TIPTOPSTARS

Arguably, I Don Win, the gospel hit track authored by Shalom wins in I Don Win video, is one of the best things that happened to the genre in 2016. A gospel music admirer described the single as heart-warming piece of artistic job. “It takes an overflowing inspiration to put such a masterpiece together,” Frilyne, the said fan of Shalom’s current single had told TIPTOPSTARS. The artist had told Apex 1 Radio that such inspiration comes from the giver of life – God.

Its video, awaited with an unending appetite finally left the editing suite and is now in circulation so energetically. “That’s why we decided to describe the day the video was released as energy day,” Tarh Patrick, Shalom’s manager told us at press time. According to the music manager, the energy with which the audio version of I Don Win has ridden is the simple reason for the one that is accompanying the track’s video.

Shot in Yaounde, the headquarters of the North West region in Cameroon, the video is directed by Tabi Zama. “It took us three weeks to complete the job,” Tarh revealed. He added: “I’m totally satisfied with the quality of the video, most especially the impeccable images, I must commend the director for the great inspiration.”

I Don Win and its video come at a time gospel music has transcended into a very appealing phase, winning more and more talented young people who would rather use their giftedness in gratifying the Lord. The author of the single, known for stunning vocals and resilient passion for the art, is more than half a decade old in professional singing.

The multitalented artist rose to the limelight in 2010 when she and a dozen other singers held the jury of the Drimp Foundation 2010 Gospel Musical song competition spellbound with their voices and singing prowess. That was the door opener for Shalom who since then, has enjoyed an upward trend in her spread-the-gospel-by-singing career. Along her path, the award-winning author of I Don Win has met with golden experiences such as performing with world class colleagues in other countries on the continent including Morocco (where she spent some time) and Nigeria.

The now seasoned minister hopes to evangelically spread the tentacles of her voice in a bid to transport the Word across the globe. Shalom and her team will be guests on ZOOM on Apex 1 Radio (www.apex1radio.com) on Saturday, January 7, 2017 at 6am (Eastern Standard Time/12noon in Cameroon).

Home is home is certainly what hovers around the mind of India-based Cameroonian movie actress, Sherilline Queen. From all indications, she had nostalgically missed Cameroon these past years the movie queen had been in India, where she resides.

But if there is one thing Sherilline had missed more and seems to catching up with, with an unending appetite, it is her country’s film industry. She might not have been part of it upon her departure from Cameroon, but observing the home industry from far off India with its exciting expansion, the actress would surely have been quite inspired.

Now, back home for her maiden vacation, Sherilline reports that she is filling the gaps created during her absence from her country. “I’m catching fun like I have never done in my life,” she told us. “Much of it is in the midst of friends and colleagues of the film industry.”

“It's really amazing how the film industry in my country has grown,” Sherilline, who has been shuttling between Kumba and Buea explained. To the young actress, the people, just like the movies are such a wonderful gift to Cameroon. “And I have enjoyed their company maximally,” she confessed.

Sharing her experience further, Sherilline picked out some colleagues she told us, have marked her stay in the country this far. “One of them is the talented Adela Elad whom I admire for her calm nature and friendly attitude,” she said.

Sherilline told us further: “Nkanya Nkwai is a big brother I have developed much respect for. His knack for movies and willingness to contribute to knowledge on filmmaking captures me and I’m glad I came across him.” “Valery Nchifor is another great actor I am so glad to have met.”

Asked about Jeffery Epule, whom the actress on vacation, also met, Sherilline painted a positive picture of Cameroon’s leading movie artist. “Papa K is such a great actor and nice person. He is very welcoming and I have a lot of respect for him as well,” she explained.

Meantime, Sherilline is looking forward to filming while in Cameroon, having been contacted for some projects. “I wouldn’t want to disclose things so soon but I’m on board for a few productions. Just this evening at a meeting with some prominent filmmakers, I got another proposal.”

Sherilline who lives in Mumbai, speaks and performs in hindi. She has featured in Bollywood films including Chidiya Ghar Lol, a TV serial.

A country whose youth is not progressive in its perception of life, is entangled in the web of a serious development crisis. The height of such crisis is the delay to graduate from a job-seeking course that could stubbornly refuse to provide the pass mark that qualifies young persons to move on to the creation of opportunities. This becomes even more disturbing, when such young persons are endowed with great talents, yet depend wholly on a government that only entertains a handful at every given national opening. The danger this scenario presents could be the most dreaded thing a country would want to face, especially in the heat of competing economies.

Cameroonian youths, especially graduates from universities and other higher institutions of learning might have fitted squarely in this thesis a couple of years ago. However, today, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Either out of government’s snail-pace approach in developing its youth or cotemporary awareness, characterized by an amazing improvement in information and communication technologies (ICTs), Cameroonian youths have developed their thinking faculty.

The first thought that has surfaced is that of their endowment with a natural gift (whichever one each of them may have), vested in everybody. This gift, they have come to terms with, can turn an individual into a successful enterprise.

Undoubtedly, this mindset is doing the trick and that young Cameroonians are pulling mountains today, is no longer news.

It is this new dispensation that seems to leave no Cameroonian indifferent, that has definitely inspired Ngoh Dalida, herself, one of such movers and shakers. The young, yet talented media personality (broadcaster and writer) in celebrating this new movement, has brought up her thesis in a brilliant way – a magazine that reports on the evolution of the youth sector, telling the success stories of young Cameroonians in various domains in the process.

#Team237Mag, the said publication, sees that light of day on Wednesday, October 19, 2016. “It’s a 2014 dream that is coming true and I can’t wait to present this beloved project to Cameroon,” Dalida told TIPTOPSTARS. “Mine is a generation of young people who are not only amazingly talented, but are so passionate about what they do and ready to defy all odds, in a bid to reach the apex.”

Such zeal, to the Douala-based media personality who also works for Canal 2 English, is irresistible and holds her attention so firm. “Celebrating these folks via a publication would not only be creating another source of inspiration, but contributing enormously to the development of the Cameroonian youth,” Dalida explained.

According to the publication’s founder/CEO, #Team237Mag was initially conceived as a TV talk show which she and her team ran for a while last year, until sponsorship became hard to come by. “We weren’t ready to kill the dream, so we transferred it into print and the outcome was this sumptuous quarterly that is being awaited with a lot of anxiety,” said Dalida.

Against the odds of usually thin financial resources, the initiator of the project and her team have been able to settle on some of the best things that would constitute a typically admired Cameroonian magazine – glossily coloured, good editing and Charlie Ndi Chia (Publisher) on board.

“This is because Cameroonians have grown to extents that they would easily differentiate between good and bad quality,” Dalida explained. “We opted for quality work in a bid to satisfy the taste of our potential readers and thank God, the veteran Charlie Ndi Chia is on board to ensure that.”

Meantime, #Team237Mag will be unveiled at a ceremony billed for Wednesday October 19, 2016 in Buea. The magazine launch event already endorsed by scores of renowned Cameroonian entertainers will be hosted by actors Jeffery Epule and Elynn Fesse Basil and promises to be a crowd-puller.

Packaged in three months by a Charlie Ndi Chia led team of fine editors, the maiden edition of #Team237Mag is printed in 20 pages at Macacos, one of Cameroon’s frontline printing outfits, based in Douala. When it goes into circulation, it would be affordably procured for 1,000FCFA.