THE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE IN STANLEY ENOW’S STATEMENT TO CAMEROONIAN DJs.
Most of you have, by now, watched a video in which Stanley Enow took an opportunity to ask Cameroonian DJs to stop playing Nigerian music for hours and hours at Cameroonian parties. What was otherwise a well intentioned request or demand, depending on how you see it, fueled an online debate which we have really been having for a long time. Conversations on what should be done to make sure Cameroonian artists get more play than Nigerian artists ensued.
Some believed the solution can only come from government legislation; citing the cases of other countries where laws were passed to ensure local artists get more airplay. Others believed Cameroonian artists need to embrace globalization and produce better quality content that can compete in international markets. I can write a whole book on this issue but today I want to focus on Stanley Enow.
The authority with which he made his demand or request should be questioned given that when he had the biggest spotlight, he decided to share it more with foreign artists and shied away from collaborating with home based artists. After his colossal hit song that earned him a MTV Africa music award for Best New Act, he was seen as the messiah for Cameroonian Urban Music but what did he do? He did not do a remix with Jovi, he did one with a South African Artist F.A.B. Then he had a song with Nyanda, then with Sarkodie, then with Ice prince, then with Locko and AKA - opting to go to South Africa without Locko to do the video. He then had a song with Cluade Ndam (R.I.P) who is of an older generation and who I don’t count as part of the urban music movement. He then went on to feature Mr Eazi, then Davido. So basically in the first three years of his career he invested more in working with foreign artists that his peers here in Cameroon. If I remember clearly, only Dynastie and Montess were artists who needed and got a hand from him in the peak of his buzz.
Safe to say he got back to his senses on ‘My Way’ in which he featured Tzy and Locko. He has since been doing more with his peers here at home but it is obvious that he invests more in his international collaborations than he does with the ones he does with home-based artists. In a sense, he endorsed those foreign artists more than he did home-based artists.
If you want to rather think he was looking to those artists to endorse him, then he basically valorized them more than the home-based artists. Lets say he has gotten back to his senses but the curse words he used in his statement to DJs do not seem to acknowledge the role he played in giving more power to the foreign artists that he doesn’t want DJs to play today.
I remember when Diamond Platinumz was here and during a press conference, I asked him why he is happy to be in Cameroon but has not invited Cameroonian artists to come to his country for the annual show he does there. He said he had wanted Stanley to be part of one of the shows but Stanley was not available. I now asked Stanley why he did not recommend another home based artist like Blanche Bailey for example and Stanley laughed my question away without answering. If I am not mistaken, Stanley was also happy to hear Davido say he is the only artist he knows from Cameroon. So how then does he suddenly want to use a curse word when addressing DJs like he has been doing so much better in valorizing local talents.
Should there be government legislation to promote local music? - There already is. But we all know we are in a lawless country and the only laws enforced are ones that make sure the people in power stay in power. We have no hope for the proper application of those laws. So we must think strategically and creatively. I was hanging out with Glen Amungwa and Atuabo Baron on the 31st and I might have played Cameroonian music for almost three hours non-stop and they were all dope tracks. It is easy for me because I have a Spotify account and Spotify makes it easier for me to find Cameroonian songs.
It is for this reason that I worked on a project which I have presented to Wax Dey; a project that will ensure all our media personalities can get a Spotify account and have no excuse for not knowing more than the popular tracks from our artists. The same project will also archive music from Cameroonian artists in a way that you will be able to search for ‘all music from Cameroonian artists released in August 2020 and have a list.
How many of you know Dready Christ released an EP last year. I love his music but I didn’t even know he dropped until I heard it playing at Glen’s place. We have great music but those artists that don’t have the exposure and promo funds don’t get to be heard. With a platform like the one I have created, DJs can have a one stop shop to find the music. The question now is will the artists themselves even understand the importance of such a platform and contribute to making it work? (It is not news that we find more joy in complaining that in doing the right thing.)
All this is to say, the solution lies with the artists and media personalities and not with the fans or the government or Nigerians. We should not forget that Nigerian urban music came up on an already well established media landscape that was made possible by their movie industry. Here, we still rely heavily on blogs and a fragmented cable network. Meanwhile there has been progress, there has been no organization and that is the pretext the Ministry of Arts and Culture used to introduce the arts and culture bill.
To conclude, Stanley did realize one important thing, which is, we need the international recognition just as much as we need the local recognition. In his Remix of ‘My Way’, he already had Diamond, he should have brought in another Cameroonian artist instead of Ariel but he opted again to focus on promoting and valorizing more foreign artists here.
It is no longer news to see an American artist and an African artists on the same track. Dbanj already opened that door when he collaborated with Kanye West when Kanye was the biggest artist in the world. Salatiel is on Beyonce’s album so it is not the talent we lack.
- Norbert Foy