Life

Elvis Presley’s only child, Lisa Marie, dead at 54

13, January 2023

Elvis Presley’s only child, Lisa Marie, dead at 54 0

Lisa Marie Presley, the only daughter of rock ‘n’ roll legend Elvis Presley, died on Thursday after being rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital suffering from cardiac arrest, according to media reports.

“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” her mother, Priscilla Presley, said in a statement.

“She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known. We ask for privacy as we try to deal with this profound loss,” the statement added.

Lisa Marie Presley suffered cardiac arrest in her home in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas, according to entertainment website TMZ. She was then taken to hospital on Thursday.

She attended the Golden Globes awards show in Beverly Hills earlier this week, where actor Austin Butler won the best actor award for portraying her father in the film “Elvis.” Butler paid tribute to Lisa Marie Presley and her mother during his acceptance speech.

Elvis Presley died of cardiac arrest in August 1977 at the age of 42.

Lisa Marie Presley was born on Feb. 1, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee and became the owner of her father’s Graceland mansion a popular tourist attraction in the city. She was nine years old when Elvis died there.

Her own music career began with a 2003 debut album “To Whom It May Concern.” It was followed by 2005’s “Now What,” and both hit the top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart. A third album, “Storm and Grace,” was released in 2012.

She was married four times. She wed pop star Michael Jackson in 1994, just 20 days after her divorce from her first husband, musician Danny Keough.

The high-profile couple divorced in 1996 as Jackson was battling child molestation allegations.

Presley married actor Nicholas Cage, a huge fan of her father, in 2002. Cage filed for divorce four months later.

Her fourth marriage was to her guitarist and music producer Michael Lockwood. Their divorce was finalized in 2021.

She had four children. Her only son, Benjamin Keough, himself a musician, died in 2020 at age 27, a death ruled a suicide by the Los Angeles County coroner. Daughter Riley Keough, 33, is an actress.

Her two other daughters are twins Harper and Finley Lockwood, 14.

Source: Reuters

Improper waste management is giving University of Buea a bad name

8, January 2023

Improper waste management is giving University of Buea a bad name 0

Waste disposal is a massive problem in Cameroon and this issue is gradually making its way into the University of Buea.

While the University of Buea authorities are doing their utmost to keep the university clean, those doing business around the university are not helping university authorities in their efforts.

Some of the suspects who are not playing by university cleanliness rules are some documentation business operators who dispose of wastes in an open space in the university of Buea campus because of the unavailability of trash cans.

Garbage, mostly paper and plastic, continues to accumulate around the UB campus, making the area a breeding ground for mosquitoes and a sore eye to students and visitors.

It has become a huge discomfort to many students who go there for the services of these business owners. Some students visiting the business locations reported that they had been bitten by mosquitoes when they went there to either print or photocopy their documents.

The University of Buea, which is a citadel of learning in Cameroon, is supposed to be a sight for sore eyes and an example to other institutions in country, but the irresponsible acts by people who do not care about the environment and human health are robbing the University of its Status as the beacon of hope and responsibility.

If due to financial constraints the university cannot provide these business operators with garbage bins, the university can oblige them to dispose of their garbage in the best possible way to spare the university the embarrassment it is being exposed to.

Keeping the university clean is a shared responsibility and students and those who operate businesses on and around the campus should pull their fair share of the weight when it comes to keeping the university clean.

A clean environment speaks well    of a university and it is incumbent upon the university community to make UB the real place to be.

By Cecilia Manjang

Penda Dalle makossa icon dies at 65 in Paris

27, December 2022

Penda Dalle makossa icon dies at 65 in Paris 0

Legendary makossa figure Penda Dalle has died, a family member confirmed on Monday. He was 65.

“We are devastated to share that Penda Dalle has passed away,” reads a statement released by his daughter in France. “Always and forever the most beautiful human being, may he rest in peace.”

Penda Dalle became revered in the 80s and 90s for his compositions. His music had spiritual, avant-garde melodies and drew upon a wide range of feelings – from peaceful to frantic.

According to some credible sources, the renowned artist was found dead in his apartment in Paris on Monday, December 26, 2022.

Penda recorded several successful hits including “BONADIBON” and concluded his career with a duet with the great Manu Dibango.

His death comes shortly after those of Ekambi Brillant and Djene Djento, two other big names in Cameroonian music.

