The arrest, ongoing detention, and charges against Cameroonian rapper Gaston Serval Abe, known as Valsero, are inexcusable violations of freedom artistic expression, PEN America said in a statement today. Arrested earlier this year in the vicinity of a pro-democracy demonstration, Valsero will appear before a military court Friday and could face the death penalty. He’s charged with rebellion against the state, terrorism, insurrection, inciting public disorder, and propagating false information.

“Valsero, along with his sound engineer, has been imprisoned for over six months for merely attending a peaceful march in protest of the last election results in Cameroon,” said Julie Trébault, director of the Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) at PEN America. “This is clearly a targeted attempt to silence an internationally known and beloved rapper who strives, both through his music and his activism, to critique the government and inspire social change. His ongoing detention in poor conditions and the exaggerated charges against him are an intolerable affront both to artistic freedom and human dignity. We urge the Cameroonian government to immediately drop the charges against Valsero and uphold its domestic and international commitments to protect freedom of expression and ensure that artists are free to create without fear”.

Critics say Valsero is being persecuted for his work, which often includes political themes. Songs like “Çe pays tue les jeunes” (“This country kills the youth”), “Ne me parlez plus de ce pays” (“Don’t talk about this country to me anymore”),  and the well-known “Lettre au president” (“Letter to the President”) have earned both the ire of the government and admiration of fans across Cameroon. Many of his new songs reference current crises in Cameroon and the current government, in power for nearly four decades.

Although his work fell afoul of censorship laws, his 2008 debut album, “Poltiquement instable” (“Politically unstable”), became a runaway success, earning him the title “The General” from fans across the country. Beyond his rap career, he is also an engaged activist, starting initiatives such as “Jeune et Fort” (“Young and Strong”), which promotes education through citizenship, democracy, and electoral culture, and his new “Our Destiny” association, which aims to empower young people to take control of their existence for the benefit of the country.

Valsero was arrested on January 26 in Yaoundé on the margins of a peaceful demonstration protesting last year’s national elections, which many deemed to be rigged in support of the current president, Paul Biya. Maurice Kamto, the opposition leader, had organized marches all over the country on that day, but the protestors were met with widespread police suppression, and both Kamto and Valsero were detained. Valsero is not a member of the opposition party.

Source: Pen.org

In a career spanning six decades, Afro-European star saxophonist Manu Dibango has played a fusion of everything from jazz, funk and traditional rhythms from his native Cameroon, creating music that he says “builds bridges”.

The 85-year-old, who was born is Cameroon but moved to France as a teenager, has played with such greats as Herbie Hancock and Fela Kuti, and is credited with inspiring an array of musicians including Michael Jackson.

“We are the builders of bridges between the West and Africa,” he told AFP in an interview at the Jazz in Marciac festival in southern France, where the towering saxophonist with the shaved head and spangly shirts is a regular.

Dibango shot to global prominence in 1972 with the afrobeat hit “Soul Makossa”, a highly catchy track that was spotted by DJs in New York on the B side of a single containing a song for the Cameroonian national football team.

He claims Michael Jackson pilfered a line from that track for his 1983 hit “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” on the Thriller album, but settled the matter out of court.

The king of Afro-jazz bears no grudge against the king of pop, whom he credits with giving the track a second life and making it into a standard that has since been reprised by other stars, including Rihanna and, more recently, Beyonce.

Producing a follow-up to such a hit would have daunted a lesser musician, but Dibango proved himself the master of reinvention and musical fusion.

“In the morning I tell myself, ‘Look, I’m still alive. What can I be doing?’. My problem is: ‘What’s my agenda’ and not ‘Ah, yesterday was great’,” the performer said.

Despite having lived longer in Europe than in Africa Dibango refuses to be put in a box and warns against doing the same with music.

“I’m just a guy who is a musician and not a European nor an African musician,” he says, warning against a “blinkered” approach to music whereby “if you’re an African musician you play the djembe, balafon or kora and if you play the sax, oops, it’s more black American and you’re no longer really African for some people”.

It’s worse again for players of the piano and guitar, instruments also seen by some as “un-African”, even though, Dibango says, “there are pianos in every hotel in Africa and in every orchestra there are guitars!”

“These are fantasies that people project onto you. And maybe part of our life is to chase them away,” he said.

