Life

31, January 2026

Fela Kuti is first African musician honoured with Grammys Lifetime Achievement award ⁰

Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti to make history as first African honoured with posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. After a lifetime of clashes with successive powers in Nigeria, the recognition comes nearly three decades after Fela’s death and long after his influence reshaped global music.

He is one of several artists getting the award at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday, the eve of the main Grammys gala.

Others are Cher, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon and Chaka Khan.

In the 1970s, Fela the multi-instrumentalist and full-of-life performer invented Afrobeat: a mixture of jazz, funk and African rhythms.

That laid the groundwork for Afrobeats – a later genre that has attracted a global audience by blending traditional African rhythms with contemporary pop sounds, with its roots in Nigeria.

Two years ago the Grammys introduced the category of Best African Performance in 2024 and it has been dominated by Afrobeats artists, especially from Nigeria.

Of the five nominees for the Best African performance this year, three are Nigerian Afrobeats singers, after another Nigerian, Tems, won last year.

“Fela’s influence spans generations, inspiring artists such as Beyonce, Paul McCartney and Thom Yorke, and shaping modern Nigerian Afrobeats,” said a citation on the Grammys list of this year’s honourees.

Known also as the “Black President”, the activist and legendary musician, died in 1997 at the age of 58.

His legacy lives on through his sons, Femi Kuti and Seun Kuti, and grandson Made.

“This acknowledgment coming at this time when all three of us are present. It feels wonderful,” Grammy-nominated Made Kuti said.

“It feels wonderful that all of us are still practicing Afrobeat, still taking the legacy as far as we can take it.”

‘Better later than never’

Yemisi Ransome-Kuti, Fela’s first cousin and head of the family, said on Friday the award was “a celebration for the African people and they should take (it).. as their award. Another African is being celebrated.”

“But we also want to send a message to those who are giving these acknowledgements, please …not wait till people are dead,” she said.

As to what would have been Fela’s reaction, Ransome-Kuti said: “I’m sure he would have said better late than never” although “in his lifetime he was not particularly interested in being recognised in the external world, particularly the western world”.

Fela was arrested frequently by military governments during his career, sometimes for political activism and sometimes also on allegations of theft, which he denied.

His first brush with the law dated back to 1974 when he released his famous album “Zombie”, generally considered by the military authorities in power as a diatribe levelled at them.

His songs were long, defiant and explicitly anti-governments in power and anti-corruption.

His manager, Rikki Stein, speaking on the phone from Los Angeles where he will join the Kuti family at the ceremony, was confident the award would “significantly uplift Fela’s music”.

“Fifty albums out there. I’m sure it’s going to continue onward and upward.”

“An increasing number of people what weren’t even born when Fela died are expressing interest in listening to Fela’s music and hopefully Fela’s message,” he said

Source: AFP

30, January 2026

US: Former CNN host Don Lemon arrested after anti-ICE protests ⁰

Former CNN host Don Lemon has been arrested after he entered a Minnesota church and filmed anti-immigration enforcement protesters as they disrupted a service.

Lemon, now an independent journalist, was taken into custody by federal agents on Thursday night while in Los Angeles covering the Grammy Awards, according to a statement from his lawyer Abbe Lowell.

“Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,” the attorney said. Lemon, 59, is due to appear in federal court in LA on Friday.

He went into the Cities Church in St Paul on 18 January with a group of protesters who said one of the pastors was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official.

“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” Lowell said in a statement posted to his client’s Instagram account on Friday.

The lawyer added: “This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand.”

In his own defence, Lemon said in a recent video: “Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was report on it.”

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday that federal agents also arrested three others: Trahern Jeen Crews, local independent journalist Georgia Fort and Jamael Lydell Lundy.

She accused them and Lemon of participating in a “coordinated attack” on the church. The exact charges the government will bring against Lemon is unclear. The BBC has contacted the Department of Justice for comment.