By Rita Akana

Congolese musician Tshala Muana will be buried tomorrow in Kinshasa

22, December 2022

Congolese musician Tshala Muana will be buried tomorrow in Kinshasa 0

Congolese musician Tshala Muana will be buried in Kinshasa Friday, December 23, four days after the internment of her counterpart, Kiamuangana Mateta Verckys.

Tshala, who was also popularly known as Mamu Nationale (Mother of the Nation) and the ‘Queen of Mutuashi’, died on December 10 after a long illness.

Just like Kiamuangana’s, her body is lying at the Hospital du Cinquantenaire in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital.

Verckys, who was a seasoned saxophonist, composer, band leader and musicians’ rights campaigner, died in October.

According to a tentative funeral programme released in Kinshasa on Tuesday, a two-day funeral vigil for Tshala was due to be held at the Maisha Park.

Funeral service

Fellow musicians, fans, and state officials were Thursday expected to converge on the Palais de People (People’s Palace) for a funeral service. 

Friday will mark Tshala’s final journey before she is laid rest at the Necropolis Cemetery on the outskirts of Kinshasa.

A service at the People’s Assembly was to pay a special tribute to her, as a former nominated Member of Parliament.

According to reports from Kinshasa, the government and the family agreed to have the funeral held before the Christmas weekend.

Hosting mourners

Her partner and music producer Claude Mashala has been hosting mourners at their residence since she died. They include former DR Congo first lady Olive Lembe Kabila.

Tshala, who started her entertainment career as a dancer and went on to become one of the leading Congolese female singers, will be remembered for having popularised her Tshiluba language from the country’s southern Kasai region.

Unlike other leading Congolese musicians who mainly sing in Lingala, one of the official languages, Tshala recorded most of her songs in Tshiluba.

She excelled at promoting the sexy traditional mutuashi cultural dance, expressing feminism.

Her hit songs from when she left DR Congo to hone her talent in West Africa, performing in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, and other cities, include, “Karibu Yangu”, “Tshibola, Kalume”, and the ever-green ballad “Vuluka Dilolo”.

Source: The East African

Another legendary Makossa singer Djene Djento dies suddenly of cardiac arrest

16, December 2022

Another legendary Makossa singer Djene Djento dies suddenly of cardiac arrest 0

Tributes have been pouring to Djene Djento who died suddenly of a suspected cardiac arrest in Dschang.

Djene Djento who rose to prominence in the early 80s with his popular song debroussailler travelled to the land of his ancestors on Wednesday, December 14, 2022.

Cameroon Concord News gathered that the legendary Makossa singer and composer was attending a function in Dschang when he suffered a heart attack.

Djene Djento had a brilliant music career alongside some heavyweights like Manulo and Salle John.

His passing comes to further sadden the world of Cameroonian showbiz, which has already been scalded by the disappearance earlier this week of Ekambi Brillant.

By Rita Akana

Makossa: Ekambi Brillant is no more as cancer cuts his life short

14, December 2022

Makossa: Ekambi Brillant is no more as cancer cuts his life short 0

The renowned Makossa legend passed away on Monday, December 12, 2022 at the Laquintinie Hospital in Douala, aged 74.

Ekambi Louis Brillant succumbed to cancer after his return from a medical evacuation in Europe, according to sources close to his family.

Born on 18 June 1948, in Dibombari, a village near Douala, the Cameroonian international super star spent much of his childhood with his maternal grandparents in Djébalè (a suburb of Douala); it was there that his passion for music was born, listening to the pirogues singing on their way back from the sea.

In 1962, he passed the entrance exam and was accepted at the Lycée Général-Leclerc in Yaoundé and under the guidance of Mr. Zane Daniel – a French music teacher he learned how to play the guitar.

 In 1971, at the age of 23, he abandoned his studies to join Les crack’s as a guitarist. They performed in the nightclub Le Domino. He then entered the music competition launched by the Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française (ORTF) whose jury was composed, among others, of Manu Dibango and Francis Bebey. He won the competition and subsequently released his first single entitled “Jonguèlè la Ndolo”, which recorded 20,000 sales.

When he arrived in France in 1972, he signed with label Phonogram and released his second 45 rpm record which was also a success with 25,000 sales. In 1975, he broke his contract with Phonogram and joined Slim Pezin with whom he released the album Africa Oumba and the track “Elongui” which was later covered by several other African and European artists. This album recorded a record of about 4 million sales. This was followed by collaborations with Slim Pezin as producer for the tracks “Soul Castel” and “Musunguédi”.

By Rita Akana with additional files from Wikipedia

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Catholic University soliciting funds to assist affected students

7, December 2022

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Catholic University soliciting funds to assist affected students 0

The leadership of the Catholic University of Cameroon (CATUC) is soliciting funds to assist students affected by the protracted crisis in the English-speaking regions of the Central African nation.

In a statement issued Monday, December 5, the Vice Chancellor of CATUC says, “Two years ago, cases of students whose parents’ fortunes had changed drastically as a result of the Anglophone Crisis came to our notice.”

“Some parents had lost everything-businesses, farms, homes, cows, etc. – and were unable to pay tuition fees for the children who were already enrolled in the university,” Fr. Joseph Awoh Jum says.

Fr. Awoh notes that a “good number of students, including students of the Medical School, were going to drop out as a result.”

“Our immediate reaction was to appeal to people whom we knew – our friends, family, colleagues, alumni, former schoolmates, and students – for assistance,” the Vice Chancellor of the Catholic institution based in Cameroon’s Bamenda Archdiocese says.

He notes that a few of the donors “responded to our appeal and gave us donations which kept these students in school, for some time.”

In addition, Fr. Awoh says, “The Archbishop of Bamenda provided school fee loans to four of our medical students who were threatened with dropping out so that they could complete their training, work in Archdiocesan health institutions and eventually pay back these loans.”

“These students and their families are extremely grateful to all those who contributed to keep them in school and keep their dreams alive,” the Vice Chancellor says.

However, Fr. Awoh says, “Those of them in the middle of their medical training still have a long way to go and would appreciate whatever assistance they can get to take them to the finish line.”

“In these difficult times, the university and her proprietors can only offer so much assistance and are working towards the establishment of an endowment fund to cater for such cases in the future,” he adds.

The Cameroonian Catholic Priest goes on to appeal for aid, saying, “We would greatly appreciate whatever assistance anyone would like to offer to keep these unfortunate students’ dreams alive and to assist families rendered desperate by the Anglophone Crisis.”

“Please, give this appeal a thought and, if your heart tells you to contribute your widow’s mite to this noble cause, contact us at info@catuc.org for guidance on how you can do this,” he says.

He continues in his December 5 statement, “We thank you in anticipation of your kind help and pray for God’s abundant blessings on you and your people.”

Cameroon’s English-speaking regions plunged into conflict in 2016 after a protest by lawyers and teachers turned violent. An armed movement of separatists claiming independence for the so-called republic of Ambazonia emerged following the government’s crackdown on protesters.

School boycotts have become common in these areas, as have enforced moratoriums on public life known as “ghost towns”.

On August 21, members of the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference (BAPEC) lamented the protracted conflict in the country’s Anglophone regions, that has been characterized by “the piteous and distressing cries of anguish”.

The Catholic Church leaders at the helm of Bamenda Archdiocese and the Dioceses of Kumbo, Kumba, Mamfe, and Buea Dioceses underscored the need to respect the dignity of the human person created in God’s image and likeness and the sacredness and inviolability of human life.

Source: aciAfrica

Biya regime says Ambazonia crisis prevents access to AIDS treatment

3, December 2022

Biya regime says Ambazonia crisis prevents access to AIDS treatment 0

Cameroonian health workers and people with HIV marched for World AIDS Day on December 1, calling for access to treatment for patients in conflict areas.

About half a million Cameroonians have HIV, and at least 1,000 live in troubled western regions and the border with Nigeria. The protesters urged Cameroon’s military, separatists, and militants to allow all HIV patients access to needed treatment.

Marie Chantal Awoulbe, who belongs to the Cameroon Network of Adolescents and Positive Youths, which encourages those with AIDS to get regular treatment, took part in the protest and World AIDS Day activities at Chantal Biya International Research Centre in Yaounde. The center carries out research on AIDS, and supports programs to treat and support vulnerable people with HIV.

Awoulbe said her network is asking both armed groups and government troops to stop deaths among people with AIDS where there are armed conflicts by allowing the patients access to regular treatment.

Cameroon’s public health ministry says similar protests and activities to encourage free screening took place in 70 hospitals, with at least 30 hospital workers and people with AIDS taking part at each of the hospitals.

