Music and Dance Heritage Festival overshadows authors’ rights crisis

The Music and Dance Heritage Festival organized by the Ministry of Arts and Culture (MINAC) under the initiative of Professor Narcisse MOUELLE KOMBI, by virtue of its resounding success made itself the greatest cultural event in Cameroon recently.

The success of the occasion that brought in over 200 groups drawn from the four geographical cultural zones in the country virtually drowned the authors’ rights crisis that has led to the prolongation of the misery of musicians.

Mankon Palace Dance

 It was on Wednesday the 2^ndAugust 2017 that the Prime Minister, Head of government, Philemon Yang pronounced “I declare open the Traditional Music and Dance Festival” in the presence of some of his cabinet Ministers hosted by Professor Narcisse MOUELLE KOMBI, the organizer of the event that took place at the esplanade of his ministry at the national museum.

    The colourful traditional music and dances did not only present the attachment and the value people still attribute to their cultures and traditions, but they also stood as firm proof of the richness and diversity of Cameroon’s cultures.

 The opening ceremony gave room for the Prime Minister and his Ministers to have a feel of some of the traditional music and dances packed at the cultural backyards of the country.

“We are here with the Muwatsu Royal Dance of Mankon Palace and based on what has transpired today, I think it has been a wonderful event organized by the ministry of arts and culture, showcasing the rich cultural potentials of the country as a whole. The importance of the event lies in the fact that it has given the opportunity for the country to showcase its rich cultural potentials across the board”, said Prince Ntomnifor Richard of Mankon Palace

   The Traditional Music and Dances did not only entertain the Ministers and the Population at the opening ceremony but they could also be seen as analogous to an identity card which defined a unique people and their backgrounds.

The three-day event therefore had a mission of bringing together all the major cultures from the different regions of the country to help appreciate their efforts in painting white the varieties in cultures often attributed to Cameroon. Whether in good or bad faith, the truth still remains that the festival gave room for dying cultures to perform in the presence of a large audience.

 The festival bearing the flag, Music and Heritage Dance; a vector of multiculturalism and national integration had animations and workshops from the opening day to the closing day which all benefited the participants from different regions.

  As the Minister closed the event on Saturday, 05^th August 2017, the participants through their regional delegates were appreciated with certificates of participation issued by the Minister of Arts and Culture. The hope of seeing more of such events double in the future in a way to restore the lost glory of the traditional music and dances remained the hope of participants as they made their way back to their regions.

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