Gembu, Nigeria
Encyclopedia
Gembu is a town found on the mambilla plateau
in Taraba State
of Nigeria
. It is the headquarters of Sardauna Local Government Area
in Taraba state.
Sitting at an average elevation of about 1348 metres (4,423 ft) above sealevel, it is among the high elevated towns in Nigeria.
CHAPTER ONE
THE MAMBILLA REGION & AFRICA
1.1 AFRICA
Africa is the world’s second largest continent after Asia. Located between latitudes 370 south and 350 north of the equator, it is the most tropical of the continents, having some 43% of its area within the tropics. Its area is c.30.3 million square kilometres (11.7 million sq. mi.) and constitutes a quarter of the world’s land area. The north-south distance from Bizerte (Tunisia) to the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) is 8000 km, while it is and from Dakar in the west to the Somalian coast at Guardafu 7500 km. Africa’s longest river, the Nile, is about 6,600 km long, the Niger 4,200 km, the Zambezi 2,400 km and the Orange 1,600 km long. The Great Rift Valley in East Africa spans some 500 km in length.
The name ‘Africa’ initially referred to the areas around Tunisia. It is derived from the name of ‘Apher’ or‘Afer’ (also called ‘Ophren’), one of the sons of Madian, Abraham’s son by Keturah who conquered and ruled Lubim (Yoseph ben Matthias, as translated by Whiston, 1987). Yoseph ben Matthias (Josephus, A.D 37 – c.100), the first century Jewish historian of the Hasmonean priestly line, further notes that the original Lubims (Libyans) whom Afer conquered were descendants of Ham, one of Noah’s sons. At some time in history, Africa was loosely referred to as ‘Kush’ or ‘Ethiopia’, although these specifically meant the country south of Egypt (modern Sudan area).
The continent is divided by the Sahara Desert into two distinct areas, Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. This desert abruptly emerged to replace a formerly wet and fertile area some 5,400 years ago. It is said that this all started with changes in the earth’s orbit heightened by atmospheric and vegetation responses. The disruption in the pluvial periods of Africa led to further departure of animals and humans from the desiccating Sahara area to other parts of Africa and into the Middle East, Asia proper and Europe. This is the central idea in the so-called ‘Sahara Pump Theory’. Africa was formerly wholly inhabited by African peoples, but during the moslem raids, North Africa’s indigenous populations were largely exterminated and the area became almost wholly repopulated by Arabs. The Moors and Berbers of Maghrebin North Africa and the Coptics of Egypt (10%) are in the minority. While North Africa is virtually an Arab world today rather than African, West, Central, East and Southern Africa have on the other hand remained the domains of indigenous African peoples.
Africa is considered by many modern historians to be the birthplace of humanity with a cradle in the East African Rift zone. From here, historians believe that humanity emerged some 250,000 years ago and spread to southern and western Africa before finally moving into regions outside the continent about 70,000 years ago (Sub-Saharan Africa, A Wikipedia article,11 November 2009). Africa is also said to be the source of the idea of domesticated wild grains which began to be collected between 13,000 and 11,000 B.C in the area of modern Sudan Republic. This idea spread to the Middle East, Asia Minor and further east to Persia by 10,000 B.C. The practice of domesticating wild grains, which marked the beginning of agriculture, first spread to Southeast Asia by the 9,000s and 8,000s B.C.
By far the most significant factor in African history is the ethnogenesis and spread of the Bantu-speaking peoples associated with the Mambilla Region of the Nigeria-Cameroon borderlands (the Mambillobantu Region) in West Africa. The Bantu expansion, which many authorities believe to have begun from this region between 2,000 and 1,500 B.C, led to the ramification of over one-third of Africa by the same category of Africans, the Bantus, covering some twenty-eight African countries today. Most of the people existing in the central and southern Nigeria-Cameroon border, southern Cameroon, central, eastern and southern Africa today are a result of the Bantu expansion from the Mambilla Region or the result of a fusion between the Bantu migrants and Nilo-Saharans (as in a few communities in East Africa) or Bantu and Pygmies (as in some communities in central Africa). One in every three Africans today is Bantoid. The Mambilla Region itself was not totally evacuated and the area is still occupied by the Macro-Bantu-speaking Mambilloid peoples who represent the remnants of that great African expansion.
It is about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away/close to the Donga River
valley.
The rainy season in Gembu town is associated with frequent and heavy rainfall.The Mambilla Plateau receives over 1850 millimetres of rainfall annually.
shape. People coming from different parts of Nigeria have made the town their home.
The Mambila
people make up the highest single ethnic group population in the town,followed by the Fulanis.They are the cattle
rearers of the plateau
Mambilla Plateau
The Mambilla Plateau is a highland region, found in Taraba State of Nigeria. This highland region, is the northern continuation of the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon....
in Taraba State
Taraba State
Taraba State is a state of Nigeria, named after the Taraba River which traverses the southern part of the state. Taraba's capital is Jalingo.-History:...
of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. It is the headquarters of Sardauna Local Government Area
Local Government Areas in Nigeria
||Nigeria has 774 Local Government Areas .Each local government area is administered by a Local Government Council consisting of a chairman who is the Chief Executive of the LGA, and other elected members who are referred to as Councillors....
in Taraba state.
Sitting at an average elevation of about 1348 metres (4,423 ft) above sealevel, it is among the high elevated towns in Nigeria.