But it’s “very hard, even for me”, he admitted.

– Living life in stereo –

Born in Douala in what was then the French-administered part of Cameroon, Dibango was influenced by a wide variety of genres from a young age. His uncle played the harmonium and his mother ran a choir.

“I have the harmony of Bach and Handel in my ear, with Cameroonian lyrics,” he said, adding with his trademark optimism: “It’s a gift to be able to have at least two possibilities. In life I prefer to be stereo than mono”.

At the age of 15 his parents sent him to study in France but he soon got turned onto jazz and soul and began playing the saxophone and keyboards in clubs.

The musician takes his success with a pinch of salt.

“You have to treat failure and success alike. You always have to stay afloat.”

He still gets excited about new musical collaborations, like for instance playing with a philharmonic orchestra this summer.

“It’s another form of dialogue. The language is not the same when you are 70 (musicians). The result and the goosebumps you get are on another level. It’s as if you’re travelling in first class,” he enthused.

Source: AFP

Singer Stevie Wonder will undergo a kidney transplant in September.

The Grammy award-winning singer broke the news while performing on stage at London’s British Summer Time Hyde Park concert on Saturday, July 6.

Stevie Wonder told the crowd that he already has a donor in place and will take some time off to recuperate.

The 69-year old singer has won 25 Grammys, including Album of the year three times in four years, in 1973, 1974 and 1976.

His last Grammy award for the Album of the year was for his most famous work, ‘’ Songs in the key of Life’‘.

Reuters

The annual Manyu convention (MECA-USA) has opened in the American capital of Washington DC.

The annual event which brings together all Manyu sons and daughters in the United States is marked by traditional dances and a display of Manyu culture.

The two-day event is designed to raise funds for the financing of development projects in Manyu Division in the South West region of Cameroon.

The event will end on Saturday, July 5, 2019 with a fund-raising gala that is expected to bring in thousands of dollars to the coffers of MECA-USA which the umbrella organization of all Manyu organizations.

By Kingsley Betek in Washington DC.

They say he who finds a wife finds a good thing. But what about he who finds two wives? A happy African man is living the dream after bagging himself not one but two wives. In a few photos making rounds on social media, the lucky groom could not help but wear a smile as he proudly stood by his pair of blushing brides.

Of course this chap walked with a pep in his step because his wedding night was going to be something he would never forget. It was a wedding attended by a few guests who did not want to miss the once in a lifetime opportunity.

The brides were draped in nearly identical white gowns paired with gloves and over the top headgears. The must attend event appeared to have taken place in Cameroon as a photo of the country’s president Paul Biya hang in the venue’s background. Completely overjoyed, the groom took his pen and with one stroke signed his wedding certificate like a true boss. His wives watched closely as they contemplated how the throuple would have a beautiful union. It was a wedding attended by a few guests who did not want to miss the once in a lifetime opportunity.

Tuko news

Tani, an eight-year-old Nigerian chess champion in New York, may be living in the United States as an immigrant but he could be meeting a former American president soon.

When the story of his witty exploits was shared on Twitter, the 42nd US president Bill Clinton reacted to the fact Tani had defied all odds to win his category at the New York State chess championship.

Here is a youngster who was introduced to the game a little over a year ago. “Refugees enrich our nation and talent is universal, even if opportunity is not,” the president wrote.

“This story made me smile. Tanitoluwa, you exemplify a winning spirit – in chess and in life. And kudos to your hardworking parents. You all should stop by my office in Harlem; I’d love to meet you,” he added.

Incidentally, Tani’s three-hour weekly chess practice is in Harlem whiles he practices more often on his father’s laptop.

Full name, Tanitoluwa Adewumi, the chess whiz kid, has been widely covered by international media and local portals back home. His story was first broken by a New York Times, NYT, columnist, Nicolas Kristof.

Tani, his brother and mother currently live in a New York City homeless shelter as immigrants awaiting refugee status. Their next hearing is slated for later this year.

The Adewumis – whose name denote they hail from Nigeria’s southwest according to reports arrived in the United States in 2017 having escaped Boko Haram insurgency – meaning, they must have been living in the northeast, be it Borno, Adamawa or Yobe states.

