Headline News

19, August 2018

An attempt to define the undefinable: Petit Pays the phenomenon ⁰

An attempt to define Petit Pays is an attempt to define, the indefinable. The Greeks once defined man as something between a fool and God- this definition could probably be the peck into which Petit Pays could comfortably fit into, for simple reasons. But if we were to add flesh to this skeleton of a definition, I will start by saying that, the status of an artist has proven itself incapable of holding bound the vertiginous spirit of this man.

Here is a man who for more than 30 years has evolved himself into the most significant and un-avoidable cultural phenomenon in Cameroon. There is arguably no other individual in the history of this country who has sketched, defined, defied, influenced and shaped popular or public opinion. Void of fear, he has gone on to put on the table of public debate, the most inflammatory topics, as per African society-with issues like, homosexuality, sex positions and the eventual death of African Presidents. To name a few

Being the epicenter of contradictions that he is, Petit Pays has proven himself capable of articulating in sound and text, the transcendental dimension of Love a la Eros in tracks like “Ne me Quitte pas”. And on the other hand, has made evident his ability to excel in the profane-by making edible the breast of a woman in a song Like ‘’Bobee’’. Again he is credited with “Loba” one of the most favorite gospel and soul-searching songs in Cameroon; but on the other side of the coin he has gained alarming value in controversial currency for his song “Pede”; which is nothing else but a comic recognition and description of homosexuality in Cameroon. He is continuously seen putting on the griot’s attire for men in power-then will again come up with S.O.S songs decrying the deplorable living conditions of the citizens under their governance. “Refusing to kill the child” in him like every other genius, he is seen on his album covers playing with his sex (Maestro, 2002), dressed like a woman (La Monaco, 2005), and with virtually no quantum of shame

Posing naked (Class F and Class M, 1996), making his entrance into concerts in a coffin, dubbing himself with a multitude of titles and names ranging from Effata to Raba Rabbi or from turbo to omega. As he describes himself, “It seems like I have the genius to shock.” For sure there is no doubt, which the ability to perennially reconstruct one’s image and to surprise the audience is the mark of every true artist.

He remains one of the few Makossa artists continually redefining the genre. For example, by collaborating with the Cape Verdean musical director, Manu Lima, in the early 90’s he created a sub-genre today called Makossa-Love; characterized by the ubiquitous presence of the clavier and its sentimental effect; immensely influenced by the afro-zouk groove popularly played in Lusophone Africa. He as well injected pop and rock colors into Makossa by crowning the presence of the drums in his compositions. To create what can be defined as Makossa-pop; characterized by quick-exciting drum movements.

As a groundbreaker, he made his entrance into the musical scene with two instant hit albums; “ca fait mal” in 1987 and “Ancien Parigo” in 1988 till date considered by most critics as a masterpiece. He holds till date the speed record for album sales in Cameroon after selling in a week 50000 cassettes of his double album “Class F and Class M’’in 1996.

Using the autobiographical elements of his former marriage to a French woman, popularly known as Maria, Petit Pays composed songs and introduced a mythic character into the love mythology of the Cameroonian society called Maria. A character defined by her elusiveness and the sensuality of all her parts. And overtime Maria has gained grown as a mythic character in the country, virtually everybody has heard about her, but on the other hand, almost nobody can recognize her without the introduction of her former husband (Adolphe Claude Moundi)

Considered by some as an incarnation of the devil and by others as an incarnation of God the father love or hate him, it is impossible to be insensitive or indifferent in Cameroon and in Africa at large at the mention of the name Petit Pays. And once indifference seizes to be presented as a reaction to a man or objects, then we are sure to be witnesses of something great; irrespective of how one may like to define the word “great.”

And am sure my Cameroonian counterparts would agree with me that, there is no way to escape, forget and ignore a man in this country who stands up to say “a Etoudi et a Mvomeka C’est Nioxx.” Finally, In his new album coming this summer, titled ” Renaissance” Petit pays brings a cultural rebirth of his musical career with themes from the 80s through the 90s, based on the reawakening of Makossa love the strengthens till today.

