Werewere Liking
, b. 1950
Eddy Ngo Njock, known as a writer under her pen-name Werewere Liking was born in 1950 in a village called Bondé, eighty kilometers from Yaoundé, Cameroon. She was born to parents who were traditional artists. She got married at the age of sixteen but separated from her husband in 1978, after twelve years of marriage. Before her separation, her mother-in-law schooled her thoroughly in traditional education. She was initiated into several women’s secret cults as part of her tradition. She started painting at the age of eighteen and later composed songs which were published as poems in her book On ne raisonne pas le Vénin. In 1977, she met French woman Marie-Josée Hourantier, with whom she travelled to Senegal. Together, they founded the Atelier de recherche en esthétiques théâtrales négro-africaines, which trained impoverished young artists. They also founded their own theatre group, the Mystique Atelier Théâtre, where they staged Liking's plays with her playing the lead role. She received the Prince Claus Award in 2000 for her contribution to culture and society, and her book The Amputated Memory also won the Noma Award in 2005.
As a researcher, Liking has worked in traditional pedagogy at Abidjan University (LENA) between 1979–1985. She has also been a researcher in Malian puppetry and colonial-style paintings that represent Europeans in colonial attires. In addition, she continues to carry out research that aims at explaining the roles of figures in the staging of productions. She also founded the Ki-Yi Mbock group, which she described as a movement for the birth of a contemporary Panafrican culture and unity, and the recognition of the cultures of the black world.
Source:
World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts (accessed: August 2, 2021).
Bio prepared by Didymus Tsangue Douanla, University of Koblenz-Landau, douanlatsangue@gmail.com
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