TIPTOPSTARS

Before the African movie landscape sprang to prominence through Nollywood, Hollywood actors and to a lesser extent their Chinese counterparts were undoubtedly heroes and heroines Africans and Cameroonians found pleasure in idolizing.

Arnold Schwarzenegger alias Commando, commanded respect just like Sylvester Stallone aka Rambo ramped his way into the hearts of movie lovers like nothing ever did.

Jean Claude Van Damme in damning the consequences in his films stole the heart of movie lovers just like Sean Connery and Roger Moore playing James Bond, sealed the bond with motion pictures addicts.

If Bruce Lee became the leeway into people’s movie consumption lives, Jacky Chan changed their attitudes from liking other things to admiring movies.

In her showdowns, Cythia Khan succeeded to can film lovers in her can full of acting skills, while Julia Roberts robbed their minds of anything else to instill the admiration of her performing art prowess.

These actors and scores of others had won comfortable places in the hearts of Africans – the young and the old, yet, they were only artists hailing from far away countries with little or no cultural backgrounds that rhymed with those of their admirers.

That these actors quickly became idols to Africans cannot be too much of a surprise. With global exposure which Hollywood has always benefitted from on their side, their talents forced them into the hearts and lives of film lovers. In the process, these movie kings and queens inspired many who in seeming hopelessness, still hoped they could be seventh art stars someday.

Perhaps, such hopes would have visibly been expressed more in African countries whose film sectors mustered the courage to overturn the tables. The case of Nigeria is prominent here. It did not take long for young boys and girls who dreamt of being screen masters and mistresses like their Hollywood counterparts to meet their desires and aspirations. Like a twit of light, Nollywood defied all odds and quickly catapulted them to the summit.

The Ramseys, the Genevieves, the Omotolas, the Ini Edos, the Monalisas, you name became the children of luck whose loaves of bread were buttered by a vibrant film sector that decided to rise and face the challenge. And by some struck of luck again, these names sung real deep into the minds of Cameroon to extents that they literally competed and overshadowed Hollywood icons who had hovered around for some time prior to the coming of Nollywood.

That this other dispensation inspired young Cameroonian boys and girls, is a matter of having them confirm. But from every indication, Cameroonian lovers of acting and admirers of actors envied their next door counterparts perhaps for one reasonable reason – they had the acting endowment, yet had no platform. So, how were they going emerge from the oblivion of nothing happening?

Along the years, scores of young Cameroonian actors who made pioneering strides in movie acting jumped out of the train with the backing that with the snail pace with which the locomotive rode on, it was never going to get to its destination as soon as expected. In the process, the industry has suffered a great loss of talented actors it would have been priding itself of today.

It is hard to withstand when it is slow and sluggish, but what about endurance which in every ramification is source of great success?

To say blatantly that Cameroon now has the platform like Hollywood or Nollywood would not be the truth, but a lot of young actors entering the industry have certainly understood the importance of endurance and it seems it has started paying off.

Actress Ade Kelly might not have been on board in the experimental days when being captured by the frame of a camera in a movie that never left the drawer, was just as good as not being paid for the role, but even today, her industry has not attracted attention sufficiently to keep the bulk of movie-star-dreaming youths. Yet, she is one of those who have accepted the current dispensation and are ready to be part of the builders’ club around which history is being written.

Fortunately, there are signals that literally indicate that the movie sector in Cameroon is closing up with a lighted end of a hitherto long tunnel whose distance now seems to have been significantly shortened. Behold, those signals are coming along with the Buea-based actress, revealing Ade Kelly as Cameroon’s next biggest face on the screens.

Her expressive passion for the art in a sector that is only at the debut of being wholly accepted by the people is being translated into the sassy performance which is now cajoling many and gradually propelling the actress to satisfactory recognition.

As if A Little Lie, A Little Kill, Cobweb, My Gallery not enough, Bad Angel has come to testify the truth that young Kelly is a bunch of acting talent Cameroon could conveniently rely on for her movie entertainment needs. Just seven episodes  the TV series that is current being projected on CRTV, Kelly now stands tall as the new sensation.

Before this write-up, we assigned 12-year-old Wendy, a resident of Douala to watch Episodes 4, 5 and 6 of Bad Angel, paying closer attention to actress Kelly. We needed a young mind to give us a layman appreciation of the movie star for reasons we will disclose ahead. “She is awesome, she is natural in her acting, she is cute, I like this actress, she is the best,” Wendy reported back to us.

Little Wendy may neither be a film critic nor reviewer and wouldn’t expected to understand the nitty gritty of films, but none of us were during the Commando, Rambo, James Bond days nor we have been watching Nollywood movies. But we grew up idolizing those actors.

If little Wendy and other Cameroonian children grow up watching, knowing, liking, admiring, adoring and idolizing Kelly and co., what a garden of movie stars from where we can harvest sufficient entertainment would we have.

That Kelly is a movie queen is no disputable fact – she is one – accept her as such, show her the love and support, after all, her counterparts elsewhere were never rejected to become who they later became. They are simply offered a hilarious reception which simply oiled the rail of their talent, making the ride much easier.

Editor’s Note:

This is an editorial used on a special radio show devoted to Cameroonian actress Ade Kelly, aired on Apex 1 Radio in October 2015.

Lyrically creative and meaningfully pregnant! This phrase pecks squarely into Busy Body, Naomi Achu’s latest single track whose official video is just a couple of hours old. This time, the USA-based Cameroonian rapper completely tells the story of her song in clear, simple, yet cajoling terms. This style is a purposeful option, employed by the author of Busy Body to whip across a message whose salience cannot be overemphasized. In this latest track, the talented musician sees women as epitomes of virtue by using Busy Body’s protagonist, an exceptionally motherly/wifely woman whose family/social task locomotive steams forever.

In her heroic tendencies, Naomi’s iconic woman wears multiple caps on her single head, just to ensure that wrongs are righted and rights are consolidated. When she stays up all night, reflecting on what tasks she should complete for the sake of her husband and child, it is simply a display of responsibility which culminates into some unconditional love women are commonly known to show to their spouses and offspring.

That a woman engages in socio-economic activities is normal, but when Naomi is specific on her protagonist going to the farm and cultivating ‘njama njama’ (vegetables common in Cameron’s North West region), the artist is portraying women as being models in fending for their families and why not bread winners. Farm (sometimes indigenously called ‘bush’) is like the main source of bread (livelihood) for middleclass Cameroonian families. Meanwhile ‘njama njama’ could be considered as a staple food item in most places in the North West region of Cameroon. If the woman is situated in this salient activity, it clearly explains the significance of her role in family movement.

In branding the woman in her virtuous role further, the song writer portrays her as an example of financial responsibility. Her being up-to-date with ‘njangi’ (thrift and loans) attendance and savings is clearly indicative of this assertion.

Back home, she cares by the true sense of the word. The artist does not only choose achu (traditional delicacy of the Ngembas {tribe} in the North West region of Cameroon), but talks about its richness in ‘kanda’ (beef skin with which achu source is prepared). A reasonable quantity of ‘kanda’ served on an achu plate is usually considered special treatment which is what the woman provides all the time.

Interestingly, in caring and catering for others, the Busy Body heroine forgoes her own ‘nyanga’ (make-up, usually intended to make one beautiful). ‘Nyanga’ is so valuable to women, but if a woman forgoes it, there is something in the air. It takes sufficient selflessness to do.

However, in such stupor of love for family and others, women do not compromise their rigid disciplinarian nature, reason why Naomi’s queenly mother in Busy Body vehemently refuses to spare the rod and spoil he child. So, even if she uses her ‘koboko’ (whip) on the ‘mboko’ (delinquent) child, she is only helping to straighten his behavior and protecting him against future trouble.

Perhaps, the Woman of God in the Busy Body heroine portrays her God-fearing nature, now typical of most African mothers.

The use of familiar pidgin words, acronyms and expressions such as ‘memba pikin’, ‘njama njama’, ‘kanda’, ‘nyanga’, ‘njangi’, ‘mboko’, ‘koboko’, ‘cold wata garri’, ‘seba’, ‘CWF’, etc., is intended to oil the understanding of consumers of Busy Body, especially Cameroonians west of the Mungo.

Just like the lyrical strength of Busy Body, the track’s video is a good example of conceptual brilliance. If the choreography depicts Naomi Achu (usually skilful dancer), the ‘kabba ngondo’ (loin cloth gown commonly won by Cameroonian women) costuming speaks more in relation to the theme exploited in the masterpiece.

Speaking to African Fiesta on Apex 1 Radio (www.apex1radio.com) recently, the Maryland-based singer explained that Busy Body was inspired by her mum who on a visit to USA impressed the singer with her assiduous nature.

It took her and the production team one to two months to put the well-crafted track together. “We wanted to ensure that it was palatable to ladies and everyone, so we built the beats from scratch and made the video as relatable to the theme as possible,” she told the show.

The singer announced that she will be performing Busy Body at a January 2016 African entertainment concert in Maryland and would do same at her album launch in March or April of 2016.

The award-winning Naomi Achu was propelled to prominence in 2011 when she released Alhadji. She has had other mouth-watering Singles including Suga and It’s My Life, etc. She is currently working on a 2016 album.

