My Music Goes Beyond Social Activism - Wax

He is a new name on the Cameroonian music scene. Though music has been his dream, Ali gets His Arms has come to put that dream into reality. That is the maiden album of Cameroonian-born but South African based singer, Wax. On a promotional sojourn in Cameroon for Ali Gets His Arms, a 14-track-CD, Wax opened up to The Post's Walter Wilson Nana. Amongst other pre-occupations, Wax talked on his artistic career, his life outside music, the Cameroonian community in South Africa and more. Excerpts:

Ali Gets His Arms is an album of 14 songs. What is it all about?

It comprises 14 independent stories with different genres of music, my experiences in the course of going places and meeting with different artists.

Which are some of these stories?

Stories about life, love, war, disappointments and everything. The title track, Ali Gets His Arms, is about a kid who lost his arms in the Iraqi war and was given artificial arms. When I look at that story, the question is; is war necessary? There are other stories of what I've seen, heard and the expression of myself.

If you've not been to Iraq, why do you feel affected?

I've not been to Iraq. But I've been affected by war. War to me is not only fighting and bombs. War is where there is lack of agreement. We see war everyday, there are conflicts within families, between lovers, and different situations of life we all face everyday. If there is war in Iraq, it impacts on us as well; increase in fuel prices and so on. We cannot deny the fact that we're living in a global village.

It is time more than ever before that what affects a people in one part of the world, affects another people elsewhere. It is time to reach out and touch those who are in sorrowful situations. Those are things that could happen to us tomorrow. So, we must definitely be concerned ourselves.

In Ali Gets His Arms, are you proffering some solutions?

The solution doesn't lie in one person. What I am saying is; we give back Ali's arms but we cannot give him back his mother to help him. His mother was killed in the war. I am only adding more value to our thoughts and to what people have been doing. That's my own contribution.

Why music to pass on this message?

So many people are using different kinds of art forms to express their messages. Music is just one of them. Music is the way I express myself. For as a journalist, writing is the way you express yourself. I reach a great number of people through  radio and live shows. I think it is worth it.

Are you convinced you're making an impact?

That I cannot tell. If I can touch one person with music, then it makes a difference in that person's life. And I feel satisfied as an artist. There are many people who will listen to my music and take different things from it.

What are the different musical genres you employed in Ali Gets His Arms?

It's a world piece; Afro-pop and very Cameroonian too. I worked with rap and R 'n' B artists from the US, Congolese and Nigerians. It is a mix of hip hop, R 'n' B pop and lots of African rhythms. The CD can be consumed by any market.

Is it your own contribution towards globalisation?

I'm just being part of the wind of globalisation. Definitely, we're all living in a world where we're getting closer and closer. We can feel a lot through music. You can access music everywhere. There is also the point of sharing with other cultures, with the hope that I bring something new, something is gained, something given back and something taken. It's a way of developing a world culture of music.

Why the choice to stay in South Africa?

South Africa is a place for a person like me. It's a melting pot of people and cultures and I really love interacting with different people from different places. I love to learn what is happening in different places. That's one way of nations to grow through people and different cultures. I love the exposure to different kinds of standards. That reflects in my music a lot.

Besides music, what else do you do in South Africa?

I've got a web and graphics design company, which I run. I work with the UN, and  I have got my music and other artists under my arms, which I produce.

So much to chew? How are you managing them?

It keeps me from being the devil's workshop.

What about the Cameroonian community in South Africa?

There is a lovely Cameroonian community in South Africa. It is a growing community as well. Everybody wants to get to South Africa now. It's not like home in Cameroon. It's very different.

Talk from South Africa say lots of Cameroonians out there get into feymanism. What do you think about that?

It's a pity. South Africa is a place that can really be exploited, positively; in terms of education and business. It is true that lots of Cameroonians get into feymanism. I think that at the end of the day, it boils down to choices. Given the right choices, people can make good living out there in South Africa. However, a rotten egg is a rotten egg. People make their choices and it is up to them.

Is Wax you real name?

I'm Nde Ndifonka. I was born in Bamenda in 1981. I grew up in Cameroon and did my first degree at the University of Buea. Subsequently, I moved to South Africa to do a Masters Degree at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. For the moment, I'm building my music empire and trying to reach out to the millions of people out there longing to listen to authentic African music.

Are you married? Any kid(s)?

Not yet! But I'm looking out for…
Anything else to tell the fans discovering you in Cameroon?
The reception has been great at home. It gives me a lot of impetus and courage to keep doing it. I'll be here more often, with the requests made for shows.

Comments

[ako eyong]

wax, bushu told me that you were in south africa, and now this article. Keep on brother. I am proud of you because you have the courage to follow your dream.