Mr Adewumi, works as a licensed real estate salesman and doubles as an Uber driver as his wife and sons await asylum request hearing scheduled for August.

The NYT piece that set Tani’s story on a media blitz was achieved after an interview with the family at their shelter in Manhattan. “I want to be the young grandmaster,” Tani told Kristof.

Whiles his biggest achievement yet is as New York State Primary Chess Champion (Top Players K – 3rd Grade), he has won a handful of trophies playing the game.

His mother Oluwatoyin Adewumi was a pillar in his love for chess having backed him in the early stages when he expressed interest in a game that was entirely new to him. Her appeal to Tani’s programme patron had his fees waived.

His patron and tutor spoke highly about Tani’s abilities and grasp of the game. Shawn Martinez his tutor said, “He is so driven. He does 10 times more chess puzzles than the average kid. He just wants to be better.”

A GoFundMetext page set up by NYT readers has far exceeded the target set. As at midday March 20 (GMT), 3,588 contributors had raised $188,253 despite the initial goal being $50,000.

Africa News

The Manyu Women Association in London is preparing to celebrate its 30^th anniversary on Saturday the 8^th of June 2019 and hopes that with it will come a new beginning for the entire Manyu community in the United Kingdom. The event promises to be an amazing cultural experience with performances by the renowned V12 De London, a live band,  Monikem masquerade and dancing.

Manyu Women London UK, a cultural organization that promotes the core values of the Manyu people is a none profit organization run by volunteers who deliver its objectives. Through its monthly meetings and events, it connects a community of Manyu ladies in the Diaspora, educating them on the importance of tradition, language, food, history and Manyu tribe culture.

Speaking to Cameroon Concord News Group ahead of this year’s celebrations, Olivia Nyamsi, Executive chair observed that: “We want to ensure that Internally Displaced Persons who are victims of the ongoing crisis in Cameroon are at the forefront of our activities.”

Part of the strategy to reignite an interest in the Manyu culture will be the presentation of the Monikem Dance-the first of its kind in London. The 30^th anniversary celebration will also be graced by other Manyu Women’s organizations all over the world including the famous Manyu Daughters Heritage in the Irish Republic.

The celebration that will be hosted at the Petchey Academy Shacklewell Lane, London E8 2EY will be a very culturally based event, linking several Cameroonian communities together. Cameroonian delicacies including delicious foo foo and eru, ndole, roast meat and fish dishes will be served throughout the evening.

All attendees are encouraged to wear African native and traditional attire for what is expected to be a fantastic opportunity to experience a celebration of the rich Manyu culture in London.

By Soter Agbaw-Ebai

Popular Congolese musician Koffi Olomide was on Monday handed a two-year suspended prison sentence for the statutory rape of one of his former dancers when she was 15.

Olomide went on trial after four former dancers claimed he sexually assaulted them several times between 2002 and 2006. The assaults allegedly happened in the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as in France, including at a villa outside Paris where the women said they were held against their will.

The dancers said they managed to make a night-time escape from the villa in June 2006, and have not returned to their country since for fear of reprisals.

Prosecutors at his trial in Nanterre, outside Paris, had sought a seven-year prison sentence but the court dismissed the assault and kidnapping charges.

Olomide, 62, was also ordered to pay 5,000 euros ($5,700) in damages to the former dancer, as well as a 5,000-euro fine for helping three of the women enter France illegally.

Olomide’s history of violence

The singer, whose real name is Antoine Agbepa Mumba, was first charged in 2012 with aggravated rape but the charges were subsequently reduced.

Facing a French arrest warrant, he fled to DR Congo in 2009 but had initially said he would appear at the trial to defend himself.

However, he failed to show for the trial last month, which was held behind closed doors at the women’s request.

“This is a complete victory. The prosecution’s entire case fell apart,” his lawyer Emmanuel Marsigny said after the ruling.

The court also dismissed the charges against two men accused of being complicit in the assaults.

It was not the first time Olomide had been charged with violence.

He was briefly jailed in DR Congo in 2016 for kicking one of his dancers, and had already been given a suspended three-month prison sentence in 2012 for striking his producer.

He is also currently sought by Zambian police for striking a Rwandan photojournalist in Lusaka in 2012.

Olomide already had a brush with the law in France, with a court finding him guilty of tax fraud in 2006.

AFP