Kanye West making it known that he is considering running for president of the United States come 2020 and Donald Trump actually becoming president of the United States has planted thoughts in the minds of every celebrity; thoughts that they too might just become president. In Africa, we have George Weah; a celebrity footballer turned statesman. We also have the likes of Bobi Wine of Uganda, a prominent artist and activist who was voted into parliament last year. We all remember Wyclef Jean who also attempted in vain to become president of Haiti. Increasingly, president just like entrepreneurship is not looking far fetched in the minds of many; it is in fact just becoming a popularity contest.
Stanley Enow aired the idea of him running for president on his twitter account. It might come across as trolling but I believe it is something he has really considered. After all, Cabral had a run that was based more on his popularity than any experience handling administrative offices. If ever Cameroon was a place where votes really counted, I do not see Stanley Enow or Samuel Eto’o becoming president an impossibility.
So Will Stanley Enow make a good president? - I will be trying to answer that here. I will start with the reasons why I don’t think he will make a good president.
After his rise to fame and winning a MTV award for best new act in 2014, Stanley Enow decided to seek more validation by collaborating with more foreign artists and technically avoiding appearing on songs with other upcoming Cameroonian acts. We saw him splurge on featuring artists from Nigeria, South Africa, and Ghana; shooting most of his videos out of Cameroon. The message to us was; I am bigger than Cameroon, an attitude tantamount to that of Biya who spends most of his time out of Cameroon. Isn’t it now ironical that the song that has managed to make many feel the same for him like they felt after he released Hein Pere is the one in which he features other Cameroonians and one that he shot in Cameroon? Unfortunately, he came back to base when things seemed to be slowing down for him so he leaves us doubting whether he will elope again when the going gets good.
With one of the most powerful voices in the country, Stanley Enow has been relatively silent about the political climate. I don’t remember him saying anything pertinent about the anglophone crises. I did not see him join any candidate during the recent campaigns. It is obvious that he has stayed away from politics for fear of severing certain relationships he enjoys with people invested in the current regime. Any attempt to run for president in the future to me seems like something he is doing for the benefit of his image and not because of any inner desire to serve or confidence in his ability to effect real change in Cameroon.
We have the likes of Salatiel with a seemingly smaller platform but who have been able to lift up many other artists with them. Besides the artists on his label, he has extended his arm to many other artists. We can even credit him in part for the rise of Daphne. On the other hand, Stanley Enow who has reached the highest of heights is yet to boast of one artist he has put on. We can make a case that with every collaboration he has done locally, he had more to gain. I don’t know about you but I think a president is one that cares about other people and sometimes even puts the needs of other people before his/hers. Stanley Enow still has a lot to prove here.
Ok. Now that we are done with the bad, let’s see some reasons why Stanley could be fit for President.
Good Taste: Things like corruption and tribalism, I believe, are born out of bad taste in things and character. Even when Stanley has not had the best of songs, he has always managed to package them in the best way possible. Stanley has proven overtime to be a person of good character, presentation, and comportment. His good taste in what to wear I hope can inspire him to better Cameroon’s infrastructure and city planning.
Bilingualism: I don’t know about you but, as it stands, Cameroon is still a bilingual Country unless things change anytime soon. One of Stanley’s biggest assets his is strong command of both English and French which by the way is something I recommend for all Cameroonians. I do not think this needs any more expansion. Stanley is also a very good communicator; something which has gotten him into many circles both locally and internationally. As president, we can be sure of better diplomatic relationships with other countries.
So what do you think? Will Stanley Make a good president?
- Mata Harri