By Siben Gerard

19, August 2018

All Africa Music Awards unveils nominees for 2018 ⁰

The 13-man Jury of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, on Tuesday, unveiled the nominees list for the 2018 edition. The event which held at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, had officials of the African Union Commission, Jury members and some stakeholders in attendance. The released nominees list covers the five Regional Categories divided into Female and Male categories as follows: Best Female Artiste in Central Africa; Best Male Artiste in Central Africa; Best Female Artiste in Eastern Africa; Best Male Artiste in Eastern Africa; Best Female Artiste in Northern Africa; Best Male Artiste in Northern Africa; Best Female Artiste in Southern Africa; Best Male Artiste in Southern Africa; Best Female Artiste in Western Africa and Best Male Artiste in Western Africa.

A total of 79 songs made it to the Regional nominees list. Cameroon takes up four of the eight spots in the category for Best Female Artiste in Central Africa, followed by DRC (2), and Angola (2). In the category for Best Male Artiste in Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) takes the lead with five spots followed by Cameroon 2 and Chad 1.

From Eastern Africa, the female category Kenya holds three spots while Uganda takes 2 with Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania occupying one nomination slot respectively. In the male category, Kenya and Tanzania maintain three nominations each Tanzania ties with Ethiopia & Tanzania registering one nomination apiece. The Algerian female artistes have a lead ahead of their male counterparts as they took four out of the six spots in the category for Best Female Artiste in Northern Africa, with Tunisia and Egypt holding one spot each.

The Male category has Moroccan artistes occupying four of the eight spots, Algeria 2, Egypt and Tunisia earning one nomination each. The Southern African region is dominated by South African artistes both in the male and female categories, with a total of nine spots, followed by Zimbabwe- 3, while Swaziland, Namibia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe take 1 spot each. The Western region Male category is having great contenders between Nigeria and Ghana. Holding up 4 spots is Nigeria, closely followed by Ghana (3), while Guinea and Cape Verde hold 1 spot each. The Best Female Artiste in the Western region has Nigeria and Ghana in a tie of 2 spots respectively, with Benin (1), Mali (1), Senegal (1), and Cote d’Ivoire (1).

While providing insights into the process by which the entries were reviewed and graded, the spokesperson for the International Jury of AFRIMA and the Programme Director, Cameroon TV and Radio, CRTV, Mr. Robert Ekukole (representing Eastern Africa) explained that tasked with the responsibility of carefully and mindfully sieving through 8,009 entries submitted by African music professionals within the awards validity period of August 1, 2017 to August 1, 2018, “the jury members have no choice but to be thorough and deliberate about their work because we will be doing artistes and creators of these works a great injustice if we don’t accord them the review their works deserves”, “The AFRIMA Nominees list we arrived at reflects and represents the top-notch creative expressions of music talents and professionals within the relevant regions and validity period. However, we also have a challenge where some artistes failed to enter for the awards and as such missed the opportunity to be evaluated or possibly nominated for AFRIMA”.

The AFRIMA adjudication is carried out electronically via the proprietary AFRIMA Adjudication Software, which was designed by AFRIMA in 2014, has been deployed for use since the 2015 annual adjudication process. When public voting opens on the AFRIMA website on Monday, August 27, both continental and regional nominees in the 38 AFRIMA award categories will compete against one another for the coveted 23.9 carat gold-plated AFRIMA Trophy.

Nominees will now depend on votes from their fans and followers spread across the globe to vote for their songs in an open voting process via the AFRIMA website, www.afrima.org From August 7, when the annual adjudication process began, the 13-man AFRIMA Jury worked painstakingly and tirelessly in assessing and grading the submitted entries which was an astronomical increase of 63% against the 2017 entries received by AFRIMA.

