 6.3.2001 A
photo of Brillian, taken at her mothers house in Kembong village a few days
after arriving. |
 7.3.2001. Kembong Village.
Brillian peeling coco yams while her mother makes fufu, (traditional Bayangi
dish) |
 10.3.2001. Brillian on the
way to her mothers farm for a days work. |
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17.3.2001. Bush meat for the mothers Traditional Ceremony. Brillians mother, (Eno Catherine) is holding the dried monkey meat for the meal. After the poisoning of myself by Brillian four months later, I was to learn that it is well known that her mother (Eno Catherine) poisoned her second husband, (Eno Peter Ita) who was a pharmacist from Mamfe. |
17.3.2001. Brillian doing her mothers hair in preparation for the traditional ceremony. The cables in the photo are the power being installed in the mothers house. I offered to do this as a gift to the mother for her hospitality, well before there was any mention of marriage. |
 18.3.2001. Brillian and a
friend making popcorn and ground nuts in preparation for the mother's family
traditional wedding ceremony. |
18.3.2001. Traditional ceremony- mothers family. From left: Brillian, her Aunt, myself and Brillian's mother. Though there was no mention of any children, (this photo is prior to Mamfe Council wedding) the Aunt is actually holding 1 of Brillian's children. I was told that the children belonged to the Aunt, who lives in a nearby village. 2 months later when we returned to the village, this child had died. Brillian showed no remorse at the death of " Her Aunts child". |
 18.3.2001. Mothers
tradional ceremony. There's that cap again! None of the people here could
understand my accent and all interpretation was done by Brillian |
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20.3.2001. Thats my "witness" (Timothy Agbor Akoachere) signing the marriage certificate. A totally illegal act by the laws of Cameroon, as I only met the man that morning. The marriage dress that Brillian is wearing was packed into her bag in Limbe, 6 days after I met her. She had invited me to her village as a tourist who had shown interest in seeing the culture. Obviously her intent was well and truly clear, as to what was ahead. |
 20.3.2001. Thats the Mamfe
mayor handing me my first DEATH CERTIFICATE, (oops I mean marriage
certificate). Brillian rubs her hands together in joy as she looks at the
"joint property" clause on the certificate. (They had completed phase 1).
The cap that I'm wearing was made in Mamfe by a relative of Brillian, who
makes the Juju suits for black magic ceremonies. I was not allowed to step
from the house that morning without the cap on my head, 3 hours previous to
the council marriage. ( I was told that it was traditional). Once we left
the council building, the cap was removed and never mentioned again, nor
worn to the fathers ceremony 4 days later. |
 24.3.2001. The goat is
slaughtered for the ceremony for the fathers family. |
10.3.2001. Brillian, her
brother Peter and a worker, splitting bush mangoes at the farm. The nut
inside the mango is dried and sold to the Nigerians.
20.3.2001. Mamfe council
wedding. Is that dad giving a victory salute? Brillian's father (William. E.
Akoachere) who works at the council, seems to have forgotten to tell me that
Brillian is already married to a man named "Agbor" and given birth to 4
CHILDREN (Thanks a lot Dad). Brillian had stated that the council wedding
was unimportant in African tradition, but her father had refused to have a
traditional ceremony (Fathers family) unless we were married in the council
first.