TIPTOPSTARS

Just like it is hard to distinguish a comedian’s jokes from their seriousness, so too you may always be tempted to think that real moments in an actor’s life are happening on a movie set. But sight of delegates with participants wearing official UN badges that run down from their neck and world flags-flooded conference halls, a scenario typical of the United Nations systems, tells you it is no movie. It is all about official world matters - work, work and work! That is a new experience international actress, Merlisa Determined is meant to start getting used to, apart from movie set activities she has commonly done since she opted for movie acting.

In her new status as United Nations Ambassador with Special Consultative Status from UNECOSOC,  Merlisa has since the start of last week been on her first outing in that capacity and is currently taking part in one of the several conference holding in Geneva, Switzerland.

Amongst other things, the actress cum UN Ambassador has been involved in discussions  at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights which discussions centre around business and activities of the Strategic Alignment of Like Minds – Insurmountable Women, under whose direct banner, she is in the UN today.

“I had a warm reception here Ernest and everyone has been very friendly, cooperative and helpful to me,” the award-winning actress told TIPTOPSTARS when we reached out to Merlisa. “It has generally been a great experience here in Geneva and I must say it's an honor to participate on world issues and networking with people from across the globe. I'm learning quite much. The sessions are very enriching.”

Another session which would definitely be more enriching is the screening of DIFRET, film released a couple days ago, co-produced by Angelina Jolie and directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari. The film highlights some of the virtues propagated by the United Nations including economic, social and political rights for women. The screening of DIFRET in will be followed by a discussion on the movie’s theme(s).

Merlisa, born in the Caribbean Islands is an experienced movie actress who has won several awards and had worked a great deal with filmmakers and artists around the world. She became an accredited UN Ambassador on September 18, 2014 following her devoted efforts in helping women and young girls in the U.S., Africa and the Caribbean Islands from less privileged backgrounds. She currently resides in the United States.

Just like the national day, celebrated on May 20 each year, the Youth Day (YD) is such a big thing in Cameroon. It has since been commemorated (especially by Cameroonian youths living out of the country) and celebrated back home every February 11. This year, it was not different.

Our parents had recounted sweet stories of the Empire Days, similar to we experienced soon after the latter days were over. Each generation may argue that theirs was the most exciting. But, we may be closest to the truth to mention that the 80s provided excellent Youth Day moments which would constantly add warmth at heart when recalled and shared.

Prior to this day, Cameroon’s number one executive routinely addresses the youth during which he exalts them to be a leading force of every good value one can imagine. Whether the message is digested or not, the key elements that constitute this celebration are the same – march past, games, etc. But perhaps, what makes youth day celebrations stand out is how different generations experienced it. More to that, recalling how your generation lived Youth Day is phenomenal, whenever it that time of the year when this event comes up. This writer cannot be indifferent too. He has his own Youth Day experience.

I can still remember my first youth day celebration. Coming from Lower Bafut from GS Mbakong, it was quite a herculean task because we had to travel a great distance. In fact, we had to travel a day before to stay the night in Upper Bafut . I had made a wooded money storage box which we called “bank” in our days. Each time I had a coin, I would drop it in the box. So, on this occasion, I had a surplus. When I had to ’’ broke the bank’’,(this was the normal language used to mean opening the box to see how much had been saved) for my first Youth Day, the money was not enough to take me to Upper Bafut and back - ‘na cry this?’. I cried because I wasn’t going to have the kind of satisfaction Youth Day was known to provide. The practice of saving money in view of the Youth Day was not an easy task. If one didn’t have the strong will, you ended up not having enough money for the celebrations.

My mum was quick to react – “Tai {short form of Titus}, no worry you go go, wipe your eyes,” she consoled me. I felt like a dark cloud was being replaced by a clear sky. Of course, my mum is a woman of her words. She did everything possible to see that I participated in this maiden Youth Day event in my life.

Way back in the 80s, we will go to ‘march’, as it was fondly called with the sum of 1.000frs and still have some change or ‘balance’. But today, I wonder which child with just that sum can have their yoghourt, sugar cane , krukru, adakwa, above all eat bread and sardines. It was on this rare occasion that some of us ate bread and sardines. You were a ’tif pikin’ (thief) if you ate it on an ordinary day.

I was glad because that was the last for those of us from Lower Bafut to go celebrate at Upper Bafut. The following year, our school GS Mbakong was going to be the centre for all schools from that area. Hahahaha!, interesting story you must be saying. Yeah! indeed how nice to reflect back to those days.

One thing with those coming from far off places was that they never had the chance to witness all the activities. The most important for them was the march past. I vividly remember how we would wait under the scorching sun for the arrival of the Divisional Officer who would never come on time. The D.O or Massa D.O as he was fondly called was the number one executive officer of the Division and so was automatically the official presiding officer at the Youth Day ceremony.

