Cameroonian makossa singer Ben Decca has announced a 100% live performance at Paris’s legendary Olympia concert hall on May 4, marking his 40-year career and celebrating his enduring connection with fans. “We are going to savor and enjoy this music that has connected us and continues to connect us to this day,” he said in a social media video message.

Decca emphasized the “chemistry with his fans,” expressing gratitude for their four decades of support. He described performing at the Olympia as a “crowning achievement.”

Makossa enthusiasts, particularly those in France and Western Europe, have responded enthusiastically, with many booking tickets and sending messages of affection. “Papa Ben Decca, please, after the concert, organize your team to release box sets of all your albums from the beginning for collectors like us. Even if it’s a limited edition, we’ll buy it. We want to be able to talk about your music to our children and pass it on for ten generations, even when we’re no longer here,” wrote one ticket holder.

Decca, 67, from the Deido canton in Douala, is the eldest of a musical family, including singers Grâce, Dora, and Isaac Decca. He began his career in the late 1970s, with his cousin Joe Mboule’s support. Forty years later, he has released approximately 20 albums and is considered an icon of Cameroonian music.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Belgian-Cameroonian musician Lubiana is set to perform for sold-out audiences across Belgium this April, presenting her second album, “Terre rouge,” to the public. She will hold concerts in Brussels at the Botanique, followed by performances in Namur and Louvain-la-Neuve. “It’s an album about my reconnection with my African roots,” Lubiana told reporters.

Lubiana began her musical reconnection journey in Cameroon, performing two concerts in Yaoundé and Douala in early March. “In Douala, the IFC (French Institute of Cameroon) venue couldn’t accommodate the entire audience,” recalled an art critic who attended the event.

Prior to her performances, Lubiana screened the documentary “Terre rouge,” which accompanies her new album. The film chronicles her return to Bangoua, her native village, illustrating her reconnection with her roots. This return is powerfully conveyed in the album, notably in songs like “Grand-père,” a poignant tribute to her ancestors.

In an interview with TV5 Monde, Lubiana explained that “Terre rouge” explores her African identity. While her return to Bangoua is a pivotal moment, she also emphasized her broader connection to Africa. She traveled across West Africa, learning to play the kora under the guidance of the late Malian griot Toumani Diabaté, who passed away last year. Lubiana joins Gambian artist Sona Jobarteh as one of the few female kora masters on the continent.

With “Terre rouge,” Lubiana aims to perform on stages worldwide. She is already scheduled to appear at the Francofolies and the Festival Solidarités in France.

Source: Sbbc

The Miss Cameroon Organizing Committee (COMICA) announced on January 16 that it has updated its eligibility criteria, raising the maximum age limit for contestants from 28 to 35. This change, shared on the committee’s social media platforms, aims to “allow more young women to compete and represent the beauty, intelligence, and diversity of Cameroon,” according to COMICA.

In addition to the age increase, the minimum age for participation has also been raised from 17 to 18. COMICA President Ingrid Solange Amougou clarified in an interview with SBBC that this decision is not modeled after other pageants, such as Miss France, which recently eliminated its age limit of 24 to allow all women over 18 to participate. “We’re not imitating anyone. The expansion came a little late, but it’s to align with international pageant standards,” she stated during a phone interview.

Amougou noted that the decision was partly inspired by Miss Universe and numerous requests from women over 28 who expressed interest in competing. This adjustment follows other inclusion initiatives implemented by COMICA in 2023, which permitted young Muslim women to compete while wearing their veils and allowed contestants to choose whether or not to participate in the swimsuit segment. Additional measures were introduced to enable young mothers with children over two years old to compete.

The Miss Cameroon competition, established in 1960, has experienced several periods of inactivity before being relaunched in 2002 under COMICA’s leadership. Each year, the competition attracts many young women aspiring to win the prestigious title. The 17th edition, concluded on June 28, 2024, saw Raïssa Noura Njikam from the Northern region crowned by Chantal Biya, Cameroon’s First Lady.

Source: Sbbc

South African actress and singer Winnie Khumalo has died at the age 51 after a short illness, her family has announced.

The Afropop singer was known for her long musical career which began in the 1980s, and also appeared in popular South African TV series.

She is best known for her hit song Live My Life and has collaborated with prominent South African artists including the late Brenda Fassie.

Her sister Tshepi Akeepile said the singer died on Tuesday on the way to hospital.

“My sister was sick. She did have a short illness and we really thought she was recovering. But this morning it turned out she hadn’t fully recovered from her illness. She was quickly rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, she was pronounced dead,” Ms Rakeepile told SABC TV.

It is not clear what she was suffering from.

Khumalo leaves a rich music and television legacy and was a household name for her powerful voice and versatile performances.

She released numerous solo albums, as well as being the back-up singer to Brenda Fassie.

She is survived by her daughter, Rethabile Khumalo, who is also a singer and her son, Thabo Khumalo.

Fans and fellow celebrities have taken to social media with tributes, expressing shock and sadness.

