TIPTOPSTARS

In line with its mandate to tell under reported stories, Sisterspeak237 has instituted the National Storytelling Award. The event will be an annual feature that will celebrate excellence in journalistic works by recognizing meaningful contributions made by individual journalists.

Sisterspeak237 hopes that the Annual Journalism Award will reignite the passion for journalism, encourage journalists to pursue stories that are not often told in mainstream media, and most importantly, contribute to uplifting of professional and ethical standards of journalism in Cameroon.

The sustainability of media in Cameroon has remained a nagging issue for several years now. This Journalism Award is therefore for those dedicated journalists who work day in and out, chasing stories and deadlines – to inform and educate, to bring out the plight of the poor and the marginalized in the national mainstream, to keep watch over the powerful and the influential, and to deepen democratic culture, among many other.

Sisterspeak237 hopes that the annual journalism award will go a long way in inspiring young journalists to reach even higher. We hope the award will rekindle the latent passion in many of us and revive our commitment to journalism. We hope it will encourage us to go the extra mile while reporting stories.

Terms and conditions

Entry into the Sisterspeak237 National Storytelling Contest 2016 is subject to acceptance of these terms and conditions.

– The competition is open to student journalists in Cameroon. People who are staff reporters at any national or international media house cannot enter the 2016 edition.

–  Entrants should submit a story that highlights one of the following

1. Women’s issues in their community

2. Social inclusion with focus on persons with disability

3. Innovations in agriculture

– All entries must be received by midday on the 25^th of April 2016. Any entries received after this closing date will not be accepted. Sisterspeak237 reserves the right to change the closing date where the entries are of insufficient quality. Sisterspeak237 shall not be responsible for the return of entries.

– Entries must include full name, home address, email, mobile and/ or home phone number.

–  Entrants must include a photocopy of their school identity or attestation from an authority from their school to prove they are currently enrolled in the school.

– Entries should not have been previously published and should be the sole original work of the entrant. Any evidence of plagiarism will result in the entrant being removed from the competition.

–  Incomplete entries, entries on behalf of another person and joint entries will not be accepted. Only one entry per person can be accepted.

Prizes

The awards will be in the form of a trophy, a citation, and gadgets/cash. Winning entries will be published and promoted in partner media houses. Each category will have three prizes. All first prizes must be equivalent to 50.000 FRS; second prizes 30.000 FRS and 3^rd prizes 20.000 FRS

– Sisterspeak237 Prestigious Journalism Award. This category is to honor a senior female journalist whose works has greatly contributed to public understanding of women’s issues, social inclusion or agriculture

Submission formats

For Print entries: Write a feature in English, of no fewer than 650 words and no more than 1000 words on their chosen topic.

For audio visual entries: Submit news items or radio features, maximum five minutes. Features should have at least 2 interviews.

For Photojournalism entries: Submit 5-10 well captioned pictures on chosen subject.

• Entries should be mailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Promotional usage of entries

• The work of short-listed or winning student journalists may be used in promotional activities by Sisterspeak237 and the contest sponsors within the context of this award. By entering this award competition, student journalists agree to such activities.

  –  In applying for the award, the applicant agrees to have their submitted piece possibly used in a collection of applicants’ works, and as such made public. If you have any questions about these terms and conditions, please email info@sisterspeak237 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

A multidisciplinary centre for youths in Africa, created by Syndy Emade and Malia Obama will go operational this July. The Cameroonian movie actress and the elder of the Obama daughters have just made the announcement through a project statement. According to the statement, first reported on CNN and now trending on American news channels, SYNDYLIA TALENT EXPLORATION CENTER (STEC) will operate from four sub-regional headquarters – Cameroon for Central Africa, Kenya for East Africa, Ghana for West African and Tunisia for Malgrebian Africa.

STEC, Malia explained, will be equipped to offer training and career opportunities to young persons who unfortunately don’t have the means to explore their talents. “Syndy and I are looking at acting, singing, fashion designing, painting and handicraft,” America’s first daughter said on the CNN this morning. “There is no gainsaying that Africa is a nursery of talents in these areas, yet, scores of young people end up not finding their way in their areas of passion – we want to add our voices in talent exploration,” Malia went further.

STEC, according to its founders, will work in collaboration with other youth empowerment centres on the continent and arrange for youth exchange programmes between the United States and Africa. STEC-trained youths will be funded to do projects in their various domains and encouraged to become entrepreneurs in a bid to lengthen the chain of support.

But when and how was the STEC project nursed? “I had thought about something I could do as my little contribution to the development of the African youth and this came to mind,” Syndy Emade told TIPTOPSTARS' Editor when we reached her on phone from Buea, just before writing this story. “I put it in writing, but had to ponder for several months on how to get funders or a valuable partner,” she went on.

The actress cum producer explained that she wrote to the American first family with her project inclusive and left it to providence. “Behold, I got a reply from the First Lady of the United States approving the project and saying that I was going to have Malia as the project partner since she had expressed similar desires,” Emade told us. She added: “Since then, Malia and I have been talking and putting things together.”

According to the Cameroonian actress, she and the Obama’s daughter are set to change the situation of the youth in Africa and it’s just a matter of time the continent will feast over the result of their mission. “I’m talking with Malia and if everything goes as planned, Cameroon will be the first STEC sub-regional headquarters to be officially launched and that means my partner will be in Cameroon,” the producer of Rose on the Grave announced.

