Background
A traditional celebration of the Ibanikom ethos: food, child and prosperity. Photo from: Ndoh Njong Titangti-Kom, the traditional female Senators and parliamentarians of the Kom Kingdom.
“There is an adage that if we do not care for our environment, our environment will not care for us. For years, we have heard a lot about climate change, but like in all crises, we always think 'they' refer to different people until it hits us like a tornado.” (Tosam, 2014)
The Kom Ethos
The Kom Ethos incorporates the symbols of ‘Iwu Kom Tual’ (Three Kom Hands), namely:
‘Wain’ (Child)
‘Afo-ayina’ (Food)
‘Nyam-gvin’ (Prosperity)
The ‘Three Kom Hands' also form the subject matter of invocatory and supplicatory prayers at all initiation rites, be it at the individual, family or village levels. They pray for the health of the mind, the body and the soul.
Climate change and the mental health plight of the Kom community that necessitated the launch of Ibanikom
Nature and the environment have traditionally served as the capital and resource for the survival of the Kom people. Yet climate change has resulted in a range of negative environmental impacts in the region. An observational study indicated that over the span of four decades, many traditional and local tree varieties diminished with many near extinction. For instance, Tephrosia, a traditional fast-growing tree that was a source of livelihood for energy, sinking carbon and increasing soil nutrient, barely grows in Kom at present. Community members have also noticed rising temperatures in a village that used to be cold and green. There have been unprecedented landslides due to unprecedented rainfalls. This has affected farmlands for a population that is 95% agrarian. Many traditional food delicacies like edible mushrooms, varieties of seeds and pulses, as well as medicinal plant varieties, are becoming scarce and endangered. These impacts have affected people’s livelihoods, increased communicable and non-communicable diseases and steeply increased deaths in the region.