Source: BBC

16, January 2026

Biya regime resumes ENS, ENSET entrance exams after three-year suspension ⁰

After nearly three years of suspension, entrance exams for the Higher Teacher Training Colleges (ENS) and Higher Technical Teacher Training Colleges (ENSET) will officially resume for the 2025–2026 academic year. The announcement was made by Higher Education Minister Jacques Fame Ndongo in a statement signed on January 13, 2026. According to the document, the decision follows directives from the head of state aimed at revitalizing teacher training nationwide.

To frame the relaunch, the Ministry of Higher Education (Minesup) issued 32 official decrees detailing application procedures and eligibility requirements. Candidates are required to submit a complete application file, including an application form, certified copies of academic diplomas, proof of Cameroonian nationality, identity documents, and, where applicable, medical certificates. The ministry warns that any incomplete application will be automatically rejected.

Eligibility criteria are also clearly defined. Applicants must hold the required diplomas for the targeted program, comply with the maximum age limits set by decree, provide authentic documents, and meet the standards of conduct and integrity required by Minesup. Jacques Fame Ndongo urged candidates to carefully review the decrees in order to prepare their applications “under the best possible conditions.”

Entrance exams for the ENS and ENSET had been suspended since 2023 for budgetary reasons and replaced by admission based solely on application files. The text notes that this system did not guarantee fairness or effective integration into the civil service. On November 6, 2025, during his swearing-in ceremony, President Paul Biya announced the return of the exams, reiterating that youth development is a strategic priority of his new term.

The resumption comes amid high youth unemployment, at a time when access to professional training and public-sector jobs remains a key challenge. The decision is presented as an expression of the president’s stated intention to expand concrete opportunities for training and professional integration for young Cameroonians.

Source: Business in Cameroon

13, January 2026

Yaoundé to recruit 3,000 primary school teachers under Parec Program ⁰

Cameroon’s government has relaunched the recruitment of 3,000 primary school teachers through the Programme d’Appui à la Réforme de l’Éducation au Cameroun (Parec). The recruitment represents the seventh phase of the third contractualization program for preschool and primary school teachers.

The program targets candidates holding a CAPIEMP certificate issued no later than 2020 and aged 40 or below as of December 31, 2025. “The test is open to all CAPIEMP 2020 holders and to holders from previous years, whether they participated in prior recruitment phases or not,” the official launch order signed by the Minister of Basic Education and the Minister of Public Service states.

Testing Schedule and Background

Cameroon last conducted a similar recruitment in 2024, hiring 3,000 teachers. For this phase, the tests are set for February 14, 2026.

Parec has been implemented since 2018 with financial support from the World Bank. The program’s primary objective is to improve the allocation of government-recruited teachers across public primary schools. Its initial budget of CFA78 billion increased to CFA137.2 billion, and the implementation period extended from 2019–2023 to 2024–2026.

Source: Business in Cameroon

12, January 2026

Nigerian stars dominate All Africa Music Awards ⁰

Nigerian artists secured a string of victories at the 9th All Africa Music Awards (Afrima), which concluded in Lagos on Sunday night.

Global superstar Burna Boy claimed the prestigious Album of the Year award for his latest work No Sign of Weakness.

He also shared the award for Best African Collaboration with fast-rising compatriot Shallipopi, who separately won the coveted Song of the Year for his hit single Laho, which made waves on social media.

The week-long event, which had a diverse group of music experts from across Africa and the diaspora as jurors, brought together industry professionals, culminating in a ceremony where Nigeria’s current musical prowess was firmly on display.

Leading the tally for the evening was Rema, who took home three awards: Artiste of the Year, Best Male Artiste in Western Africa, and Best African Artiste in RnB and Soul.

Other notable Nigerian winners included Yemi Alade, who won Best Soundtrack in a Movie, Series or Documentary for her song You Are from the animated series Iyanu, and veteran rapper Phyno, named Best African Artiste in African Hip-Hop.

The awards also celebrated emerging talent. Qing Madi was crowned Most Promising Artiste of the Year, while Chella earned the title of African Fans’ Favourite.

While Nigerian stars dominated, the ceremony celebrated talent from across Africa.

Senegal’s Bakhaw Dioum won Song Writer of the Year and Algeria’s DJ Moh Green who scooped DJ of the Year award ahead of some notable South African DJs.

