Lamnso is the only language from the North-West that I can distinguish clearly from every other one. I don’t know if it comes from my exposure to it; from having sung Lamnso church hymns in my boarding school years, or from having many Nso friends or from a recent attraction to the people from that area – my imaginary girlfriend, after all, is from Nso.
I have always held the firm belief that when it comes to music in Africa, there are four languages that are unmatched in the beauty and tonality of the language; Duala, Lingala, Swahili and Zulu. I think every language is beautiful, or at least has inherent beauty in it. There is a wide spectrum from which you can see the beauty of a language, depending on your own subjective view of what beauty in a language is. There is a beauty in the rigidity of the English language grammar and there is a beauty in the expressiveness and flexibility of Pidgin English.
Think of the many times you have started saying something in English, then had to switch to Pidgin because the image need that you needed to paint with the words could not be done so in English.
Sometimes, I think growth and a shift in the overall perspective of life make us see the beauty in a language over time.
Recently, I have come to love the musicality in Lamnso. When I think back at it, Lamnso and Lingala church hymns were my favourite in boarding schools. Today with the music of all the sons and daughters of Nso are putting out, I am beginning to fall deeper and deeper in love with the language, its musicality, and with the music.
Even more to the fact, I have identified five (5) facets via which music in Lamnso is being put out and it makes me wonder, deeply, if Nso people are not about to bring about a new musical wave in this country. There is some evidence from the manner in which these songs are being received by the public. Look at Witty Minstrel for example and his song “We Proud of Who We Are.”
Granted, this particular song has made the rounds in Anglophone Cameroon only, but when we see the success of Afo Akom and that one song, it is not far-fetched to think that with more consistency and the emergence of new artists from Nso, a peculiar Njang from Kumbo could like take over Cameroon.
But let’s look at those four facets of Lamnso in music that I mentioned above.
AFROPOP: Mr Leo is easily the person we can put behind this facet. I think it’s almost a shame that Mr Leo doesn’t sing more in Lamnso. When you take three of his songs where Lamnso is prominent in; “Shayo,” “Je Suis Desole,” and “Pray” you realise that many people appreciate the bits where he sings in Lamnso most. Check the comments under those songs. Personally, I feel like the value-added from Lamnso in those three songs are what make the songs really good.
Not that the songs won’t be good without the Lamnso. Leonard is a very talented guy and the success of all his hits that do not have even a single Lamnso word just shows the expanse of said talent. But if Lamnso can come into it and add that extra flavour and value, then I hope it is something that he would do more. And considering his status in the industry that might open the doors for many musicians from Nso that want to do music under this genre.
… TRADITIONAL: Chili Wawaye is the face of this genre. What can I say about Chili that I haven’t said before? Unfortunately, she is singing under the most ungrateful category as the value of her music is lost on the public. Artists like Chili should be celebrated over every other musician because it is people like her that keep OUR music in its almost raw, and unadulterated form alive. With Chili, the immense beauty of Lamnso is expressed. You don’t have to speak and understand the language to feel the breadth and depth of what I think is the most beautiful language from the grassfields.
We need more Chilis and we need more of Chili’s music to go mainstream. We need people to play it as randomly as they would a Locko song or a Petit Pays song. Is it far-fetched? No.
…. HIP-HOP: I am a huuuuge fan of Wan Shey. I have actually met him on two occasions and I almost gave up my identity. Thanks to the heavens, I did not. I cannot say a local language in this genre of music is that novel. Jovi raps in Ngemba(?), Pascal as well. Ngoma raps in Awing, Bonzyz in Limbum. I am sure you can quote other examples. I think rapping is largely a question of the rapper’s style and how he layers it on a beat. But when I listen to songs like “Ngwassang,” “Andirifaa,” and “Head Of Family” I get to appreciate Wan Shey as an artist and how he can use his language in hip-hop as good as all the other rappers I have named above.
…. AFRO-FOLK: Richard Kings needs no introduction. He has been around before social media became what it is today and his is one of the first names that comes to mind when I try to think of any Cameroonian artist who does, and excels in the folk genre with a local spin. He sings almost exclusively in Lamnso, and with his own special approach, gives an extra layer to the sonority of Lamnso on a different genre of music. “Tata Nyuy Mbom” is a personal favourite. His live performances are something everyone should watch at least once. Just beautiful.
…. AFRO-ALTERNATIVE: This genre is embodied by I used the term Afro-Alternative even though Tina herself calls her music Afro-Njang. Tino Foy suggested this name in my last article on the subject and I decided to run with it. Tina Vernyuy is the type of artist that people describe as “Out Of This World.” She has created her own unique style of music. The most glaring thing about it is how she pronounces the English words almost as if they were an extension of Lamnso. Many of us grew up mocking Nso people for their accent; she took that mockery and turned it into an art form.
A classic case of when life gives you a masquerade, you make Kibara Nkor.
Vernyuy Tina because broke artistic boundaries and created something great out of little and comes again to support my thesis on how the Lamnso Njang can be formed into many different shapes and styles that still have a common identity; the language.
These 5 facets of music spiced with Lamnso are what I think support my little thesis on where Mr Leo and his sisters and brothers can take us Maybe I am getting ahead of myself. Maybe I am wrong, maybe I am right. All I know is I have a hunch and this one of those moments when I have some clarity in my thoughts and I have a feeling that this might happen soon enough.
After all, like a famous Cameroonian philosopher, Ngoma, said “Karibu nobi shampoo.”
- Wandji Wilfred