Anxiety has risen among fans of Daphne in particular and Cameroonians in general, as they await the release of the frontline contemporary singer’s maiden album. “Until this album is made public, I can’t close my eyes for a moment,” Delmine, a Daphne USA-based Cameroonian fan told TIPTOPSTARS at press time. “Daphne had since found a comfortable spot on my music taste bud and I consume every track this artist serves like mad,” she revealed. Delmine went on: “An album with several tracks will just be a precious end-of-year gift, I can’t wait.”

To Yolanda, another fan of the young, yet talented singer, Daphne’s upcoming album is what she had impatiently yearned for. “That it’s finally coming is a welcome relief, I’m uncontrollably excited,” said Yolanda who is based in Ohio, USA.

Like Delmine and Yolanda, scores of other Cameroonian contemporary music lovers are receiving the announcement of Daphne’s maiden album with sugary hearts, at a time the singer has won admiration with a fan base that grows geometrically. Here to Stay, the said album will officially see the light of day on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 during a concert billed for L’Impala in Douala, says Daphne’s team. The 19-track album is a brilliant blend of Afrobeat, Makossa, Bikutsi, Pop, Salsa, Hip-Hop and R&B. In them, the author of Rastafari (Daphne’s debut Single that propelled her to fame) has conveniently exploited themes such as mistrust and hope which she thinks, characterize our everyday experiences.

Produced by Steven’s Music Entertainment (SME), Here to Stay has been described as a masterpiece, thanks to the contributions of some of Cameroon’s leading music makers including AnyKindbeats, Philbillbeats, Winney, Kezzy, Slimbeats, Shawn Styler and CFX Music.

It should be noted that Daphne hit the professional music road in 2014 and interestingly became one of those artists Cameroon counts on in terms of the country’s new generation. Less than two  years after making coming to the lime light, the Afrobeat queen has been internationally recognized, with a 2015 All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) nomination and a 2016 KORA nomination. Amongst Daphne’s already-released well-crafted tracks are Gunshot, Mother’s Love, Reflection and Ndolo.

Meantime, Daphne will be main guest on the USA-based Apex 1 Radio’s (www.apex1radio.com) African Fiesta on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 from 10am EST (4pm Douala time).

2015 came with sufficiently good tidings for Cameroonian actress Ade Kelly. The Buea-based star in Bad Angel had not completely recovered from the joyous stupor of a TV series accomplishment when yet another remarkable achievement came beckoning – a Bachelor of Arts, BA in Bilingual Letters from the University of Buea in Cameroon.  

“Yes! Finally, it went down today,” Kelly wrote on Facebook on December 19, 2015, the day of her graduation from Cameroon’s first Anglo-Saxon university. “I thank God for giving me the strength to pull through,” she went on.  Understandably, the movie actress whose recent strides have conveniently placed her on the front roll of her country’s film industry, had to ingenuously interweave acting and studies, one would conjecture. But her conscious attachment to both lanes, hard work and the support from her peers, ferried Kelly across. “Thanks to everyone who believed in me,” she wrote.

Congratulatory messages from colleagues, friends and even news editors have since thronged the actresses social media space. In one of such messages, the editor of TIPTOPSTARS wrote: “TIPTOPSTARS is usually proud of young people who genuinely display mastery in their respective gifted areas of art. We are glad and ready to encourage them when they make limitless efforts in exploring these talents as a way of contributing their own little quota to the country's art and culture development. We are even more pleased when these young and dynamic people show proof of a sound academic backing. This helps us defend our thesis that music/movies/fashion designing/modeling/painting, etc, are not for unfocused people. In fact, artists are some of the most brilliant people we can think of. It takes ingenuity to be productive. So, as you guys help us in dislocating such erroneous claims, we wish to extend our heartfelt congratulations to actress Ade Kelly…”

Ade Kelly who now becomes a first degree holder in Bilingual Letters told Apex 1 Radio (www.apex1radio.com) recently that language versatility is one of her acting strengths. “I can perform in both English and French with no difficulty,” she had stressed. Bilingualism is naturally an added impetus to Cameroonian performing art due to the country’s linguistic background and actors such as the new grad would easily cut across both divides.

In recent months, Ade Kelly has become even more familiar to the ordinary Cameroonian TV viewer through Bad Angel, a Premier Films series, currently being screened on CRTV and directed by Elvis Tanwie aka De Dadies. Before the series, the young actress who draws inspiration from Solange Yijika featured in other movies including My Gallery, A Little Lie, A Little Kill and Coffee for The Dead. She has also starred in Chasing Tails, produced by Syndy Emade and directed by Elvis Tanwie.