Speaking on the parameters considered by the Jury during the adjudication process, Jury member representing Diaspora (North America), Hadja Kobélé Keita, a music executive with work experience in international music companies like Universal Music Africa and Island Africa, reiterated the AFRIMA objective, which is about rewarding and promoting talents and

www.vanguardngr.com

19, August 2018

Antonio Guterres bans journalist from the UN for his reporting on the genocide in Southern Cameroons ⁰

Matthew Lee is a man of single-minded focus. For years, it served him well as an independent journalist covering the United Nations. But for the last several weeks, he’s been banned from UN Headquarters for, according to the UN, going beyond the pale of acceptable behavior for a reporter.

The United Nations on Friday provided Lee with a letter informing him that the ban would be made permanent. The letter, signed by Alison Smale, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, said that Lee’s “conduct has consistently breached” the UN’s media guidelines and “does not meet the established professional standards required of all correspondents granted access to United Nations premises.” As a result, his accreditation to cover the UN has been withdrawn.

“This is censorship pure and simply by [UN Secretary-General] Antonio Guterres who doesn’t like my questions on corruption and Cameroon,” Lee wrote in an email to BuzzFeed News shortly after receiving the letter.

Lee has long taken a different approach to covering the UN than many of his fellow journalists. Last week, many were lauding former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet’s unanimous approval as the new UN high commissioner for human rights. “At UN Guterres Holds Press-less Press Encounter About Bachelet and Human Rights After Sold Out Cameroon,” read the headline on Inner City Press, the website where Lee publishes his reporting.

He’s been covering the United Nations since 2005, and for years was a constant presence in the room where the organization’s spokesperson would brief the press daily. The questions Lee would ask were often esoteric, focusing on issues that were off the news cycle or flying under the radar. The stories he posts are unedited and often extremely discursive, and are generally focused on the nitty-gritty of the way the UN is run, highlighting possible corruption or other alleged malpractice inside the organization.

Lee has constantly tried to push the boundaries of access at the UN, arguing that the business of the UN should be as transparent as possible. That was the case on July 3, when two UN security officers removed Lee from the building. “I said, ‘I’m a journalist what are you doing, I have every right to be here,’ and they said ‘no no no, no you don’t,’” Lee told BuzzFeed News in a phone interview late last month. “So I feel like something is very wrong. Either they knew I had the absolute right to be there and they just didn’t give a damn, or there’s something totally wrong with the UN where they aren’t told what the rules are.”

While Lee was being evicted and escorted off the premises — he livestreamed the end of the encounter on Periscope — his shirt was ripped.

He’s since written several pieces for Inner City Press calling out one of the officers by name, and alleging that he’d been singled out for his reporting on the way the security force operates.

“It was like they saw an opportunity,” he said. He also described the incident as his being “targeted by rogue security.”

Since then, he’s been banned from setting foot in UN Headquarters.

It was the latest in a long line of confrontations and clashes between Lee and the UN’s staffers.

In 2016, Lee was found in a booth in the press briefing room as members of the UN Correspondents Association (UNCA), of which Lee is not a member, were meeting. That incident saw Lee escorted from the building and told he’d lose access to his (notoriously messy) office in the section of the UN reserved for the media.

He’s been what’s called a “nonresident” journalist ever since. That means that unlike the permanent members of the UN press corps, Lee had to sign in and pass through security every day, and, also, leave the building after working hours are done. It was the latter condition that got him in trouble, according to the UN.

The night he was removed from the building, he was spotted outside a meeting after hours, waiting for an open budget meeting to conclude, he says. Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for the UN, told BuzzFeed News the meeting was closed and not open to the public or press. He said and that Lee also attempted to access another off-limits area that evening.

Lee says, however, that his removal was an attempt to keep the workings of the UN from scrutiny.

“On two recent occasions, Mr. Lee violated [the UN’s] Media Guidelines by attempting to access United Nations premises beyond the scope of his non-resident correspondent status and by confrontations with United Nations Security and Safety officials,” a letter from Smale to the Global Accountability Project provided to BuzzFeed News during Lee’s initial suspension read. “While you have characterized these confrontations as being unprovoked, the relevant facts do not support that characterization,” the letter continued.

