AFRICAphonie AFRICAphonie is a Pan African Association which operates on the premise that AFRICA can only be what AFRICANS and their friends want AFRICA to be.
Jacob Nguni Virtuoso guitarist, writer and humorist. Former lead guitarist of Rocafil, led by Prince Nico Mbarga.
Postwatch Magazine A UMI (United Media Incorporated) publication. Specializing in well researched investigative reports, it focuses on the Cameroonian scene, particular issues of interest to the former British Southern Cameroons.
Bernard Fonlon Dr Bernard Fonlon was an extraordinary figure who left a large footprint in Cameroonian intellectual, social and political life.
PostNewsLine PostNewsLine is an interactive feature of 'The Post', an important newspaper published out of Buea, Cameroons.
France Watcher Purpose of this advocacy site: To aggregate all available information about French terror, exploitation and manipulation of Africa
Bakwerirama Spotlight on the Bakweri Society and Culture. The Bakweri are an indigenous African nation.
Simon Mol Cameroonian poet, writer, journalist and Human Rights activist living in Warsaw, Poland
Bate Besong Bate Besong, award-winning firebrand poet and playwright.
Fonlon-Nichols Award Website of the Literary Award established to honor the memory of BERNARD FONLON, the great Cameroonian teacher, writer, poet, and philosopher, who passionately defended human rights in an often oppressive political atmosphere.
Scribbles from the Den The award-winning blog of Dibussi Tande, Cameroon's leading blogger.
Omoigui.com Professor of Medicine and interventional cardiologist, Nowa Omoigui is also one of the foremost experts and scholars on the history of the Nigerian Military and the Nigerian Civil War. This site contains many of his writings and comments on military subjects and history.
Victor Mbarika ICT Weblog Victor Wacham Agwe Mbarika is one of Africa's foremost experts on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Dr. Mbarika's research interests are in the areas of information infrastructure diffusion in developing countries and multimedia learning.
Martin Jumbam The refreshingly, unique, incisive and generally hilarous writings about the foibles of African society and politics by former Cameroon Life Magazine columnist Martin Jumbam.
Enanga's POV Rosemary Ekosso, a Cameroonian novelist and blogger who lives and works in Cambodia.
Godfrey Tangwa aka Rotcod Gobata Renaissance man, philosophy professor, actor and newspaper columnist, Godfrey Tangwa aka Rotcod Gobata touches a wide array of subjects. Always entertaining and eminently readable. Visit for frequent updates.
Francis Nyamnjoh Francis B. Nyamnjoh is Associate Professor and Head of Publications and Dissemination with the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA).
Ilongo Sphere Novelist and poet Ilongo Fritz Ngalle, long concealed his artist's wings behind the firm exterior of a University administrator and guidance counsellor. No longer. Enjoy his unique poems and glimpses of upcoming novels and short stories.
During a tour of Cameroon in 1975, James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, met Tala Andre Marie, a budding Cameroonian blind singer and guitarist who had just released a funk number titled Hot Koki. Tala gave him a copy of the record "to give him an insight into the kind of music being made in Cameroon". According to the Boston Globe, “Two years later, Brown dropped “Hustle!!!’’ – with the same melody, beat, and arrangements, only with English lyrics.” Tala and his music label, Fiesta Records, gathered a team of lawyers who filed a law suit in the United States. After a drawn out battle that lasted four years, an American court concluded that James Brown had indeed used Tala’s song without authorization. According to Tala, there was very little financial fallout from the case, with the bulk of the money going to the lawyers. Tala however contends that it was nonetheless a moral victory and good PR.
Manu and the King of Pop In 1982, it was turn of Manu Dibango, the King of Soul Makossa, to deal with plagiarism. 10 years earlier, Manu had recorded a hit song called “Soul Makossa” which was nominated for the Grammy awards. According to The New Yorker, Soul Makossa, which was the B side of Mouvement Ewondo, a single composed for the 1972 African Nations Cup in Cameroon, was ... Click here to read the rest of the story on Scribbles from the Den.
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Great historical review and analysis. I never knew about the cases of Tala Andre and Tim & Foty. Africa is definitely the continent that keeps on giving. One just has to visit European Museums to see how they survive by showcasing "lost" African art...
I purchased those Tim and Foty tunes and listened to all today, after more than 20 years. Good news and bad.
First the good. The tunes are very sweet and I still enjoy them a lot.
The bad: a lot of their beats, rhythms and guitar riffs are very derivative. They borrowed heavily from 1970s funk and pop. That is one reason we liked them so much back then. They connected us to the global pop music world. In fact, some of their beats could be legitimately described as copied from specific funk records back then.
Va Boy, how about identifying specific beats that were copied from specific songs? That too will add to the narrative. Just making generalizations sounds a lot like a case of sour grapes.
Tim, sour grapes would mean that I have an axe to grind or could possibly be jealous. I am not a musician, and actually love your music. I am, I confess, too lazy to wade through my college collection of funk to answer your question. That is research, and it is work, which I no longer do pro bono.
My claim that some of your beats and such are borrowed, but the music itself is original is hindsight. My other hindsight? What is it with the falsetto voices? If you sang like that today, even your compatriots would ask if there is a gay element there. No crime there, just curious. The music is still cool.
Tim and Foty!!! Oh gosh! That takes you back! My good old man had these tunes, and i grew up on them. I won't forget those celestial tunes by Charles Lembe. I mean...those were good days, and they're gone for good. We don't make music like these any longer, and that's why i don't listen to the exceptionally cacophonous Cameroonian music of today.
Tim and Foty did such a wonderful research, and looking back, i can safely say they're the best musicians ever produced by Cameroon. Not even Manu Dibango, or Ekambi Brilliant, or even Richard Bona can measure up to the vocal virtuousity, harmony, melody, or even the notes that Tim and Foty employed in creating their timeless music some three decades ago!
Another great artist that died without any recognition was Etub'Anyang whose music was so overwhelmingly surreal that Cameroon could not understand. I mean these were guys who could create good music with even the most rudimentary of means. These were exceptionally skilful guys, nothing short of geniuses. Etub' Anyang, may Jah Bless your soul, and i hope we truly get to understand the might of your talent someday soon.
Oh Tim and Foty! I am angry with you guys, i mean how can you set the bar so high, and just vanish in thin air? I have been searching for you for ages, remembering the joy you blessed my childhood with through your music. I would erect monuments for you guys in Cameroon, i'll paint that picture so big that even the little ants would bow for you. Please do make us know where you are. Where can i buy CDS of your music? I don't want no I-tunes.
Eda, Seh Nda, Ndola ngo, and most of all Famla are some really haunting songs of yours that all heal my Reggaemylitis for a moment by making me forget the mind-numbing, and loud rubbish we're punished with today by Longue Longue and the rest.
I don’t think this is necessarily" undermining African intellectual and artistic rights" as it is undermining artistic rights in general. This sort of thing happens all the time especially now with the ease of access to music worldwide and from different eras. it goes both ways Busta Rhymes has sampled Manu Dibango as the late Kotto Bass sampled Chuck Mangione a US artist. I don’t think Mangione was credited on the Kotto Bass album either, I could be wrong. I think this should be encouraged as long as the original artist is credited. It opens new avenues for music of different culture to be appreciated and that can only be a good thing for both artist and cultures. Bye the way, the worst case of such abuse is the “Lion sleeps tonight” written by Solomon Linda who never got credit for it even as it became on of the most popular songs in this our great country
Hey Ras Tuge, you can get the greatest hist album from Amazon.com for $55. Alternatively, you can spend 8 dollars and download the songs directly from amazon.com and then burn them onto a CD.Your choice
Tim and Foty,
never shall I forget your sublime jingle, the heart mollifying beats of Famla.
The last time I was lucky to have a sip of Famla dates 2yrs today, I was engulfed in a whirling ecstasy as Tim and Foty, melodiously reverberated the word Famla full-throated; half-asleep and half-awake, I was inundated by incessant streams of sweetness that meandered through my veins, infusing endorphin into my innermost brain region.
Each refrain of Famla was attached to special and past events, I felt like I was being ferried through melodious rhymes back to childhood .
Thank you, Tim and Foty.
I wrote a short piece on another music forum, when the Shakira story broke out. I used the same examples, bar the Tim & Foty case which I wasn`t aware of. Good to know the Goldens Sounds group was not short-changed.
i have seen the Tim and Foty, Greatest hits on cdbaby.com for 40 USD! My father will be proud that i own this special CD. I thought these guys were so gone that you wouldn't find them on the net! Thanks for tipping me. I am also grateful to Mola Tande.
What a way to start the weekend, just listen to the baseline, the percussion,...i mean the notes these guys used are just incredible! Enjoy
Great historical review and analysis. I never knew about the cases of Tala Andre and Tim & Foty. Africa is definitely the continent that keeps on giving. One just has to visit European Museums to see how they survive by showcasing "lost" African art...
Posted by: Manu T | Monday, 24 May 2010 at 03:01 PM
I purchased those Tim and Foty tunes and listened to all today, after more than 20 years. Good news and bad.
First the good. The tunes are very sweet and I still enjoy them a lot.
The bad: a lot of their beats, rhythms and guitar riffs are very derivative. They borrowed heavily from 1970s funk and pop. That is one reason we liked them so much back then. They connected us to the global pop music world. In fact, some of their beats could be legitimately described as copied from specific funk records back then.
YOu copy me; I copy you. No problem.
Posted by: Va Boy | Monday, 24 May 2010 at 05:38 PM
Va Boy, how about identifying specific beats that were copied from specific songs? That too will add to the narrative. Just making generalizations sounds a lot like a case of sour grapes.
