as director of the Rebola cultural center?
In 2013, the teachers Mrs. Paciencia Tobileri Bepé (q.d.p), a native of Moka, and Mrs. Nieves Posa Bohome, a native of Balachá de Riaba, through an agreement signed with the CCRebola, conducted training workshops for Bubi language monitors. The monitors were in charge of teaching Bubi literacy classes to more than 250 children enrolled in the summer courses (July and August) organized by CCRebola. At the end of each course, the best students participated in an excursion to the island of Bioko.
15. Is the Bubi language and culture really on the way to extinction, Mr. Choni?
Professor Dr. Justo Bolekia Boleká, in the conference “The Bubi language: disappearance or strengthening”, which he gave at the event Ëbóbë 2016 Basupú, said that the Bubi language will die. He compared the death of this language as the fall of a person in the sea, without sighting land on either side, but who does not let drown the first time and takes some course as long as he can breathe. I was very saddened to hear that statement from Ntá Bösöpé, although it is the truth.
Most of us who speak bubi today, try as we might, can't get our children to speak it. If our children do not speak Bubi, no matter how many words they understand, they will not be able to pass on our language to their children, hence the extinction; so, in order for our language not to disappear, we have to do everything we can to make our children speak Bubi.
Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers of Ë Kottò magazine?
I would just like to say that this is the first time I participate in an interview and I hope you find something of interest in the information I have provided.
Pottó Pottó to the magazine Ë Kottò for giving me this opportunity to tell part of my story in the CCRebola and the work of the Sociocultural Association Ëvóvë/Ëbóbë.
Activity
Visit and cleaning of the Rebola menhir, Ittè Bötyö, which appears in the book of Rites and Beliefs by Father Amador Martín del Molino.
Excursions that we made to explain to the children about solidarity. Family that turned to stone for not being in solidarity.
Excursion to Batete, gothic church, best students of the summer courses of one year, 2013 or 2014.
Activities in the auditorium, closing of a school year, etc.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage at CCR....
Promoción
SOKKÒ
TIMELY NEWS
DIASPORA
Valencia, 4 - 27 - 2024
REBOLA, IT'S A PARTY
Iyabule Delicias Toichoa Nsegue
Kawëlé Delicias? Në lèlè.
From the magazine Ekottomagazine.com
We would like our readers to know your ability to teach the popular dance Bubi KATYÁ.
Could you explain how in a short time you have managed that young people born in the diaspora have managed to dance extremely well the KATYÁ dance? Did someone collaborate with you?
Good afternoon, one of my secrets I think is the illusion, joy and love that I have for this dance.
Extraordinarily good, I am very flattered, thank you very much.
Before teaching them anything we had a talk in which I only emphasized that:
The bubi costumes .... Teka once put on you feel the bula, Reyna or princess of this place and accompanied with the accessories: necklaces, siobo, saha and the sococha. There is no way, not to draw attention.
It was not easy but I made it fun, it made it more enjoyable. The nicest part is listening to a song in bubi and then translating it into Spanish so you feel what you are dancing to.
Aunt copa helped me a lot with the chanting. And she told me she knew a lot but, but it made it hard for her to teach like me.
I really enjoy dancing, passing it on to people makes it easier for me or I just think I have discovered an ability that has developed with practice and challenges.
REBOLA, IT'S A PARTY
MICHEL BOSS
Publica nuevo video.
OPINIÓN
BÖSUBÓBBÈ MAY MATA
And now what?
The event focused on the Bubi language in Bariobé has been a significant milestone in the struggle to preserve this rich language. It is heartening to see so many people involved and committed to the revitalization of their ancestral language. From the diaspora we have been able to enjoy the music of our great singers, messages encouraging the people to keep their language alive. We have been able to see our people flooding Bariobé with yellow T-shirts. All this palpable energy and enthusiasm that people have shown, has made us (those of us who are aware) feel more connected to our roots.
What about the days after Bariobé 2024? We cannot relegate the importance of our language to the month of February and the International Mother Language Day. We Bubis in the diaspora also have a crucial role to play in this effort. We must find creative ways to maintain and pass on the language every day to future generations, whether through online classes, community study groups, or even organizing home stays with Bubi speakers. It is essential that every Bubi, wherever he or she may be, feels an active part in preserving our linguistic identity.
The importance of preserving a language goes beyond mere communication. Our language, Bubi, is a link to our history, our culture and our community. It is through language that we transmit our wisdom, our traditions and our unique worldview. To lose our language would be to lose a fundamental part of who we are as a people. That is why the preservation of Bubi is essential to our identity and our survival as a people.
Fortunately, there are initiatives underway that are actively working to prevent the Bubi language from falling into oblivion. Projects such as Ëtyö TV and Diversity Ëtyö Project are doing invaluable work by creating educational resources, and encouraging the use of Bubi in everyday life. In Bioko, the Bátöipökkó culture house is giving us some masterful lessons. For those of us who struggle daily for the conversation of our language, it is a source of pride to see the children of Bátöipökkó pronouncing words and phrases with a perfect accent. They have created a school, now our task is to follow them in other villages, so that it reaches the cities, so that all this is not just a passing thing and becomes our normality.
In conclusion, the preservation of Bubi is a collective effort that requires the active participation of the entire community, both on the island and in the diaspora. It is vital that we recognize the unique value of our language and commit ourselves to protecting it for generations to come. With determination and solidarity, we can ensure that our language not only survives, but flourishes in the future.
BÖSUBÓBBÈ MAY MATA
ËTYÖ LAÖTYA
Ë KOTTÒ
Publisher
Diversity Ëtyö Project
Magazine Director
Barbara May
Editor in Chief
Tomás May Pelico
Designer
Böhulá
Colaboration
Eduardo May Mata
ISSN 2833-4124
© 2024
All rights reserved.
May not be reproduced without the written permission of Ë KOTTÒ.
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