Ghana’s Wendy Shay won Best Female Artiste in West Africa, South Africa’s Nontokozo Mkhize won Best Female Artiste in Southern Africa and Tanzania’s Juma Jux was named Best Male Artiste in Eastern Africa.

The success of Nigerian artists underscores the continued global appeal of Afrobeats.

The genre, which fuses African rhythms with Western influences, has seen explosive international growth in recent years.

Burna Boy, a defining figure in this movement since its breakthrough, remains one of its most prominent ambassadors, with his album win cementing his influential status.

Source: BBC

25, November 2025

Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff dies aged 81 ⁰

Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaican music legend and one of the pioneers of reggae, died due to a seizure followed by pneumonia, his wife said on Monday.

“It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia,” his wife Latifa Chamber posted in a message on Instagram.

“I am thankful for his family, friends, fellow artists and coworkers who have shared his journey with him. To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career,” Chamber said.

“Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace. I will follow your wishes. I hope you all can respect our privacy during these hard times. Further information will be provided at a later date. See you and we see you Legend,” said the message, which was also signed by their children Lilty and Aken.

Born in Jamaica in 1944 as James Chambers, he began writing songs at a young age before his father took him to the Jamaican capital Kingston, where he would take the stage name Jimmy Cliff.

He was one of just handful of musicians to be awarded the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences.

Cliff’s vast repertoire of hits included “Many Rivers to Cross”, “You Can Get It If You Really Want”, “I Can See Clearly Now” and “Wonderful World, Beautiful People”.

‘I still have many rivers to cross’

In the course of a prolific musical career, Cliff recorded more than 30 albums and performed all over the world, including in Paris, in Brazil and at the World’s Fair, an international exhibition held in New York in 1964. The following year, Island Records’ Chris Blackwell, the producer who launched Bob Marley and the Wailers, invited Cliff to work in the UK with him.

Cliff later went into acting, starring in the 1972 classic film “The Harder They Come,” directed by Perry Henzell, which introduced an international audience to reggae music. The movie portrayed the grittier aspects of Jamaican life, redefining the island as more than a tourist playground of cocktails, beaches and waterfalls.

“When I’ve achieved all my ambitions, then I guess that I will have done it and I can just say ‘great’,” he said in a 2019 interview, as he was losing his sight.

“But I’m still hungry. I want it. I’ve still got the burning fire that burns brightly inside of me – like I just said to you. I still have many rivers to cross!”

Known in part for his hit singles as well as for his covers of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now,” which appeared on the soundtrack of the 1993 movie “Cool Runnings,” and Cat Stevens’ “Wild World,” Cliff was a prolific writer who weaved his humanitarian views into his songs.

Bob Dylan said Cliff’s “Vietnam” was the best protest song ever written.

The anti-establishment bent of Cliff’s music gave a voice not only to the hardships faced by Jamaicans, but to the spirit and joy that persevered in spite of poverty and oppression. Over the years, Cliff worked with the Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, Annie Lennox and Paul Simon.

In 2012, he won a Grammy Award for best reggae album for “Rebirth,” which was produced by punk band Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, and another Grammy in 1984 for “Cliff Hanger.”

Cliff was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

Source: Reuters

21, November 2025

Cameroon’s Critical Shortage of Incubators Puts Thousands of Newborns at Risk ⁰

Cameroon loses nearly 10,000 newborns every year due to a severe lack of incubators and trained paediatric staff. The problem is especially acute in conflict-affected regions like the Northwest, where hospitals such as Bamenda Regional Hospital operate far below required capacity—only six incubators for nearly 20 babies, many of whom are pre-term and vulnerable to infections when forced to share equipment.

Mission hospitals face similar shortages. Mbingo Baptist Hospital, one of the country’s top referral centers, runs on just four incubators, a situation worsened by the Anglophone Crisis and COVID-19, which drastically reduced patient access. Nationally, Cameroon records high child mortality: nearly 90,000 low-birth-weight babies are born annually, and about 10,000 die from preventable causes. The country’s under-five mortality rate remains far above global averages.

