The Bamoun community on Saturday, April 10 bid farewell to their princess Rabiatou Njoya who was laid to rest in Foumban.
She was laid to rest just 24 hours after a communiqué from the palace of the Sultan announced her passing away on April 9 following a brief illness.
Born on October 15, 1945, daughter of Sultan Seidou Njimoluh Njoya and Mewouo Alima, she studied in Cameroon and obtained a Baccalaureat in 1966 at Lycée Général Leclerc before travelling to Europe for further studies.
For her graduate studies, she went to England and France, with numerous internships in several countries, among others in language training at the University of Salamanca (Spain), and in training for teaching English in Brooklyn (USA).
Princess Rabiatou was an English and Spanish teacher at Government Technical High School, Yaounde and Business English at various institutions of higher learning. She was also a Spanish teacher at the Higher Teachers Training College, Yaounde. From 1981 to 2007, she was communications director at the Higher Council for Sport in Africa (CSSA) before retiring in 2007.
Princess Rabiatou was erected Momafon (adviser and co-heir to the king) in 1992 by the 18th king of the Bamoun. Subsequently, she created a charitable foundation whose role is to defend the human dignity. She has written several poetic and theatrical works, and has been a member of the Network of Women Writers since 1975.
She was also an active as manager of the RCN (Radio communautaire du Noun and continued to write and publish, and was active in the socio-cultural life of Noun and Cameroon.
Princess Rabiatou had an award in Cairo (Egypt) in 1975. She had several recognitions, among which, in 1986: Spanish Merit Officer; in 1994: officer of the Cameroonian Order of Merit; and in 2006: Knight of the Order of Valor.
She was very active in the organisation of the Nguon festival and one of the last times she was seen in public before her death was on March 22 in Kye Ossi for a communication campaign for the upcoming edition of the festival.