The Kalawa Jazmee Records, the record label that Khumalo worked with, described her as a “true icon” for inspiring many with her powerful voice and “unforgettable performances”.

“Her passion, talent, and dedication to her craft have left an indelible mark on the industry and in the hearts of her fans,” the label said in a statement.

Source: BBC

The daughter of the president of Cameroon won a round in court when a judge quashed the lawsuit summons ostensibly served on her by a singer from that African country, in which the fashion-conscious entertainer says the leader’s offspring and a friend defamed the plaintiff on social media.

Known professionally as Dencia, the plaintiff’s real name is Reprudentia Sonkey. Dencia is known for her own fashion statements and appearances on red carpets at the Billboard Music Awards, the Grammys, and the American Music Awards.

Dencia, 32, brought the Van Nuys Superior Court suit against Anastasie Brenda Biya Eyenga, the daughter of Cameroon President Paul Biya, and a friend of Eyenga, Marie Therese Yabit. The complaint also alleges civil harassment and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

On Thursday, Judge Huey P. Cotton granted a motion by Eyenga finding that she was not properly served. Eyenga’s attorneys contended that the alleged service of documents at the Hilton Hotel Yaounde in Cameroon by a bailiff was insufficient.

“The proof of service should include an affidavit from the bailiff detailing the manner of service, the exact location and the recipient’s acknowledgment of receipt,” Eyenga’s lawyers contended in their pleadings. “No such documentation exists or was provided.”

In addition, no room number or other specific location within the hotel is provided, making it unclear where exactly the service took place, according to Eyenga’s attorneys’ court papers.

The attempted service complied with neither California nor Cameroonian law, Eyenga’s lawyers further stated.

The judge granted a similar motion to quash in Yabit’s favor.

Dencia seeks at least $75 million in damages in the suit brought in March 2023. The Simi Valley attorney is representing herself and appeared in court for Thursday’s hearing.

In addition to being an entertainer, Dencia has created several skin care and clothing brands, set up various businesses and founded the skin care brand Whitenicious by Dencia, of which she was the president and CEO, the suit states.

Her companies flourished due to her reputation as a popular Cameroonian singer and trustworthy entrepreneur in skin care products, the suit states.

In July 2015, Dencia was contacted by Eyenga’s public relations manager, who told the plaintiff that Eyenga, who eventually moved to Beverly Hills, admired her work and wanted her help in producing a photo shoot and in setting up her own brand, the suit states.

“During the years that followed, both (Dencia) and Eyenga maintained a cordial relationship,” the suit states. “They would both make text exchanges on a regularly basis.”

Eyenga returned to Cameroon in 2019 and the two lost contact, the suit states. In June 2021, Dencia was preparing to go to Cameroon the next month in the company of other musicians, including rapper Trey Songz, when a representative for Eyenga allegedly contacted the plaintiff about a birthday engagement and performing at Eyenga’s new hotel.

Eyenga asked Dencia for help getting her Instagram account certified, the suit states. But in a subsequent dispute, Eyenga accused Dencia of creating a fake account and trying to impersonate her, even though the plaintiff explained she was preoccupied with the death of her sister from cancer and could not help Eyenga get her account certified as the plaintiff had hoped, the suit states.

Eyenga, allegedly with Yabit’s help, accused Dencia on social media of identity theft and of being a “scammer” and a “fraudster,” the suit states.

“The news quickly made a media buzz about (Dencia) based on Eyenga’s allegations,” the suit states. “(Dencia’s) reputation was being trampled on by the daughter of the president of the Republic of Cameroon in a totally unjustified way.”

Dencia’s companies suffered losses and the stature she worked hard to establish has been damaged, causing her emotional distress, according to her suit, which further seeks a court order preventing any more allegedly defamatory postings.

In addition to her skin care line, Dencia has designed outfits for such artists as Nicki Minaj, Rihanna and Christina Milian.

Source: MyNewsLA.com

A video purportedly showing popular Cameroonian singer Simon Longkana Agno, widely known as Longue Longue, being tortured has led to widespread outrage in the country.

The artist, renowned for making hits about bad governance, colonialism and other social ills, said the video was taken after he was arrested in 2019, but this is the first time it has been seen by the public.

Longue Longue shared it himself, but it is unclear why it is only coming out now or how he obtained it.

The Cameroonian authorities said in a statement they have opened an investigation into the “unfortunate incident”.

In the video, Longue Longue’s hands are cuffed behind his back, and he is sitting on the floor in his underwear as the soles of his bare feet are beaten with a flat machete.

Despite his desperate pleas for the beating to stop, the men, alleged by Longue Longue to be security agents, continue.

The BBC has been unable to verify the video. We have tried to contact the singer without success.

On his Facebook page, he said he was arrested for his “freedom of thought”, and promised to file legal complaints in both Cameroon and France.

He was arrested in 2019 after posting a video saying that long-time President Paul Biya had rigged the 2018 election.

The artist said opposition leader, Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM), was the rightful winner of the polls.

At the time, the Constitutional Council rejected Kamto’s demand for a re-run because of alleged rigging.

The opposition leader is among those to have denounced the apparent torture and called for an investigation into the incident.

