For some time now our entertainment industry has been heating up beneath the surface and many people are feeling it is going to erupt anytime from now. Will our artists/celebrities be making the numbers our neighboring Nigerians are currently putting up right now? Personally, I don’t think that will happen in my lifetime neither do I think we should rate our progress by comparing with a nation that has very different socioeconomic dynamics. I however believe at our level, the industry will become one of the largest in the country and will bring about significant changes to our society - the impact is already being felt.
High levels of unemployment and underemployment that plague our country have pushed many youths towards what they see as they way out of the shadows of poverty and historical neglect. They say the world is now a global village and the evidence is there. There are children in Cameroon with dreams of becoming the next Don Jazzy, or the next Wizkid, some even dare to think they can become the next Trevor Noah. Meanwhile it is perfectly ok to dream big, it is also true that for a huge majority of those who dream big, a combination of personal reasons and circumstances make it that only a few will reach the promised land. Basically, we have been dealt a bad hand and it is of no fault of ours.
I don’t think anything I say here will stop anyone from dreaming and I am all for that. My hope is to help us make better decisions on our way and increase our chances of success. Do I have the authority to tell you what to do?- That is a question for the God’s.
Any- Ha!
It is not only the Cameroonian on the ground that is feeling lost. Cameroonians in the diaspora suffer a similar thing. For many, it has been hard for them to fully integrate themselves in the social fabric of the countries they find themselves in. Most Cameroonian in the USA for example still find themselves sharing a social life only with fellow Cameroonians. They have Cameroonian restaurants and Cameroonian nightlife spots. Their Cameroonian identity is still what keeps them together and they are very much interested in what is going on back in Cameroon and very much want to be part of it. Nigerians are ahead of the curve in this and we are seeing Nigerian acts perform in sold out shows in New York and Toronto.
If you know of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, you would know of the concept of self actualization. Self actualizations constitutes things like impact on society and recognition for our contributions to the world. For many Cameroonians abroad, it will be very hard for them to reach the top of the pyramid in the countries in which they find themselves and their hope is to get that by participating in what is happening back home.
One area where we have seen this is in the entertainment industry where many Cameroonians abroad are now looking for ways in which they can participate in what is happening here. The result has been the phenomenon of record labels that are being backed by people in the diaspora. Steven’s Music, Kreef, Blu Nation, Sunrays are just a few to name and there are many more in the works.
For the most part, there is a huge disconnect when it comes to understanding record deals in Cameroon and the blame goes both to the artists and the record label owners. Gasha was one of the first of our era to ‘mess up’ what could have been a good situation for her with Steven’s Music. Pascal parted ways with Strange Kings after racking up almost 10 million francs in debt and nothing to show for it. Mic Monsta is no longer with Kreef and should technically be in debt too. Nisee and Sunrays are hanging on a thread and there are many artists in the pipeline for a similar fate. Tzy Panchak and Daphne will count for the success stories.
- Tino Foy