Dear Guest,

Thank you!

We trust that you must have settled into your usual routine after the fantastic time at The Five Lakes Resort, Colchester on 2nd and 3rd November 2019 with SOBA UK. We want to say a massive “Thank you” for your continuous support for our association, and especially under our theme of “Working For A Brighter Future”.

This year SOBA UK provided the platform for the community to raise funds to support the victims of the crisis in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, through the endeavours of the Bishop of Kumbo and the Bishop of Mamfe once again. We are using this opportunity to thank you again for supporting this initiative and we will report back next year.

We thank the representatives from other Cameroonian alumni and community groups, and our sponsors – SellamQuick, XCape and Vic’s Kitchen for their support in the UK.

Please be on the lookout for announcements from the SOBA UK Secretariat on our future events. Our next event is “Celebrating the Saint Joseph’s Feast Day on Saturday 21st March 2020”. In the summer of 2020, we will be exploring an opportunity to bring you a special event as a first for SOBA UK. We will also share the official pictures and video of this year’s convention event in the coming days.

We continue to strive to do better every year, therefore, any feedback about your experience will help us to deliver better events in the future.

We wish you good fortunes, a happy festive season over Christmas and we look forward to seeing you again in 2020.

Kind regards,
Franklin Egbe
President, SOBA UK
On Behalf of the Events Management team

Musicians in Cameroon are having a hard time making sales and getting airplay — blaming the popularity of Nigerian music.  They say night clubs and media are promoting Nigerian songs over the local product.  But the clubs say they are only responding to people’s requests.

This song “One Ticket” by Nigerian pop stars Kizz Daniel and Davido is blasting through loud speakers in Safari, a night Club in Cameroon’s capital city Yaounde.

DJ Emmanuella Tangdeng said they select their music from requests made by the audience. This Saturday night, 80 percent of the music on their lineup is of Nigerian origin.

“Ada who sang only you Jesus, Mercy Chinwo who sang excess love. Steve Crown you are great, David G my trust is in you, P Square, Flavour, Davido,” said the DJ.

Cameroon Music Corporation, which protects the interests of Cameroonian artists, reports that in 2018, foreign music — especially from Nigeria — dominated records played in night clubs, radio and TV stations. More than one million of the three million CDs sold in Cameroon were of Nigerian music.

Musicologist Theodore Mboua said Cameroonians fall in love with Nigerian music not only because of the proximity of the two countries, but also because of the messages of hope, especially for the unemployed, and poor youths that are prevalent in Nigerian music

“The message, most of them talk about marriage, talk about getting rich and that is of course is what people want to hear so it translates in the music. Then religious messages have an impact on peoples lives and so most of that is passed on by religious music of course from Nigeria,” said Mboua.

But Cameroon musician Afo-Akom, a promoter of the Njang music from the English-speaking North West Region, blames media houses and night club animators for the unpopularity of Cameroon music.

“Those who are animating on several programs play nothing but foreign music. The music becomes popular. When some of us go to these radios, they play it [our music] one time, two times. That is what has been killing us, not that we do not play good music in Cameroon. The radio takes all the time to play Nigerian music from morning till night.”

Afo-Akom said the government of Cameroon should reinforce laws that require 70 percent of music played by media houses to be of local artists — and suspend or fine those who violate the regulations.

Source: VOA

From November 1 to November 3rd, more than 300 guests gathered in Colchester with the Sasse Old Boys Association for the 2019 SOBA UK Residential Convention. The SOBA UK show is the biggest and oldest Anglophone Cameroon academic exposition in Europe, and this year the Five Lakes Resort was packed solid as a sea of people enjoyed the SOBA UK annual come together for three days.

 According to a study done by the Cameroon Concord News Group, a cross section of the non-SOBA UK participants that attended the SOBA UK 2019 Residential Convention this year were from main land Europe, Russia, Ireland and the United States of America.

Egbe Franklin the new SOBA UK leader observed, “There’s no better way to end the year in Europe than at the annual SOBA UK Residential Convention. It’s the most cost-effective way for families and friends of SOBA UK to communion in truth and in brotherhood.”

The renowned DJ Takeaway was a new exhibitor at the SOBA UK 2019 Residential Convention this year. “It’s been a good experience for me,” he said. The SOBA UK AGM gave attendees a prime opportunity to keep abreast of the latest policies mapped out by the new SOBA UK team to move the association forward.

