Charles Atangana: who was he?

Charles Atangana Ntsama was born between 1876-1885 in small village in Yaounde known as Mvolye. Essomba Atangana his father gave him a drum name "He who is known by the nations ". He was the eleventh child out of the twelve children of his father.

his father Essomba Atangana died when he was just 6 years old.   

  For his educational career he went to school in the mission school of the German Pallottine fathers in Kribi where he learned that German language, History, Geography, Mathematics and Roman catholism and was baptized.           

   In August 1900,he was appointed by the German commander as interpreter to the 5 thousand Bulu hostages who were their laborer at the time in Victoria, today known as Limbs. He also served as a nurse in Buea and asAn office clerk.                 

  He got married to Marie Biloa and had two children with her, Jean Ndengue and Katrina Ezimbi.                                 How did he became the Ewondo paramount chief? The German discovered the success in grouping the desperate people under a single individual called paramount chiefs and Charles Atangana was chosen by the Germans to be the paramount chief of the Ewondo people though he as welcome with mixed feelings .He collected taxes for the Germans and  became wealthy. He was wealthy enough to own a car in 1926,he also traveled to many foreign countries. He was used in the colonial days by both the Germans and the French, but more by the Germans.                     


  His wife died in 1938 and he got married again to Yuliana Ngonoa. They had two children, Marie Thérèse and René Grégoire, making a total of 4 children. His health began to fail him in August 1943 and on the 1st of September he died in his village Mvolye.

By Fabove Gael