“The CRM strongly condemns this state barbarity and demands the urgent opening of an enquiry to arrest and immediately bring before the courts the perpetrators of these inhuman acts,” Kamto said in a statement on X.

He added that the video was “reminiscent of the horrific treatment” opposition activists faced during the crackdown in 2019 when hundreds of his supporters were detained.

Renowned Cameroonian human rights lawyer Akere Muna said Longue Longue’s treatment was a “stark reminder of the depths of depravity to which humanity can descend”.

Rights groups have criticised the government for creating an atmosphere of impunity for members of the country’s security forces.

They have also accused the authorities of cracking down on dissent ahead of next year’s presidential election.

Source: BBC

Rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested by federal agents in Manhattan late Monday, with a district attorney saying the arrest stemmed from a sealed indictment. Combs’ homes were raided in March by federal agents, and the rapper has been named in a number of civil lawsuits accusing him of years of physical and sexual assault.

Sean “Diddy” Combs – the rap mogul whose star has plunged after a wave of sex trafficking accusations and assault lawsuits – was arrested by federal agents in Manhattan late Monday, a US federal court said.

The attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, said in a statement that the arrest stemmed from a sealed indictment filed by his office.

“We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time,” he said, without providing further details of the charges.

Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in a statement provided to AFP that Combs had voluntarily relocated to New York anticipating the charges.

Combs’s lawyer said their team is “disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney’s Office.”

The rapper is the target of several civil lawsuits that characterize him as a violent sexual predator who used alcohol and drugs to subdue his victims.

His homes were raided in March by federal agents, in a heavily publicized bicoastal operation that indicated a federal investigation and potential criminal case was mounting against Combs.

Armed agents entered his sprawling luxury properties in Miami and Los Angeles, marking a rapid downfall for the powerful music industry figure who in recent years has vied to rebrand himself as “Brother Love.”

His legal team said Monday that Combs was being “cooperative with this investigation” and “looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

Bombshell suit

The artist, who’s gone by various monikers including Puff Daddy and P Diddy, was widely credited as being key to hip hop’s journey from the streets to the bottle-service club.

Over the decades he’s amassed vast wealth not least due to his ventures in the liquor industry.

But despite his efforts to cultivate an image of a smooth party kingpin and business magnate, a spate of lawsuits describe Combs as a violent man who used his celebrity to prey on women.

The artist has denied all accusations against him.

He has no major convictions but has long been trailed by allegations of physical assault, dating back well into the 1990s.

Late last year the floodgates opened after singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, alleged Combs subjected her to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs as well as a 2018 rape.

The pair met when Ventura was 19 and he was 37, after which he signed her to his label and they began a romantic relationship.

The bombshell suit was quickly settled out of court, but a string of similarly lurid sexual assault claims followed – including one in December by a woman who alleged Combs and others gang-raped her when she was 17.

Disturbing surveillance video then emerged in May showing Combs physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Ventura, corroborating allegations she made in the now-settled case.

Global fame with dark shadow

Born Sean John Combs on November 4, 1969 in Harlem, the artist entered the industry as an intern in 1990 at Uptown Records where he eventually became a talent director.

He gained a reputation as a party planner, which would be central to his brand as his fame rose.

In 1991 he promoted a celebrity basketball game and concert at the City College of New York that left nine people dead after a stampede.

The event was over capacity by the thousands and resulted in a string of lawsuits, with Combs blamed for hiring inadequate security.

He was fired from Uptown, and founded his own label, Bad Boy Records.

Thus began a quick ascent to the top of East Coast hip hop, along with his disciple, the late The Notorious B.I.G.

Combs boasted a number of major signed acts and production collaborations with the likes of Mary J Blige, Usher, Lil’ Kim, TLC, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.

He was also a Grammy-winning rapper in his own right, debuting with the chart-topping single “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” and his album “No Way Out.”

He built an image as a brash hustler with unapologetic swagger, a major producer who also ventured into Hollywood, reality television and fashion and had high-profile romantic links with the likes of Jennifer Lopez.

But a dark history of violence and serious misconduct has long haunted his fame – and now appears to be eclipsing it.

Source: AFP

Although Bate Nico is the celebrated Professor of Manyu music and is now a global star, he has maintained a close relationship with the Irish State.

His sell-out concert in Ireland is fondly remembered by hundreds of Cameroonians who answered present at the height of his powers as the Manyu megastar.

But while there have been infrequent visits back to Europe for concerts, it was his less advertised time in Dublin with the Daughters of Manyu Ireland that drew massive attention.

Bate Nico fever gripped Ireland, after the singer recently visited Balbriggan, Drogheda and Swords near Dublin.

He participated in the September meeting of the Daughters of Manyu Ireland and refused to record an interview with the Cameroon Concord News Group.

Bate Nico however said Manyu Daughters of Ireland have inspired him to make a great album.

According to Cameroon Concord News London Bureau Chief Asu Isong, Bate Nico is very interested in Manyu unity and plans to tour Europe and the US on a peace mission.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai