It is now rumored that Lapiro de Mbanga (Ndinga Man) would be buried in Buffalo, New York, where he recently died. If that is to happen, that would be a disgrace to Cameroon and Cameroonians everywhere. As a national treasure, the government of Cameroon should have interest in seeing to it that he is buried at home in Cameroon. In life Lapiro did more to better the lives of Cameroonians than most people in government, from the dictator Paul Biya to all those who have been working for him. Lapiro is a hero not only to the people of Mbanga but also to the people of Cameroon as a whole. A man who spoke the language of the people, he mobilized the dispossessed and raised the consciousness of the people like no one has done. In a country that hardly values its people, Lapiro taught the ordinary people to value themselves and survive the atrocity that Cameroon has become under Paul Biya. Someone who contributes to the lives of the people like Lapiro did should be honored rather than despised and they should be given a decent burial rather than be buried in foreign climes. Lapiro should therefore be buried in the place that gave him life and made him the person he came to be and that place is found in Mbanga, Cameroon, where his ancestors are. Anything less would make his spirit to be restless for ever.
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