TIPTOPSTARS

Bertoua, Cameroon: October 30, 2015 was a special day in the lives of the over 40 toddlers at La Fondation Marie France orphanage in Nkolbiton, Bertoua. The kids were honored front row guests at a cultural evening organized by The Fomunyoh Foundation.  

The cultural evening was animated by Rhumsiki Choir Cameroon. Music enthusiasts would remember that this choir, renowned for their blends of gospel, bikutsi, and Cameroonian popular music has earned several distinctions in and out of Cameroon

Speaking during the event, Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh, President of The Fomunyoh Foundation- TFF   said the foundation was committed to the needs of children in Cameroon especially orphans, reason why he and his team were spending the evening with the kids at La Fondation Marie France . He assured the orphanage of the continuous support of The Fomunyoh Foundation. He guaranteed the kids that, in him, they had a father. TFF donated books and gifts to La Fondation Marie France.

La Fondation Marie France  was founded in 2003 by Sister Marie France Mzandari . In response to the gifts and fellowship from The Fomunyoh Foundation the Fondation Marie France kids sang a touching “Thank You Papa” song to Dr. Christopher Fomyunoh

Where words leave off, music begins.

Steveslil is a musician whose tracks and videos you can easily be caught listening to or watching multiple times without any intension of stopping, once you have been exposed to them. Reason: the masterpieces are crafted such that they glue on the music taste bud. Every consumer of the Douala-based artist’s music would present this impression with no reservation if they were asked to give an appraisal of the latter.

The just-released video of Diana, Steveslil’s latest Single, squarely fits into this description of the young singer’s music. It’s simply a sublime! “I’ve been on it since it was released – what a beautifully made video!” Soreille, an Ohio-based Cameroonian fan of the artist told TIPTOPSTARS. “This is music you that permeates your soul with no remorse, I just love it immeasurably,” she went further.

To Falton, Steveslil did what he is commonly known for doing once more time. Also speaking from the USA, the Atlanta-based Cameroonian explained that Diana is a video which demonstrates Cameroon’s pleasant maturity in the art of music, an impression that has been trending of late. Speaking to TIPTOPSTARS, Falton said in French: “La video de Diana nous montre que le Cameroun avance vite dans l’art musicale.”

Analyzing Diana from Johannesburg, South Africa, media personality, Solomon Atah who doubles are art and culture critic writes: “The use of red tones in the video and the allowance of uncertainty is indeed a careful artistic interpretation of how the director sees this future. Red maintains its presence announcing danger and presents necessity that helps expresses the passion, laden with danger when it comes to love. This shows that love and hope merge in tandem and it’s in the air. Either way, the viewers goes away satisfied that the love relations stands a chance as we see towards end of film the use of camera lens blare and rays of light strong enough to allow for it to be noticed. It’s a happy one.”

Meantime, just three days after its release, Diana has attracted considerable attention on social media with 2,076 at press time. “Wow, my favourite song – this is how Camer should represent”, “Super, super, my Nguti boy, ride on – love from Texas”, “Very impressed I must say”. These and more are some of the comments from viewers of Diana on YouTube.

Before Diana, Steveslil had spoiled his fans with two other sassy Singles – Ebangha and I Cut U Café which still occupy comfortable spots in the music their minds.

Directed by Didi Blaise, the 4.18-minutes long Afro-pop video is filmed by the indefatigable Dr Nkeng Stephens, known for his ingenuity in music videos. This is noticed in scores of other works in recent past. Diana is produced by Emile Ngumbah, one of the country’s leading sound engineers who has brought scores of young English-speaking Cameroonian singers to the limelight including Achalle, Dr Sley, Adele Clarice, Bemo, Mabel, etc.

This piece opens with the grandeur of lush vegetation of where the characters play out the daily theatre of music. This is maintained until we see our first character of this film. The text of title “Diana” is in white as well as our immediate character, this allows the viewer to see the future. Here the viewer is transported with this white colour of purity to imagine a beautiful future. This future is enhanced when you see the sky, similarly white in tone. It’s cleverly contrasting where a character is in a white toned shirt stands in response to the rhythmic tunes. The female character, in synch with the main character is seen smiling in response too, here the viewer can understand and appreciate that future represented by the tones of white colour. Her broad smiles silhouettes into the surroundings, confirming that she is one with her environment and off course this can show that she indeed believes in what the male character is saying in the lyrics. It’s truer as the director deploys one of a favourite cinematic tool, which is merging scenario and character to confirm the lyrics.

There are dual smiles from both introductory characters. Here the director again emphasizes on the future, and the aspect of hope through a carful lower angle in which we see the future in the form of the white toned sky. As we progressed past the first minute of the film, there is a shared moment of laughter; this denotes clear joy and enjoyment from both lovers. The other characters too are introduced, there are seen in hyped danced moves. Movement is deployed from director, situating the rhythm with the pace, it’s carefully handled that one is immerse in trance as they experience the cinema and the music, yet aware through form of the lyrics. The props of circular necklaces from the lead male character and the hand gestures are assurances of love. The use of close up tied in seamless movement of camera including the maintained rhythm of song, these are combined tools to enhance the aesthetics, leaving the background out of focus also denotes the dreamy natures of their tomorrows or emphasis the uncertainty aspects of life as a whole.

As the film moves through the midway mark, white is again brought into focus through the checkered board, two things are clear here, one; the uncertainty of tomorrow or the future and two; the fact that life is as experienced by two lovers requires that each plays their part. The use of space and time is careful, almost economical but allows the viewer to immerse even further into the film’s clever aesthetic. Yellow tones that may be seen as revolutionary and promising are contrasted with green tones worn by the two female dancers. Here the masculine optimism can be read into the yellow tones from the male lead character and the greens worn by the female dancers reinforces yet merges with the background, in random synchronicity It can tell the viewer how the female agency in the film is often seen to be grounded, one with it’s environment.

The evolutionary state of the film maintains close up deployment of it as a cinematic tool for the purposes of pointing to the randomness of life. It lingers into the bar where it really gets dreamy. The use of red tones and the allowance of uncertainty is indeed a careful artistic interpretation of how the director sees this future. Red maintains its presence announcing danger and presents necessity that helps expresses the passion, laden with danger when it comes to love and show that love and hope merge in tandem and its in the air. Either way, the viewers goes away certified that the love relations stands a chance as we see towards end of film the use of camera lens blare and rays of light strong enough to allow for it to be noticed. It’s a happy one.

Editor’s Note

Solomon Atah is a refined writer and speaker who participates profoundly on the media platform and contributes enormously to the development of the civil society sector in Africa. The Johannesburg-based multifaceted young Cameroonian critically appreciates art works and makes brilliant analysis. Atah who possesses a sharp pen in film analysis author of #HelpHope 7 Quantum Humanomics, published recently and now in circulation.

Ernest Kanjo