Smale has been a frequent target of Lee’s vitriol since his ban first kicked off, as have Haq, Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for Guterres, and Guterres himself.

In an attempt to get back into the building, Lee, who is also a lawyer, filed a complaintwith Guterres that asserts that Smale and Dujarric “engaged in prohibited conduct, including harassment and abuse [sic] authority towards me.” He also urged Smale to recuse herself from the investigation.

The UN’s Department of Public Information and Department of Safety and Security, which led the review, “have been reviewing a number of incidents [related to Lee] over the past two years,” Haq said earlier this month.

It’s “ridiculous that there’s been any efforts to curtail his access,” Haq said. “There’s been times where he’s just declined to understand that doesn’t mean unlimited access.”

While awaiting the final decision, Lee parked at a bus stop on First Avenue, across from the Delegate’s Entrance of the UN, using passing busses for their Wi-Fi. He’s also been working to get his story out, posting nonstop and Periscoping from outside the building in a sort of rolling live shot that he later uploads to YouTube. Last week, he shouted questions at the French mission’s political coordinator about the plight of refugees from Burundi. He was ignored.

Some of Lee’s Periscope videos are less structured than others. In a late-night shot, taken outside Guterres’s residence in early August, he flat-out accused Dujarric of ordering that Lee be “beaten” by the security officers. He has provided no evidence to prove this charge.

In the same video, Lee calls the Department of Public Information “sleazy” and refers to Guterres as “disgusting.” In recent tweets, focused on Cameroon’s lobbying of the UN, he’s added Guterres to the list of people responsible for ordering his ouster. Haq firmly denied that the matter reached up to the Secretary-General’s level.

Culled from BuzzFeedNews

19, August 2018

Boko Haram jihadists kill four farmers in Nigeria ⁰

Four farmers were killed by Boko Haram jihadists outside a key northeast Nigerian city, a militia leader and survivor told AFP on Saturday.

On Friday, around a dozen Boko Haram Islamists riding on motorcycles stormed crop fields near Ali Goshe village, 6km outside the city of Maiduguri, and slit the throats of four farmers.

The attack on civilians comes as the jihadists are launching a surge of assaults against troops in Nigeria, putting the military on the back foot six months before presidential polls.

“So far we have confirmed the death of four people in the attack which happened around midday,” said Ibrahim Liman, who is part of the militia taskforce fighting Boko Haram in the region.

“When the Boko Haram terrorists came the farmers fled but the gunmen managed to grab four and slaughter them.”

Shuaibu Boka, who was among the farmers who escaped, said the jihadists did not shoot in order to avoid attracting the attention of security forces.

“There were dozens of us tending our crops when they came on motorcycles and we all fled in different directions,” Boka said.

“When we returned much later after the gunmen were gone, we found four of our men slaughtered,” he said, adding that the jihadists had killed the 75-year-old head of the community.

Boko Haram’s nine-year quest to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria has killed over 20,000 people and displaced some 2.6 million from their homes, triggering a dire humanitarian crisis in the remote Lake Chad region.

The majority of the displaced people used to be subsistence farmers, but because of the ongoing violence they can no longer tend to their fields and rely on food handouts from aid agencies to survive.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Friday it was providing emergency help after 33 children died of malnutrition, diarrhoea and malaria over the span of two weeks in Bama, a camp housing people displaced by the insurgency.

Agriculture in the region has been decimated by almost a decade of conflict, with locals unable to sow or cultivate crops and jihadists raiding grain stores.

But farmers have been forced to try to resume their work in areas where the military has restored relative peace to help alleviate chronic food shortages.

Boko Haram jihadists have been targeting loggers and peasant farmers, accusing them of spying and passing information to the military and the local militia fighting them.

Source: News 24

19, August 2018

India: ATK sign Cameroonian defender Andre Bikey ⁰

The former Jamshedpur FC player has followed English coach Steve Coppell to the two-time champions. ATK have confirmed the signing of Andre Stephane Bikey-Amougou for the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) season.