Posted by: Tim | Monday, 24 May 2010 at 10:21 PM
Tim, sour grapes would mean that I have an axe to grind or could possibly be jealous. I am not a musician, and actually love your music. I am, I confess, too lazy to wade through my college collection of funk to answer your question. That is research, and it is work, which I no longer do pro bono.
My claim that some of your beats and such are borrowed, but the music itself is original is hindsight. My other hindsight? What is it with the falsetto voices? If you sang like that today, even your compatriots would ask if there is a gay element there. No crime there, just curious. The music is still cool.
Posted by: Va Boy | Tuesday, 25 May 2010 at 01:45 AM
Tim and Foty!!! Oh gosh! That takes you back! My good old man had these tunes, and i grew up on them. I won't forget those celestial tunes by Charles Lembe. I mean...those were good days, and they're gone for good. We don't make music like these any longer, and that's why i don't listen to the exceptionally cacophonous Cameroonian music of today.
Tim and Foty did such a wonderful research, and looking back, i can safely say they're the best musicians ever produced by Cameroon. Not even Manu Dibango, or Ekambi Brilliant, or even Richard Bona can measure up to the vocal virtuousity, harmony, melody, or even the notes that Tim and Foty employed in creating their timeless music some three decades ago!
Another great artist that died without any recognition was Etub'Anyang whose music was so overwhelmingly surreal that Cameroon could not understand. I mean these were guys who could create good music with even the most rudimentary of means. These were exceptionally skilful guys, nothing short of geniuses. Etub' Anyang, may Jah Bless your soul, and i hope we truly get to understand the might of your talent someday soon.
Oh Tim and Foty! I am angry with you guys, i mean how can you set the bar so high, and just vanish in thin air? I have been searching for you for ages, remembering the joy you blessed my childhood with through your music. I would erect monuments for you guys in Cameroon, i'll paint that picture so big that even the little ants would bow for you. Please do make us know where you are. Where can i buy CDS of your music? I don't want no I-tunes.
Eda, Seh Nda, Ndola ngo, and most of all Famla are some really haunting songs of yours that all heal my Reggaemylitis for a moment by making me forget the mind-numbing, and loud rubbish we're punished with today by Longue Longue and the rest.
Posted by: Ras Tuge | Tuesday, 25 May 2010 at 06:50 AM
I don’t think this is necessarily" undermining African intellectual and artistic rights" as it is undermining artistic rights in general. This sort of thing happens all the time especially now with the ease of access to music worldwide and from different eras. it goes both ways Busta Rhymes has sampled Manu Dibango as the late Kotto Bass sampled Chuck Mangione a US artist. I don’t think Mangione was credited on the Kotto Bass album either, I could be wrong. I think this should be encouraged as long as the original artist is credited. It opens new avenues for music of different culture to be appreciated and that can only be a good thing for both artist and cultures. Bye the way, the worst case of such abuse is the “Lion sleeps tonight” written by Solomon Linda who never got credit for it even as it became on of the most popular songs in this our great country
Posted by: Elton Elis | Tuesday, 25 May 2010 at 09:19 AM
Hey Ras Tuge, you can get the greatest hist album from Amazon.com for $55. Alternatively, you can spend 8 dollars and download the songs directly from amazon.com and then burn them onto a CD.Your choice
Posted by: Didi | Tuesday, 25 May 2010 at 10:47 AM
Tim and Foty,
never shall I forget your sublime jingle, the heart mollifying beats of Famla.
The last time I was lucky to have a sip of Famla dates 2yrs today, I was engulfed in a whirling ecstasy as Tim and Foty, melodiously reverberated the word Famla full-throated; half-asleep and half-awake, I was inundated by incessant streams of sweetness that meandered through my veins, infusing endorphin into my innermost brain region.
Each refrain of Famla was attached to special and past events, I felt like I was being ferried through melodious rhymes back to childhood .
Thank you, Tim and Foty.
Posted by: Mallam Shehu | Tuesday, 25 May 2010 at 01:37 PM
I wrote a short piece on another music forum, when the Shakira story broke out. I used the same examples, bar the Tim & Foty case which I wasn`t aware of. Good to know the Goldens Sounds group was not short-changed.
Posted by: limbekid | Friday, 28 May 2010 at 01:17 AM
Didi,
i have seen the Tim and Foty, Greatest hits on cdbaby.com for 40 USD! My father will be proud that i own this special CD. I thought these guys were so gone that you wouldn't find them on the net! Thanks for tipping me. I am also grateful to Mola Tande.
What a way to start the weekend, just listen to the baseline, the percussion,...i mean the notes these guys used are just incredible! Enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv8b5uaGeKQ&feature=related
Posted by: Ras Tuge | Friday, 28 May 2010 at 06:33 AM