The Cameroon government accuses separatists in the country’s west of attacking hospitals and abducting health care workers. Activists also accuse government troops of attacking and arresting hospital staff suspected of treating civilians the military believes are either fighters or sympathize with separatists.

In April, medical aid group Doctors Without Borders suspended work in Cameroon’s troubled Southwest region to protest the rearrest of four of its staff members. Authorities accused the staffers of cooperating with regional separatists, but the organization denied it.

Medical staff members say intimidation and abduction of health workers, and ceaseless battles between government troops and separatist fighters make it impossible for medical supplies to reach the troubled English-speaking regions.

Twenty-eight-year-old Betrand Lemfon said he and several dozen people with AIDS moved from Jakiri, an English-speaking northwestern town, to Bafoussam, a French-speaking commercial city. He said he and others with the disease were afraid of dying in Jakiri because they did not have access to regular treatment.

“There are a lot of persons out there who are in need of medications, so if we could have the opportunity and chance for medications to always reach every interior part of the North-West region, South-West region who are hit by the crisis, it will help the adolescents, young persons and children living with HIV to take their ARVs [antiretroviral medicines] and stay healthy,” he said.

Lemfon spoke via the messaging app WhatsApp from Bafoussam.

Cameroon’s military says it will protect all health workers and civilians in the troubled regions.

The government says the number of people with the disease in Cameroon has decreased from about 970,000 in 2010 to 500,000 in 2021.

Health officials say the decline is due to increasing awareness of the disease and its consequences. The government says sexual behavior is changing, with the number of people using condoms or abstaining from sex increasing.

Honorine Tatah, a government official in charge of AIDS control in Cameroon, said unlike in 2020 when there was resistance due to lack of awareness, many more civilians now accept systematic screening for HIV.

“During antenatal care, a woman is screened for a number of diseases including hepatitis B, HIV and if you are tested positive, you are eligible for treatment and that treatment will reduce the chances of a child getting infected with HIV. The treatment is free of charge,” Tatah said.

World AIDS Day was the first international day for global health, starting in 1988. It allows people all over the world to join in the battle against HIV, to support those with HIV, and to remember those who have died from an AIDS-related illness.

Source: VOA

Cameroon celebrates the legacy of cotton

16, November 2022

Cameroon celebrates the legacy of cotton 0

A fashion week has kicked off in Yaoundé with an urban parade dedicated to the celebration of cotton.

Models opened the way to an impressive parade of dancers, performers, clowns and even giant puppets. The show was called “Cotton Pride, from seed to dress” .

“When you see a woman walking by in a beautiful dress or a man in beautiful cotton trousers, you can’t imagine the whole chain of work that goes into it. So in fact Cotton Pride is the pride of cotton work. It means that before you can wear this beautiful dress, there are people who cut, there are people who sew, there are people who spin the fibres, there are people who sow the seed, others who pick the flowers and others who transport these cotton flowers to the spinning mill. So in fact all these pictures show the different stages of cotton processing”, said show director, Nathalie Veuillet.

The show was a prelude to the Fashion and Design Forum.

The urban parade was an initiative of the Centre des Créateurs de Mode du Cameroun (CCMC), which is headed by Yves Eya’a .

“The theme of the designers’ collections is Let fashion express itself. And for us it was important that fashion went to the streets because today when we look at the streets, it’s all that inspires us as designers, as fashion, as fashionistas. And so it was important for us to be able to take to the streets to show the Cameroonian public the fashion that is expressed today in Cameroon”, added the CCMC promoter.

With its carnival atmosphere, Cotton Pride attracted many people.

“This show is really beautiful. It’s beautiful because it’s typically African, it’s beautiful, I love it so much,” said one onlooker.

Africanews reporter, Philippe Anatole Malong , added:

“Yaoundé’s Fashion Week features exhibitions, conferences, debates, fashion shows and other activities aimed at bringing fashion design closer to the Cameroonian public”.

Culled from iol.co.za

Italy: Cameroonian medical doctor to quit after patient insults

16, November 2022

Italy: Cameroonian medical doctor to quit after patient insults 0

A Cameroon-born GP is set to quit his practice in Varese after patients refused to be treated by him telling him to “go home and tend to your goats”, Italian media reported Tuesday.

Enock Rodrigue Emvolo, 48, moved to Italy from Cameroon almost 30 years ago and graduated in medicine from Rome’s Sapienza University.

He told the Italian press that he was fed up with insults from his clients, who call him “the Senegalese man”.

Source:  ANSA

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