By Joe Burnley (Originally published on the Hard Times Blog)

The city of Victoria was the solution to the vexing problem of Spanish harassment at Fernando Po. The Baptist missionaries who resided in this small island using it as a hub for their work there, and in the Cameroons, had finally lost patience with the Spanish authorities. The British had used Clarence as a base for their naval squadron from where their man o' wars patrolled the gulf of Guinea to disrupt the trade in human slavery, which had been abolished in England, but was still the main trade in that area at that time. They tried to encourage the more legitimate trade in palm oil. This occupation led to the creation of a Creole society at Fernando Po.

For more, visit http://www.bakweri.com/2007/03/the_early_times.html 

“Joe” as he quickly came to be known by family and friends, was born on Sep 16, 1961 in Victoria, Cameroon, to Mr Robert Efesoa Burnley and Mrs Gwendoline Etonde Burnley, nee Martin. He was the oldest of six siblings.

His early education took place in Buea, on the slopes of Mount Fako, where he
went to Nursery School Buea. He moved schools several times, attending the
Baptist school, Great Soppo then Likoko Membea Elementary School and also
Presbyterian School Buea Town. In 1971, he moved to Yaounde and attended
Ecole Bilingue. In 1975 he entered PSS Kumba. He left PSS for the United
Kingdom in 1979 where he spent two years at Cherwell Tutorial College, in
Oxford. In1981 he moved to the United States and Howard University to study
Computer Science; these studies led him to a career as a systems analyst.

Joe met Deidre Lynn Terry through a mutual friend, Dupe Torimiro. They were
married in Virginia, USA, in 1992. They had two, much loved sons, Robert Efesoa Burnley, born Jan 6th 1993 and Devon Eyum Burnley born on July 7 1994. The couple later divorced. Joe met Josepha Ewongwo, in January 1995 in Silver Spring Maryland at the home of Isaac Njeuma. She became his wife on August 12, 2000 in Silver Spring MD. She was his soul mate, best friend, partner, and lifelong companion until his death.

During his career as a Systems Analyst he worked for companies such as Aerotec systems, Maconi systems, British Telecom, Robert Half, and Kelly Business services. In Maconi systems and British Telecom he rose to the rank of program manager and won several meritorious awards for his work ethics. Joe was a member of the Citadel of Praise Ministry and an integral part of the Justice
League which is the men’s ministry. He would get up at the crack of dawn on the
Saturdays when the men were to meet for their “iron sharpen iron breakfast”
which he always looked forward to with excitement. He also looked towards
Cameroon in recent years, where among other business ventures he supplied
computers to the Oncology Unit of the Yaounde reference hospital.

Joe was a well traveled man: by 2012 he had lived in Buea, Victoria, Yaounde,
Kumba, Ghana, London, Oxford, Washington, Arizona. In all these places he
acquired a following of fiercely loyal friends, who were extremely attached to
him.

From early childhood he earned himself a reputation for protectiveness, bravery, loyalty and strength which he extended towards younger people all through his life. Joe was an avid reader all his life and a devotee of history. He was a jazz aficionado, was passionate about percussion and was an all round bon viveur. In Victoria, like his late father, he was often to be found enjoying roast fish at Down Beach or eating soya at Half-Mile.

Joseph Efesoa Ebakise died on 16 March 2012 after a brief illness. He will live
forever in the hearts of those who loved him.