Location
Gembu, the name of the town of Bommi, was taken from the name of a monarch of the town known as 'Gelmvu'. The town is found on the Mambilla Plateau,in the south eastern part of Taraba state, close to the border separating Nigeria and Cameroon. This Mambilla region is famous in African history and a new book by Bami-Yuno )soon to be in circulation) details the discovery that the people inhabiting the Mambilla Region do represent the Bantu who remained after the great split and Bantu expansion across Africa which began c. 1500 BC. The following is an excerpt from chapter one of the book, "The Bantu Who stayed Home: The Mambilla Region in African History" and is a glimpse of the rich history available in its full edition.CHAPTER ONE
THE MAMBILLA REGION & AFRICA
1.1 AFRICA
Africa is the world’s second largest continent after Asia. Located between latitudes 370 south and 350 north of the equator, it is the most tropical of the continents, having some 43% of its area within the tropics. Its area is c.30.3 million square kilometres (11.7 million sq. mi.) and constitutes a quarter of the world’s land area. The north-south distance from Bizerte (Tunisia) to the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) is 8000 km, while it is and from Dakar in the west to the Somalian coast at Guardafu 7500 km. Africa’s longest river, the Nile, is about 6,600 km long, the Niger 4,200 km, the Zambezi 2,400 km and the Orange 1,600 km long. The Great Rift Valley in East Africa spans some 500 km in length.
The name ‘Africa’ initially referred to the areas around Tunisia. It is derived from the name of ‘Apher’ or‘Afer’ (also called ‘Ophren’), one of the sons of Madian, Abraham’s son by Keturah who conquered and ruled Lubim (Yoseph ben Matthias, as translated by Whiston, 1987). Yoseph ben Matthias (Josephus, A.D 37 – c.100), the first century Jewish historian of the Hasmonean priestly line, further notes that the original Lubims (Libyans) whom Afer conquered were descendants of Ham, one of Noah’s sons. At some time in history, Africa was loosely referred to as ‘Kush’ or ‘Ethiopia’, although these specifically meant the country south of Egypt (modern Sudan area).
The continent is divided by the Sahara Desert into two distinct areas, Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. This desert abruptly emerged to replace a formerly wet and fertile area some 5,400 years ago. It is said that this all started with changes in the earth’s orbit heightened by atmospheric and vegetation responses. The disruption in the pluvial periods of Africa led to further departure of animals and humans from the desiccating Sahara area to other parts of Africa and into the Middle East, Asia proper and Europe. This is the central idea in the so-called ‘Sahara Pump Theory’. Africa was formerly wholly inhabited by African peoples, but during the moslem raids, North Africa’s indigenous populations were largely exterminated and the area became almost wholly repopulated by Arabs. The Moors and Berbers of Maghrebin North Africa and the Coptics of Egypt (10%) are in the minority. While North Africa is virtually an Arab world today rather than African, West, Central, East and Southern Africa have on the other hand remained the domains of indigenous African peoples.
Africa is considered by many modern historians to be the birthplace of humanity with a cradle in the East African Rift zone. From here, historians believe that humanity emerged some 250,000 years ago and spread to southern and western Africa before finally moving into regions outside the continent about 70,000 years ago (Sub-Saharan Africa, A Wikipedia article,11 November 2009). Africa is also said to be the source of the idea of domesticated wild grains which began to be collected between 13,000 and 11,000 B.C in the area of modern Sudan Republic. This idea spread to the Middle East, Asia Minor and further east to Persia by 10,000 B.C. The practice of domesticating wild grains, which marked the beginning of agriculture, first spread to Southeast Asia by the 9,000s and 8,000s B.C.
By far the most significant factor in African history is the ethnogenesis and spread of the Bantu-speaking peoples associated with the Mambilla Region of the Nigeria-Cameroon borderlands (the Mambillobantu Region) in West Africa. The Bantu expansion, which many authorities believe to have begun from this region between 2,000 and 1,500 B.C, led to the ramification of over one-third of Africa by the same category of Africans, the Bantus, covering some twenty-eight African countries today. Most of the people existing in the central and southern Nigeria-Cameroon border, southern Cameroon, central, eastern and southern Africa today are a result of the Bantu expansion from the Mambilla Region or the result of a fusion between the Bantu migrants and Nilo-Saharans (as in a few communities in East Africa) or Bantu and Pygmies (as in some communities in central Africa). One in every three Africans today is Bantoid. The Mambilla Region itself was not totally evacuated and the area is still occupied by the Macro-Bantu-speaking Mambilloid peoples who represent the remnants of that great African expansion.
It is about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away/close to the Donga River
Donga River
The Donga River is a river in Nigeria and Cameroon. The river arises from the Mambilla Plateau in southeastern Nigeria, forms part of the international border between Nigeria and Cameroon, and flows northwest to eventually merge with the Benue River in Nigeria....
valley.
Climate and Rainfall
Gembu town has a comparatively cold climate.The recorded mean air temperature for the town stands at 21.1 °C (70 °F).Daytime temperatures hardly exceed 25 °C (77 °F) and a temperature minimum of 11 °C (51.8 °F) is recorded during the mid- rainy season in August .The rainy season in Gembu town is associated with frequent and heavy rainfall.The Mambilla Plateau receives over 1850 millimetres of rainfall annually.
People
Gembu town being the headquarters of a Local Government area has attracted a population diverse in ethnic makeup, which has resulted in the town taking a cosmopolitanMulticulturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
shape. People coming from different parts of Nigeria have made the town their home.
The Mambila
Mambila
The Mambila or Mambilla people of Nigeria and Cameroon live on the Mambilla plateau and on the Tikar Plain in Cameroon as well as in several small villages further north towards the town of Banyo. The preferred ethnonym is Mambila in Cameroon and Mambilla in Nigeria...
people make up the highest single ethnic group population in the town,followed by the Fulanis.They are the cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
rearers of the plateau