Experts say the crisis is driven by chronic underfunding. Cameroon allocates only around 4% of its national budget to health, far below the 15% Abuja Declaration benchmark. Despite incubators being relatively affordable, most hospitals lack them, and paediatric specialists are also in short supply—only about 200 paediatricians serve 15 million children, with many doctors leaving the country for better conditions.

Efforts to improve the situation are emerging. MP Peter Njume has launched a Parliamentary Caucus on Health Financing to push for increased domestic funding. Meanwhile, a coalition led by Professor Pius Tih and the African Children’s Healthcare Fund is working to build Cameroon’s first dedicated paediatric hospital, which would include modern neonatal care equipment and specialist staff.

With children making up nearly half of Cameroon’s population, experts warn that expanding paediatric services is urgent if the country hopes to reach universal health coverage by 2030.

Source: Trendsafrica

12, November 2025

Petit Pays is “Forever” ⁰

Petit Pays – Rabba Rabbi, long-awaited Album titled “Forever” is out for production and will be marketed on all digital platforms from November 20th, 2025.

This is a product from his high-definition studio in Bomono-Douala, Cameroon. The album, comprising 13 songs, is a diverse mix of genres, including Makossa, Afrobeat, Zouk, and Rumba.

The album is a nostalgic reflection on his career debut, a blend of tradition and modernity, featuring complex, sophisticated instruments and rich orchestrations that showcase the singer’s artistic merits. He promised his fans the best, and he delivered.

9, October 2025

Queen of the Rosary College, Okoyong Alumni: Happy Feast Day ⁰

I recently heard on the grapevine that the indefatigable women who graced the paths of the all girls secondary school named after Our Lady of the Holy Rosary raised over one hundred thousand dollars during their AGM to renovate their alma mater. This is an incredible milestone. This is a testament, an eloquent one to the deep appreciation each member has of the role that institution played in their lives. Never forget that this used to be the lone Catholic girls school in the South West Region. In fact, it is the first girls secondary school in Cameroon. For each decade of the rosary, I would like to celebrate ten OPSAN Characteristics. If your mother, sister, wife, friend, colleague is an OPSAN, check this out.

OPSANS are proud, I mean very proud of their alma mater. I don’t want any controversy but if you did not go to QRC Okoyong or Lourdes, pray for your parents. The envy of every child. Between the 60’s and 90’s, if you didn’t have a girl friend in one of these two schools you were playing in third division League. These girls and women have earned their stripes. After all, they claim Mary, the Mother of God as theirs. Please am talking of Catholic schools oh!

Next, OPSANS are very enterprising. They are very business oriented. The Bible tells us Joseph, Mary’s husband was a carpenter but tells us nothing of Mary’s occupation. Don’t mind that bible. Show me an OPSAN who is not entrepreneurial and I can bet you she is OPS – Okoyong Past Student but not an OPSAN.

Third, they are very generous. If you are drawing up a list of donors and you don’t have an OPSAN on your list, then you are barely scratching the surface. They know how to give! They learnt from the generosity of Our Lady who so graciously accepted to take the risk to become the mother of God.

They are prayerful. If you know an OPSAN who doesn’t know how to pray especially the rosary, she needs deliverance. Those who want to, are great prayer warriors and those who don’t have time for it, just do not have time. If you have problems and do not have an OPSAN prayer warrior, you are toast.

Their school motto is semper fidelis – Always Faithful speaks to a quality that is so rare to find today. If you are looking for partners who can be faithful, if don’t get an OPSAN, na you know! Don’t ask me if I have one? The answer is no! Why not? I knew this late. But I hail, OPSANS. They know how to remain faithful in marriage. I know what am talking about. I know two of my SHESAN brothers married to OPSANS and a Birocolexsan married to an OPSAN. If one cocoyam can spoil a whole pot then I don’t need to know many OPSAN girls to draw my conclusion. If your experience is different, write your own. Even though, I guess many more OPSANS are married to SOBANS as LESANS are to SHESANS. If you want to argue, check Dr Omer Yembe and Faustina Yembe.