The 33-year-old, who began his senior playing career with Espanyol B team after passing through the ranks of RCD Espanyol’s youth side, offers the versality to be deployed as a defensively midfielder besides his ability to play as a centre-back.

Among the foreigners, with the presence of Brazilian Gerson Viera and English centre-back John Johnson at the Kolkatan side’s defense, Bikey’s inclusion would allow ATK head coach Steve Coppell to explore his options in the defensive quarter.

Source: Goal.com

18, August 2018

Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Press Conference Against Genocide ⁰

The Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia) Interim Government is inviting you for a Press Conference at the National Press Club, Monday August 20^th at 1PM. The Press Conference shall focus on the ongoing genocide in the country of Cameroon and the civil war in which the Southern Cameroons, Ambazonia wants to secede and become an independent country. It shall also address the alleged fraud and bribery involving the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Anthony Guitterese and the government of Cameroon, to cover up human rights abuses by the Cameroon government.

Speaking at the press briefing shall be the major stakeholders and different frontline leaders for Ambazonia, including the Interim President, Dr. Samuel Sako Ekome. They will address the current armed struggle/civil war in Cameroon in which US military equipment meant for use against Boko Haram is being used by the government of Cameroon to kill civilians.

The leaders shall also use the opportunity to publish a Memorandum of Understand (MoU) that binds all the movements in a collaboration pack.

We will greatly appreciate your presence at the conference. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 603-682-2687. Contact person is Chris Anu. He can also be reached on email, anuchris@yahoo.com.

18, August 2018

End of Earth Task: Kofi Annan goes home to rest ⁰

It is with immense sadness that the Annan family and the Kofi Annan Foundation announce that Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Laureate, passed away peacefully on Saturday 18th August after a short illness. His wife Nane and their children Ama, Kojo and Nina were by his side during his last days.

Kofi Annan was a global statesman and a deeply committed internationalist who fought throughout his life for a fairer and more peaceful world. During his distinguished career and leadership of the United Nations he was an ardent champion of peace, sustainable development, human rights and the rule of law.

After stepping down from the United Nations, he continued to work tirelessly in the cause of peace through his chairmanship of the Kofi Annan Foundation and as chair of The Elders, the group founded by Nelson Mandela. He was an inspiration to young and old alike.

Kofi Annan was a son of Ghana and felt a special responsibility towards Africa. He was particularly committed to African development and deeply engaged in many initiatives, including his chairmanship of the Africa Progress Panel and his early leadership of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

Wherever there was suffering or need, he reached out and touched many people with his deep compassion and empathy. He selflessly placed others first, radiating genuine kindness, warmth and brilliance in all he did. He will be greatly missed by so many around the world, as well as his staff at the Foundation and his many former colleagues in the United Nations system. He will remain in our hearts forever.

The family kindly requests privacy at this time of mourning. Arrangements to celebrate his remarkable life will be announced later.

18, August 2018

Gilat Telecom wins connectivity order from Nexttel in Cameroon ⁰

Gilat Telecom, formerly known as Gilat Satcom, said that it has been chosen by Nexttel to provide 4G broadband services in Cameroon. Nexttel is part of the Viettel Group and has been operating in Cameroon since 2015, where it is now the third largest operator after Orange and MTN, with approximately 5 million customers. Nexttel will be using Gilat Telecom’s fibre network both within Cameroon and across Africa to provide a fast, reliable broadband service to its customers.

Dan Zajicek, CEO of Gilat Telecom, said demand for mobile broadband services is very high in Cameroon as people want to be able to go online from their phone over a reliable and fast network. Gilat Telecom was chosen after a competitive tender that included a number of established wholesale carriers in Africa. Gilat said it was chosen for its customer service and high SLAs.

Source: Telecompaper

18, August 2018

Biya regime denies army shooting unarmed people ⁰

Cameroon’s communications minister and government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary on Thursday dismissed as “utter manipulation” a video displaying Cameroonian soldiers in brutal killings and wanton molestation in the Far North region of the country.

