Mbinglo Mee Nsodu

 

Books and Projects:

Drama behind the Church Sign Board

Black Angels in the White Man's Country

Research and Counselling Foundation for African Migrants (RECFAM)

 

Contact: mehnsodu@yahoo.com

Mbinglo Mee Nsodu was born into the royal family of Nso, Bui Division, North West Province (Bamenda) Republic of Cameroon. He worked as the director and manager of Shalaver cultural troupe in Kimbo, Nso. His first international outing with the troupe was at Cape Coast, Ghana, where he participated in the National Festival of Arts and Culture, (NAFAC96). After returning home (Cameroon) the Lord commissioned him to research into the West African churches. This has resulted in the book Drama Behind the Church the Signboard.

The publication has met with an international success and has made Nsodu to visit Europe in the summer of 2003. There he presented his finding at the Centre for African Studies of the University of Basel and has preached in various churches in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands where he also do a radio programme with RECOGIN FM 103.8 Cable and 105.2 Ether in Amsterdam. His manifold experiences will be reflected in his forthcoming book Black Angels in the White Man's Country.

Nsodu is presently working at Fountain Gate Chapel, Accra-Ghana, the church which he is understudying. As a missionary he has been testifying, preaching and teaching the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Drama Behind the Church Sign Board

ISBN 9988-0-0899-6

Order this book from mehnsodu@yahoo.com

 

Go to:

Mbinglo Mee Nsodu's homepage

Black Angels in the White Man's Country

Thousands of new Church signboards have sprung up along the streets in Ghana and within the West African sub-region within the last three decades. Many of the names make interesting reading and often strike a chord with catchy and attractive messages. They constitute a direct and picturesque representation of encounters with leaders and members, indeed key players and my personal involvement in over 2000 churches mainly in Ghana and a few in Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin Republic, Nigeria, Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire.

The desire to make a follow-up and to appreciate what these signboards point to has revealed an interesting drama that goes on behind the façade of these signboards. Some are biblically and worth experiencing, while others are not only man's creation, but also deceitful, and soul-damning. One may easily and unjustifiably write off many churches that are not in one's line of faith persuasion or be easily deceived into thinking that God is in every assembly of people called 'church'.

However, these churches are as varied as they are similar: Differences in doctrine, rituals and emphasis abound. Consequently, their leaders are sometimes very critical of each other. In the ensuing rivalry, they resort to open verbal attacks on one another and their doctrines and rituals.

Observers and seekers as individuals are therefore often at a loss as to which church can provide a safe place for worship and nurture their faith. Many of the observers and seekers have turned out to be wanderers, moving from one church to another, not knowing what to look out for in determining a good church. This frantic search raises the question of whether the churches are really needed, as we have been made to believe.
'Drama Behind the Church Signboard' lays bare the 'modus operandi', practices, and faith systems of many churches across the board. Some of the revelations may be received as a shock, but the author encourages the readers to continue the reading to the end, so that they can compare what they discover with the uniform blueprint of the Holy Bible.

The book also reveals the reasons for the exodus of people from one church to another, the calling of pastors and why many churches are mushrooming, while others are losing their membership. The question arises, can a church save? A recipe is provided. Get on board the reading vehicle for a journey with the LORD and assess the 'Drama Behind the Church Signboard'.

This is a sincere account of an extraordinary Odyssey by the author in search for the 'Way the Truth and the Life'. In a simple and straight forward manner, Nsodu goes beyond the claims of church billboards and unearths the genuineness or otherwise of the claims.  The book is a must for all true seekers in these days when all sorts of practices are claimed to be true Christianity all over the world.  I highly recommend this book.
Rev. Dr. Samuel S. Quarcoopome,
Deputy Head and Head of History and Politics, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon.

Black Angels in the White Man's Country

ISBN 9988-0-2436-3

Order this book from mehnsodu@yahoo.com

 

Go to:

Mbinglo Mee Nsodu's homepage

Drama behind the Church Sign Board

 

Order this book from: mehnsodu@yahoo.com

“Black Angels in Europe”, a continuation of “Drama Behind the Church Signboard”, reveals the important role that the church plays in the exodus of Africans, including the so called world-wide evangelists and ministers, to Europe and to the rest of the first world countries.

It uncovers the untold hardships such persons endure ranging from frauds, worldliness, deceit, hypocrisy, murders, love of money to loss of vision and many more. The lessons to be learned from these experiences shall help to reshape the vision, status focus and development of the church.

In the first place the book aims at those concerned by the topic: Christians and youth in West Africa and in the Diaspora. It is also an interesting resource to sociologists, anthropologists, theologians and NGOs dealing with migration and Diaspora communities.

This is a useful attempt by an African missionary to draw attention to the problems associated with a current unbridled phenomenon of migration of Africans to Western countries in search of greener pastures. The issues raised by Mbinglo Nsodu are by no means exhaustive, but the book is still helpful. Those interested in the debate on teh place and role of Local and Diaspora African Churches in migration will find it particularly informative.

Kwabena Asamoa-Gyadu

Assistant Professor of Religion and Pentecostalism, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Ghana.

Research and Counselling Foundation for African Migrants (RECFAM)

Mbinglo Meh Nsodu preaching in the African Christian Church of Hamburg, Germany on July 13th 2003. Picture by Erika Eichholzer.

 

Go to:

Mbinglo Mee Nsodu's homepage

Drama behind the Church Sign Board

Black Angels in the White Man's Country

 

For further information and comments on RECFAM contact: mehnsodu@yahoo.com

The idea that the Western world (or the urban areas) is a paradise for anybody who wishes to migrate for greener pastures, is far from the truth. In truth the experience of a migration, which is not purposeful and honourable to ones self esteem, is often painful and wasteful. This applies not only to the migrants but also to their families and countries.

Africans travel for many reasons. These include marriage, education, career accomplishments, money etc. These seem to be all good reasons to migrate. What is disturbing, however, is the idea that we can succeed only through migration. Even when African’s migrate for the right reasons, mediocrity seems to set in and the stay abroad lacks purpose and focus. The long term effects this mindset has had on our families, countries and our continent seem more negative than positive. We send monies home, but is that enough…?

As Mbinglo Nsodu puts it in his book ‘Black angels in the White man’s country’,

... many millionaires and intellectuals of Africa are deceived to go to Europe (and abroad) in search of better opportunities only to be trapped in unbearable circumstances. Many African countries are paying dearly for the brain drain ... (Nsodu 2004: xvi)

As Professor Andam, Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, also adds

Nations are built with brains and not with absentee dollar remittances’ ( 11 Sept 2004, Ghana’s Daily Graphic Newspaper)

Africans blame their governments for bad governance and the inability to create opportunities for growth. Yet, even when good opportunities for such growth exist in their countries, Africans do not see them. Most are only looking to travel abroad at all cost for ‘better paid jobs’, in the meantime other nationals benefit in their own home countries under the same conditions and Africans get poorer still spiritually and materially.

According to Nsodu

If we can identify our potential and our natural endowments, ... it will just be wonderful to think of Africans exporting their virtues and wonderful culture to other parts of the world (Nsodu 2004:22)

These sobering thoughts motivated the creation of RECFAM, a non-profit foundation. Its goal is to play an important role in restoring the honour of Africans and reduce brain drain for effective national and continental development. It intends to eradicate the phenomenon of intellectuals and non- intellectuals of Africa trapped into menial jobs abroad in the name of struggle for survival and success. This it will do through research, counselling, education, advocacy and providing practical support to African migrants:

  • those who wish to travel,

  • those who are distressed,

  • and those who wish to come back to their home countries.