Emade also explained that a lot of funding organizations have bought the idea and will be reacting accordingly.

Talking to CNN, Malia Obama explained that her Cameroonian co-founder, from what she took time to observe, is a serious youth who is relentless in what she does. “Syndy’s drive is a huge asset for this project and I’m excited and proud to work with her,” she said.

Malia, 17, is the older daughter of Barack Obama, president of the United States of America whose mandate ends on January 20, 2017. She is widely known to be very jovial and good natured.

Meanwhile, Syndy Emade is a frontline Cameroonian actress with scores of films to her credit including Bad Angel, The Rumble, Chasing Tails and Different Kind of Men. She recently produced Rose on The Grave, premiered in Douala and Limbe respectively and is at the verge of starting a new project.

Oh, wait a minute – what’s today’s date? April Foooool!!!!!  Read more Here

There is no other medium through which black values can be more highlighted than music. Afro Rap artist, Ngum Daniel Brian aka D.A is not adding his voice in the genuine course to project such enviable values, but has set on an adventure to propel his career to greater heights to that effect. His Balafon, a latest single now stands out as a story book that gives meaning to this theme. D.A’s Balafon, a blend of African and Western genres, has been described as an electrifying Afrocentric house tune which also exploits the theme of love. “It’s a track we did in preparation of my EP known as #Africanswag that will be released later this year,” D.A told Tiptopstars.

Born some 23 years ago, the Yaounde-based Afro Rap singer who also excels in Afro Pop, has displayed remarkable skills in music. “He is a gifted artist you’d easily bet for when you get to consume his music,” Gerald, a Yaounde Afro beat lover hinted us. “D.A raps brilliantly and I think he has a bright future in music,” the D.A fan told us further.

Amongst D.A’s numerous strengths in music, is his ability to compose and sing in several languages including English, French, Pidgin, Franc-Anglais (a Cameroonian coinage that blends French, English and Pidgin) and his mother tongue.

“I was inspired into music by arstists such as Manu Dibango, Richard Bona, Charlotte Dipanda, Fela Kuti, Koppo, A.K.A, M.I, K'Naan, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Pusha T, Kendrick Lamar and many others,” said the singer who started music at the age of 16.

Anxiety has grown ten folds in Africa, four weeks to the maiden edition of the Cameroon International Film Festival (CAMIFF). The Central African nation, usually described as Africa in miniature, for its enviable cultural heritage and physical/geographical landscape, will become the film capital of Africa from 25-30 April, 2016.

Observers hold that CAMIFF will be one of the biggest things that will happen in the now fast-growing Cameroonian film sector, at least within the past couple of years. “We’ve been awake and actively putting things together since we publicly announced this project,” Agbor Gilbert Ebot, fondly known as AGE, the founder of CAMIFF, told TIPTOPSTARS. Also speaking from Buea, Cameroon, AGE gladly announced that the final selection of films submitted was out and his team was ready for the festival.

According to the list sent to our newsroom, 10 Cameroonian films, produced in Cameroon and directed by Cameroonians were retained from the shortlist. The films are W.A.K.A, directed by Francoise Ellong, Smokescreen and Tchanga and Inoma by Musing Derick, Nightfall by Anurin Nwunenbom, Hum! by Nabe Deone, Christa Eka’s Alma, Rostand Wandja’s G&M and Time by Herve Moukoko. Amongst these, there are two films directed by Cameroonians in the diaspora – Rejected by Kang Quintus and Ben & Ara by Constance Ejuma. Both films are shot and produced in the USA.

From final list of CAMIFF selected films, there are 20 productions retained in the Best Feature Film category while 17 films emerged from the scrutiny to occupy the best short film category. In the Best Documentary Film category, 11 productions will be vying for the prize while 10 films contest in the Best Animated Film category.

Also amongst the short films retained is Damaru, an award-winning story that won a converted prize at the 2015 Pan African Film Festival, FESPACO in Burkina Faso.

According to organizers, the Cameroon International Film Festival aims at expanding the scope of the growing film industry in Cameroon by putting it in partnership with corporate brands that could showcase participants in the sector including actors, directors, scriptwriters, editors, equipment manufacturers, the media and film students.

Ahead of the festival proper, a nomination party has already taken place. Hosted by Cameroonian Solange Yijika and her Nollywood counterpart Ramsey Nouah, the CAMIFF inaugural event that took place at the Djeuga palace Hotel in Yaounde in January was a crowd puller. “Once again, I felt proud of my country’s film industry when I attended the CAMIFF nomination party,” Madine, a Yaounde resident told TIPTOPSTARS. To Fidele, another lover of movies and keen observer of the evolution of the Cameroonian film industry, it was a great moment and she couldn’t just wait for April. “My anxiety keeps rising as April draws near. CAMIFF is a welcomed initiative and I must laud the efforts of AGE and team,” she said.

CAMIFF I takes place from 25-30 April at the Mountain Hotel in Buea, Cameroon. Activities to mark the week will include film projects, workshops and trainings.

It should be noted the CAMIFF’s founder, Agbor Gilbert Ebot is a frontline Cameroonian movie producer with a huge travelling experience. He is the producer of the famous Before The Sunrise (2005), The Blues Kingdom (2007), Land of Shadows (2009), Pink Poison (2012) and FAR (2014).