SOBA UK 2019 Residential Convention attendees browsed the rooms and the golf course of the Five Lakes Resort finding new ideas and discussed some of the difficulties confronting the association. Another unique feature of the 2019 SOBA UK Show was the Synergy Live Band, which put up a wonderful display honoring SOBA UK members who have worked for 10 or more years to make SOBA UK great.  

President Emeritus, Akoh Arrey pointed out that the SOBA UK Residential Convention was important enough to travel hundreds, or thousands, of miles to attend. “The gala night hall was filled to overflowing,” observed Dr Enow Humphrey.”

 Next year, the SOBA UK show promises to be an even bigger success. Many are hoping that the convention center will again be one of the best in the United Kingdom, and there are plenty of luxury hotels with some of the best dining available.

It is vital to include in this report that the executive chairman and editor-in-chief of the Cameroon Concord News Group, the Right Honorable Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai was a guest of honour at the convention. SOBA UK has already begun planning to make next year’s residential convention better than ever.

By Staff Lady Betty Abeng in Colchester

Cameroonian rapper Gaston Philippe Abe Abe, better known by his stage name, Valsero, was freed this morning after almost nine months of detention. His release is a moment of celebration for Valsero and his family and a triumph for all those who have fought for his freedom and the freedom of other imprisoned artists, PEN America said today.

On October 5, Cameroon’s president announced through a tweet that he would end the proceedings against “some” opposition leaders, including those from the Cameroon Renaissance Movement. A military court in the capital Yaoundé this morning ordered the release of over 90 people, among them Valsero, as well as opposition leader Maurice Kamto, former economic adviser to the president Christian Penda Ekoka, and Cameroonian lawyer Michèle Ndoki.

“We are overjoyed that Valsero is finally free to reunite with his family and make music in peace,” said Julie Trebault, director of the Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) at PEN America. “The fallacious charges against him, which included rebellion against the state, terrorism, insurrection, inciting public disorder, and propagating false information, are emblematic of the lengths authoritarian rulers will go to suppress dissenting voices and restrict artistic freedom of expression. The international mobilization for his release and demonstrations of solidarity, from artists and musicians to human rights groups and activists, demonstrate the ongoing strength of music and art to unite people around a common cause and inspire social change.”

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

The military court hearing case for Cameroonian musician Valsero which was to commence on 6 April in Yaoundé has been postponed once again to 8 October.

Valsero was presented to the court on 6 September along with chief opposition leader Maurice Kamto and 87 of his followers to face eight charges. The charges include insurrection, incitement to insurrection, group rebellion, criminal association, complicity, riotous assembly, disturbance of public order and hostility to the homeland, which carries the death penalty.

AFP reported that the court was forced to postpone the case after one of the accused Christian Penda Ekoka who is the ex-economic adviser to President Paul Biya, got sick.

“When he was arrested on 28 January, he was already sick, and the first days (in the cell), he did not have his medication”, the defendants lead council Sylvain Souop told the local journalists.

The accused persons were arrested about eight months ago in relation to the 26 January protests in Douala, known as the White Marches. The demonstrations were organised by the opposition Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC) following widespread suspicion of fraud during the October 2018 presidential election.

President Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982, won those elections with 71% of the vote while MRC leader Maurice Kamto garnered 14%.

Valsero was arrested on 26 January and taken to Yaoundé Principal Prison. Kamto and his allies Penda Ekoka, Albert Dzongang and Paul Eric Kingue were detained on 28 January.

 The defendant’s French lawyer Antoine Vey told Africa News on 5 September that “There is no justification for Kamto and his supporters to be incarcerated for eight months in these conditions. None of them took part in acts of violence, none called for acts of violence or rebellion; there is no reason for their arrest outside the political alibi.”

Before the court hearing postponement, the lawyers to the plaintiff had forwarded to the military court a list of 31 witnesses, including two ministers, the chief of the police and other high-ranking army and police officers.

Human rights groups and activists, including musicians, have denounced the jurisdiction of the military court to try these civilians. Amnesty International launched an online petition in April 2019 that calls on the Cameroonian authorities to free Valsero and the other detained protesters.

Culled from Musicinafrica.net

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