By Francis Ekongang Nzante
The Cameroonian artist popularly known as Fozo de Prince has decried the Meddling of Politics in the way the affairs of musicians are handled in Cameroon. He was speaking recently in a brush with the press in the Northwest Regional Capital of Bamenda.
Despite the very grim picture that he presents of the music landscape in Cameroon, he expresses hope that the new SONACAM boss Dr Ateh Bazore will rewrite the narrative of the sad story of the Cameroonian musician.
David Ayem alias Fozo de Prince was exposed to the guitar and to music at a very tender age. His dad was also a musician and he therefore followed the footsteps inheriting the love for music from his father. He has never received any formal training in music and professionally, he works in the health Sector and is presently a PhD student at the University of Bamenda. Music for him as such is a passion and he constantly plays when the inspiration comes.
Fozo de Prince got into active music in 1996 while he was in High School. A period which he describes as a training session. He actually produced his first solo album in the year 2000. At the time, he was a student nurse and was doing his second year at the State Registered Nurses Training School at the Regional Hospital in Bamenda. His first album was titled “We are children of one God”. Though he started with Gospel Music, he eventually shifted to Circular Music in his quest to address messages to the Common man that could impact on society.
The first time he participated in a musical competition was in 2004 in an event organised by Brasseries Du Cameroun called “Music and Song Competition.” After coming out on top at the Regional level in the Northwest he moved to the national level where he emerged at the 9th position.
His second album focused on the importance of breast feeding in the health of children while the 2006 album was centered around the idea that there is strength in unity.
Fozo de Prince came out with an Album almost every two years and that’s why today he has produced 12 musical albums.
Lashing out at SONACAM, he decried the precarious situation of artists in Cameroon.
“I joined that association when it was called CMC and at the time, it was lead by the Late Manu Dibango. It is sad to say it but politics has destroyed musicians in Cameroon. A certain list came out and my name was not in it. I followed up before my name came out. As we speak, another list of the Executive has come out and favouritism is the order of the day. Don’t be surprised to find someone who entered the association only this year on that list. Someone like Fozo de Prince who has been in the association for 21 years may not even be on the list” he lamented.
With Dr Ateh Bazore presently at the helm of things, Fozo de Prince believes things will get better. The Ministry of Arts and Culture he said has an arm that is supposed to take care of musicians but nothing positive seems to be coming from that angle. Harping on the insignificant support that goes to musicians he said all he had ever received was an annual payment of 43 thousand Francs twice.
Fozo de Prince said he does music only out of passion and not for the money. He however hopes that one day the musician in Cameroon will be able to live out of his art.
He suggested that there should be a National Code that guides who should be a musician. Once you are registered and graded, your earnings should be clearly defined he further said. If this were done, then many more people would be encouraged to get into music he said. The artist described SONACAM as a corporate body with an executive that Lords it on musicians and keeps a greater share of money that comes in to themselves.
The plight of the musicians is compounded by the Android era since nobody buys musical albums anymore.
As a way forward, he said “if you have good music today what you need is good promotion. This will mean that you go to the bank and get some money to do that.”
That’s why musicians invests heavily in promotion on National Radios and Television stations. “CRTV sometimes demands a minimum of about 300000 CFA for your music to constantly pass on air throughout for a month. At the end of the day only the biggest musicians in Cameroon can afford to promote at that scale.” Such musicians like Petit Pays for instance already have big business people who trust in them and can invest any amount of money on them with the certainty that they will get it back. This money he said goes on promotion. Once a musician pays some millions to the National TV channels their video clips pass regularly he said. “There is almost no place for the upstarts in the music world in Cameroon.”
At the Regional level Fozo de Prince said he participates at cultural events such as Marriages, Parties, Cultural Festivals, Anniversary Celebrations amongst many others. Considering that he is well known in the musical circles in the Region he is constantly invited for musical shows.
He called on affluent individuals, Corporate bodies and Humanitarian organisations to identify talents and promote them.
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