Opportunies for musicians in Cameroon

The national music contest, Mutzig Star

Mutzig Star has been the most famous music contest in Cameroon for 22 years. Iit used to be called the National Music Contest, until 2012. World Music Day (Fête de la Musique) on 21 June is a great opportunity for Cameroon Breweries[i] to organize this major event and reveal the winner of the contest. It all starts with the selection of aspiring artists. There are regional and then national auditions in which contestants are evaluated according to how they handle the stage, the content of their songs, the melody, their vocal range and the audience feedback. Artists and professional arrangers provide the contestants with advice during the whole competition.

The prizes for the laureates have changed since 2012. Cameroon Breweries, the main sponsor of the competition, gives the winners various awards, including one million CFA francs (about US$1680), a trophy and the opportunity to record an album. Over the years the contest has uncovered talents such as Longue Longue, Belka Thobie, Rosy Bush, Erta and Dynastie le Tigre.[ii]

Other talent contests

Many other contests in search for new talents have been established. In 2006, mobile phone network Orange launched the show Stars of 2morrow, produced by France-based company 2Sop&Co. According to company manager Robert Martin Silo Same, Stars of 2morrow was set up by a team of people who used to cross the country with five tons of equipment in search of new talents. The lucky candidates would then face a jury of professionals. The winner would win 6.2 million CFA francs (about US$10400), of which 5 million is spent on recording an album, while the artist gets a monthly allowance of 100 000 CFA for a year. In 2011, however, the contest was cancelled after six editions, leaving the public hungry for more. It was a great experience that revealed great talents such as Achalle, Grace Bethel and Léonie Langa.

Wanabee Stars was another attempt to discover new talents, but it didn’t last long. The TV show seemed rather attractive, with prizes such as production and artistic management contracts, a full album and promotion of the record to an estimated value of 10 million CFA francs (about US$16 800).[iii]

Many other music contests have been created, for example Nescafé African Revelations (NAR)[iv], Dream Coca-Cola and Afrostar Academy, but none made it past five editions. Others tried to keep it up through the years such as Gospel Music Award, which opened the competition to younger people. There is also Prix Musiques d’Ebène, which is organized by associations Scène d’Ebène and Carrefours and Cultures Tous Azimuts and supports artists in Cameroon through workshops at institutions such the French Institute, the Reading Centre and Othni Cultural Centre.

Local festivals are another opportunity for artists to show their skills. For example, during the 10th, 11th and 12th editions of the equatorial forest music festival called Festibikutsi, singers received training on live performance, career management, contract negotiation with promoters at Camp Sonel in the Essos quarter of Yaoundé.

South African mobile phone network MTN rode on the same wave and launched a music contest called « Make The Music » in August 2014. This time it seemed like a more unifying concept, with all music genres being welcome for contestants aged 16 years and older. The winner is selected from about 40 contestants by a jury of three professionals (including a famous American producer). The lucky young artist wins the opportunity to record an album, promote it on national media, shoot a video, as well as one million CFA francs and a return ticket to the USA.[v]

Training workshops

Training seminars aren’t very common in Cameroon because of many obstacles in the music industry. It is easier to find workshops for dancers or filmmakers than for musicians. Getting a scholarship, such as those offered by the culture department of the French Embassy in Cameroon, is extremely difficult. Choreographers, comedians and writers are way more fortunate than musicians in terms of these opportunities. According to the person in charge of activities at the French Institute of Cameroon, this is due to the fact that artists are not always available when they are on tour abroad and also many of them don’t really know how to direct seminars or workshops.

However, there are a few initiatives here and there. For example, former member of the band Macase and RFI 2001 Discoveries Prize winner Blick Bassy led a music workshop in November 2014 at the French Institute of Cameroon. The Goethe-Institut of Yaoundé held a two-day workshop for hip-hop artists on 23 and 24 October 2013, hosted by Ghanaian-German artist Amewu, who shared his experience with young Cameroonian rappers and gave advice on handling the stage and writing lyrics. All in all, even though public authorities and other private partners are quite slow on promoting culture in Cameroon, artists should gather in a strong and independent organisation that would provide information on careers, organize talent contests and support new talent. It would also advocate for the validation of musicians by organizing training and financing grants all over the country and abroad.