Hmmm. Who sent me to take on ten and am only on the fifth and already doing “cherchez le mot.” The devil is a liar…

These women are Queens! So “show-show” for them is just normal. Remember we have women, ladies and then queens. They are classy and classic! You must be of a certain class to go to QRC. “Amba” has pressed spoil on this but nothing can take away the fact that they imbibe and exude the Queenship of Mary. When you go to a school named after The Queen you cannot be anything else but Queens.

They like gossips, fights but remain true sisters. We watched the “palapala” that led to a divided kingdom of OPSA America. Beneath this was the cry for excellence, each wanting to outsmart each other in doing the best. That’s why that conflict did not last long. If you doubt it check your sister Alumni mothered too by Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary. Theirs is thawing now but you blazed the trail and led by example and today you are better, bigger and stronger. Over one hundred thousand dollars raised in 2025? That’s strength, Unity, generosity, Queenship and you name it.

OPSANS know how to enjoy themselves. I have often wondered how these women trained by Rev Sisters ended up not becoming Rev sisters? I know an OPSAN nun, a no- nonsense sister who hired me and fired me after one year and then I chose her to be my spiritual director. How did this story end up here? Have you attended an OPSAN party? Try! You go dance “Bayangi” dance and enjoy yourself until…I don’t know why they are not organizing more parties?

They are roses and like every rose they have thorns. You cannot have one without the other. Give them their roses!

Tenth…. Add yours! Let me spare you: They know how to organize.

Happy Feast Day OPSANS

By Bobe Lambert Mbom

8, October 2025

Dolly Parton posts ‘I ain’t dead yet’ after sister sparks health concerns ⁰

Dolly Parton has released a video, telling fans “I’m not dying”, a day after her sister asked for the public to pray for her, sparking concerns about the US country star’s health.

“I know lately everybody thinks that I’m sicker than I am. Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard,” the musician said in a video posted on Instagram on Wednesday, which she filmed while shooting commercials for the Grand Ole Opry music venue in Nashville.

The video came after her sister apologised for scaring fans in her initial Facebook post about Parton’s health.

Parton, 79, was recently forced to pull out of a Dollywood event after being diagnosed with a kidney stone.

In her video, Parton thanked fans for their prayers, and explained that “I didn’t take care of myself” after her husband died earlier this year.

“So I let a lot of things go that I should have been taking care of,” she said. “So anyway, when I got around to it, the doctors said ‘we need to take care of this’ and ‘we need to take care of that’. Nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things.”

Parton also laughed about an AI photo she had seen, which shows fellow country star Reba McEntire at her death bed.

“We both looked like we need to be buried,” she laughed.

“There’s a lol of rumours flying around, and I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I’m ok,” she said.

She ended by assuring fans: “I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me, and I ain’t done working.”

It comes after her sister Freida Parton posted that she “hasn’t been feeling her best” and asked fans for their prayers.

But in a second post on Facebook, she clarified: “I want to clear something up. I didn’t mean to scare anyone or make it sound so serious when asking for prayers for Dolly.

“She’s been a little under the weather, and I simply asked for prayers because I believe so strongly in the power of prayer. It was nothing more than a little sister asking for prayers for her big sister.”

In the previous post, her sister said she had been “up all night praying for my sister”, who, she said, “hasn’t been feeling her best lately”.

Freida Parton did, however, ended her message on an upbeat note.

“She’s strong, she’s loved, and with all the prayers being lifted for her, I know in my heart she’s going to be just fine,” she wrote. “Godspeed, my sissy Dolly. We all love you!”

Parton had been scheduled to perform six shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in December.

But she postponed the gigs until September next year, telling fans she needs “a few procedures” to deal with ongoing “health challenges”.

Kidney stones are a common ailment, with more than 1 in 10 people affected according to the NHS. Larger kidney stones can cause considerable pain, and can lead to infections and other issues if not treated.

Earlier this year, Parton lost her husband Carl Dean after nearly 60 years of marriage.

She later dedicated a new song, If You Hadn’t Been There, to his memory.

The musician is best known for a string of country crossover hits including Coat of Many Colors, I Will Always Love You, 9 To 5 and Jolene.

Her Las Vegas stint would have been her first visit to the Strip since the 1990s, when she performed alongside her Islands in the Stream duet partner, Kenny Rogers.

Source: BBC