With sparkling white canvass and socks, clean blue uniform shirts and khaki short s, we would be very excited to see this gentleman. He was a demi god to us.

After march past on my first YD celebration, we bought items and ate abd the next thing was to head back to Lower Bafut. We were packed in Land Rovers and Toyota Hilux vans like ‘sardine’. to take a vehicle back home and in my case only the Land Rovers and the Toyota Hilux vehicles solved our problems. We will be ‘’packed like sardines’’ and one thing I enjoyed most was when the vehicle galloped in potholes. Why I enjoyed it, I cannot tell. It was quite dangerous because the vehicle could stumble, yet we had no choice. Till date nothing has actually changed on the Lower Bafut-Upper Bafut stretch of raod, nor the road leading to Wum, headquarters of Menchum Division.

When our primary school became a centre for youth day celebrations many parents were relieved .One very remarkable thing those days was that we were exposed to all forms of challenges on YD. It was a kind of freedom day where you did what you wanted, after all ‘’ dough dey for kwa. Some of us were therefore exposed to even gambling. I vividly remember how Neba, a childhood peer used a necklace for one such gambling games. With a 25frs fee, you were expected to place your fingers in such a way that it would not get stuck. If your finger got stuck, Neba had your money.

Now, I have left the village and was in Bamenda to attend secondary school. My school, Government Bilingual High School GBHS Bamenda, was one of the leading State-run secondary schools in the then NW Province and a Youth Day march past centre. In Bamenda, the challenges of Youth Day celebrations were even greater. By 1987 GBHS Bamenda had almost 4500 students as enrolment. Other schools such as Nacho Comprehensive College and Longla Comprehensive College had almost the same enrolment. Every student by then was obliged to take part in the march past. Here we had graduated from the normal canvas shoes to black shoes. It was even more exciting to be part of the march past. Class registration lists were brought to the marching ground at the Bamenda Municipal stadium and your name was ticked if you marched. If you did not, you were severely punished.

Well, as I grew up, my attitude towards Youth Day changed. Preparations geared towards the day had nothing to do with workshops aimed at sensitizing the youth and all was centred on sporting activities, traditional dances and march past. After they left school, what next? No employment! Roaming the streets! Then, an entrance examination into a professional with 2,500 places and we have more than 15,000 candidates going in. Other frustrating episodes for young people and you name them. With these on my mind, I soon told myself Youth Day should be reconsidered else, it will be turning youths around with no positive impact.

George Breezy’s Je Suis Kolofata, directed by Romeo Olah is in itself a brilliantly woven weapon that easily dismantles the current insurgency that is clipping Cameroon’s wings from the Northern belt of the country. If it tells the entire Boko Haram tale in one fine piece, Je Suis Kolofata provides more sense on the role of the authors’ country in checking the former’s gruesome excesses, which role has been generally placed on a high score, as opposed to that of the principal concerned – Nigeria.

Every word and image in the 4.57-minute-long video, which is undoubtedly social media’s most growing sensation now, symbolically represents a carefully designed message which the artists are professionally, yet socially and patriotically tasked to ferry across.

Je Suis Kolofata opens with images of wild flames with a terrifying sound of gunshots which is an indication that story the video is about to tell is clearly not a pleasant one. Rather, expect some hard facts! Then, as the blood-stained foot of an innocent child, lying down lifeless introduces CRTV FM 94’s Alain Dexter, it is evident that the BH story, at this point, can’t leave anyone indifferent, even famous media personalities. However, when Dexter begins his thesis with a rigid denial to succumb to his enemies, it prepares the listener for a track that is aimed at instilling courage in BH opponents, which is no longer the assignment of just the soldiers at the warfront, but that of every single Cameroonian citizen.

Then, when the succeeding rapper picks up his lines in which he recalls the Paris terrorist attacks that provoked global sympathy under the banner of the “Je Suis Charlie” campaign, he is no doubt pricking on the conscience of the world for strangely staying mute on a similar situation that had taken place much earlier and was still en vogue. Even if he had gone without saying it aloud, observers would still have imagined that the rapper was not Charlie, a position critics of the French anti-terrorism campaign had taken when they felt ignored and cheated. But, how can the world tilt to one direction and turn its back to the same danger it is facing? Kolofata, to the rapper, is therefore a major concern and should be considered as such. Well, Kolofata deserved his support and would always have it.

That notwithstanding, the next soldier rapper would go for the crooks of the matter – children affected by the unruly BH phenomenon. The image of a stopping soldier who comes to rescue with a consoling hand on the child’s shoulder is a symbol of courage the artists are presenting. Yes, her parents, brothers, sisters might have been slained, rivers of tears might have flown, but this is not the time to chicken.