The video released last Friday showed soldiers firing automatic weapons at unarmed people assembled face down and sitting against a wall.

“The government condemns this gruesome, unbearable and unsupportable situation. At the same time while some accusing fingers are pointing at our army, from the same video you have another voice which says that this gruesome killing was perpetrated by another army in another nation,” Tchiroma told a press conference in the capital Yaounde.

His reaction followed a report by an international NGO stating that the shocking killings were committed by Cameroonian security forces during a military operation in the village of Achigaya in the Far North region of the country.

Cameroonian army is a responsible, discipline and people-friendly force, Tchiroma said but announced that an enquiry into the crime is in progress.

“A commission is on right now leading a thorough investigation in order to find out the perpetrators of the gruesome killings. If it happens that they are Cameroonians, then they will be taken to the court,” said Tchiroma.

Last week, Cameroon arrested seven soldiers suspected of having shot dead at close range two women and two young children in the Far North after denying the crime was not committed by Cameroon security forces.

Source: Xinhuanet

18, August 2018

Medical Staff Abandon Hospitals in Southern Cameroons ⁰

Medical staff are fleeing hospitals in Cameroon’s troubled English-speaking regions after attacks this month left several nurses dead and many others wounded. Medics say they are stuck between a military that accuses them of aiding armed separatists and rebel fighters who say hospitals betray them to the army.

Elvis Ndansi, of the Cameroon trade union of nurses, says the killings and abuse provoked outrage in the medical corps.

“The military comes, chase them out of the hospital, brutalize them, beat them. As medical personnel, we all stand to condemn these acts and say they are very wrong. Medical personnel are supposed to be protected in times of war. They are there to take care of all casualties, be they from the military, be they from the Ambazonians or secessionists. Their role is to save lives,” Ndansi said.

Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai of the English-speaking southwest region denies the military is responsible for the attacks, saying the separatists seeking an English-speaking state in Cameroon are the ones to blame. He says he has instructed the military to protect hospitals from armed gangs.

Mourners gather for Nancy Azah and her husband, Njong Padisco, both nurses killed in Cameroon's northwest region, during their funeral services in Alahkuma, Aug. 15, 2018. — Mourners gather for Nancy Azah and her husband, Njong Padisco, both nurses killed in Cameroon’s northwest region, during their funeral services in Alahkuma, Aug. 15, 2018.

Despite the danger of traveling in the region, hundreds of medics showed up Wednesday for a funeral to honor Nancy Azah and her husband Njong Padisco. The couple, both nurses, were shot dead last week, reportedly by Cameroonian troops.

Nurse Arrey Rose says the association of nurses called on the medical community to show solidarity by attending the funeral service.

“We have mobilized to let the world know that doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians and pharmacists are tortured and killed just for saving lives,” Rose said. “God spared mine when I was pulled out of hospital and beaten just because I was accused of hiding terrorists. Many are dead, many are wounded.”

The violence has led patients and medical staff to desert hospitals in both the northwest and southwest.

Eighteen-year-old Mundi Ernestine says that when she took her younger brother to Bamenda regional hospital, there was no one to treat him.

“God has been sustaining him,” Ernestine said. “We were not attended to in the hospital for a week because the staff was absent. We had to carry him on our back through the bush to Bamenda, which is a bit calm. He is recovering, but my fear is that many are dying in the bushes just because there is no nurse to help.”

The Cameroon Medical Council says, due to the ongoing conflict, the exact number of medical staff who have fled the two volatile regions is unknown.

Governor Bilai is calling on them to return. He says all political leaders and civil society groups should educate runaway staff to go back to their work, especially now that the military is protecting medical facilities.

More than 300 civilians and security forces have been killed in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions since 2016, when separatists launched their drive for an independent state they call Ambazonia.

The United Nations says at least 200,000 people have been internally displaced in the conflict and tens of thousands have fled to neighboring Nigeria.

Source: VOA