Imam Mohammed Aboubakar : A Buea-based multi-lingual and perfect social mixer

Fifty-five-year-old Alhadji Mohammed Aboubakar, the Imam of Buea central mosque is a perfect example of a polyglot, a social mixer and a spiritual leader of his own class. The man Aboubakar, speaks Fulfulde, Arabic, French, English and his mother tongue Weh. Actually, he comes from Weh in Menchum Division of the North West Region where he was born in 1967.  “I have spent 30 years in Buea and I am married to an indigenous Bakweri woman.”, Aboubakar told this reporter in his Buea Town Islamic school office last weekend. As a stout Muslim, Aboubakar is perfectly integrated in the Buea community where he heads the flock of hundreds of Islamic followers for years now. Islamism was actually introduced to Buea in 1902 and Aboubakar’s arrival in the South West Regional capital of Buea 30 years ago has galvanised the community and cemented a spirit of love and unity. This has for many years now earned him a unanimous hail as Chief Imam of Buea and according to Aboubakar; “You cannot be a true Muslim if your neighbour is not safe in your hands”. As such, good neighbourliness and a sense of communal advancement are qualities that have led ...