 In a truly Indomitable Lions (Cameroon’s legendary national football team), spirit the soldier rappers would patriotically defend the Green, Red, Yellow colours of their country, even when they think each outing might be the last. Becoming martyrs is however an honorary option, if they should fall on the front anyway. But, with every bit of determination, ‘je vais rester debout!’(literally meaning I will stay afloat in French). While the use of the wounded lion out of its den symbolizes strength and victory which had at one time became the hallmark of the national football team, that of the flag and martyrdom indicates that BH is a national concern and the entire country must rise to quell it.

And if such courage could be mustered which would be translated into their soldiers felling BH, then they have not missed the point by repeatedly declaring “Je Suis Kolofata” in the choruses.

If the videographers used black T-shirts with “Je Suis Kolofata” inscriptions as a mourning symbol for fellow compatriots consumed by the BH saga, sad and weariness on the faces of the featuring sub characters play the effect even better. The images of captivity, hand-curves, scores of lifeless bodies, frightening wounds, etc, simply indicates that the BH phenomenon is too serious to be taken with a pinch of salt. That explains why our fallen soldiers must be tributed, hence the image of the rose flower being laid on the floor. Neither was it by chance that the makers of Je Suis Kolofata introduced images of the Saharan-like vegetation which does not only represent the geographical nature of the northern region of Cameroon where Kolofata is found, but the lack of greenery symbolizing starvation of all forms – peace, filial love, food, etc, caused by the insurgency.

Perhaps, the sequence with the marching civilian rappers, dressed in the Je Suis Kolofata-inscribed T-shirts and face caps has told the whole story – the bigger world needs to give Cameroon her own fair share of love and concern vis-à-vis the anti-terrorism debacle – the people losing their lives in Kolofata are not less humans than their counterparts in Paris.

On the other hand, Je Suis Kolofata authors and producers slipped slightly, yet conspicuously in two professional aspects. Artistically, likening the soldiers to the Indomitable Lion out of its den, in the lyrics, is wrong timing. Coming at a time the Cameroonian national football team is wallowing in doldrums of unpopularity due to consistent poor performance, is misrepresentative of the soldiers who have been hailed as heroes for their great showdown this far. Technically, the absence of images of BH put viewers in a fixed, trying to understand how serious the story could be when they cannot visualize. Perhaps, the gruesomeness of such images would have made them think otherwise – that too is understandable – but, snappy and less gruesome ones, just for purposes of illustration could have told the story better.

However, Je Suis Kolofata is an artistically success story whose growing popularity is a deserving respond to the K-Mer United song project. The track is just a couple of days old and comes at a time there is great concern about ruthless killings caused by the Boko Haram terrorist group in the Northern region of Cameroon and Nigeria. There has been a strong reaction with the assistance of the Chadian army within the past couple of weeks. Je Suis Kolofata is as captivating as the BH issue is topical! Watch it!

When the two singers who make up the Buea-based Rythmz band spoke to this writer on radio sometime ago, the duo was specific on one point – stepping up their game to reach the apex of the art the know best. Ambitious! Yes! But it comes with hard work. Hard work is the lane on which Rythmz drives. Little doubt that X-Maleya’s (popular Cameroonian three-man band) lead singer, mentioned this quality as he justified why the legendary trio accepted the invitation to feature in Dancia, a latest track by Rythmz that is already permeating the music loving populace like no track ever did.

Also, it is this spirit of hard work that has resulted in this creative piece of creation known as Afro-Bikossa, a blend of Afro-pop and local Cameroonian genres such as Bikutsi, Njang, Makossa, Bend-skin and Assiko. Roger and co. would not resist this!

“It’s high time we rebrand Cameroonian music,” Prince Mykel Enobi, manager of No Hitz No Recordz Entertainment, the music label nursing Rythmz told the media. Also justifying why the Afro-Bikossa idea came up, the reputed music manager said music lovers have of late had the tendency of taking young Cameroonian artists for Nigerians and until a clear distinction is made, this trend would continue. Using what is Cameroonian to develop a distinguished genre is therefore the answer, which is just what Dancia is all about.

A press release dispatched to our newsroom states that the video of Dancia is a rare concept, jointly decided upon by the Rythmz and X-Maleya. The video which went public a couple of days ago is directed by one of Cameroon’s frontline music video shot callers, Nabster.

It should be noted that Dancia is the first track done by English-speaking Cameroonians that features X-Maleya.

Dancia comes after…………another great hit released a couple of months ago under the banner of No Hitz, No Recordz Entertainment.

 

For more information, contact:

http://youtu.be/wyoopBHU1M4

Tel : (+237) 675411309, @RythmzNHNR @NHNRENT @Princeenobi

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