Entropy in Cameroon’s musical arts sector

Even before the arrival of Ama Tutu Muna at the head of the ministry of Arts and Culture in 2007, the sector was mired in crises and confusion.
    Following the liquidation of National Civil Society of authors’ rights known by the French Acronym SOCINADA in 2005, President Paul Biya appointed the king of Soul Makossa, Manu Dibango, as president of the newly created association – Cameroon Music Corporation, CMC.
    However, even before Manu Dibango really got seated on the job, he became the victim of accusations and counter accusations on allegations of fraud, embezzlement and misappropriation of funds.
    Evidently humiliated and angered, Manu Dibango threw in the towel and washed his hands off the affairs of CMC and Cameroon for life. He flew back to France and promised never to set foot on Cameroonian soil till his death.
    Soon after Manu’s resignation, artistes in their majority elected Sam Mbende as the new board chair of CMC on 16 April 2005. Sam Mbende stayed in the hot seat until 7 June 2008, when the new minister of arts and culture, Ama Tutu Muna (appointed in 2007) deposed him on accusations of embezzlement and misappropriation of funds.

    Ama Muna also withdrew the licence that was granted to CMC by her predecessor, Ferdinand Leopold Oyono. She went ahead and created the Cameroon Civil Society of Musical Arts – SOCAM in June 2008 and organized and personally supervised the election of a new board chair to pilot its affairs. Gospel singer, Odille Ngaska emerged the winner of the vote. She had as assistant board chair another Gospel singer, Adeline Mbenkum.
    However, even as Odille Ngaska was still taking her time to master the complexities and specificities of her new job, she too got embroiled in a succession of scandals, with musicians accusing her of embezzlement, high-handedness, personality cult and disrespect for her collaborators. Sensing danger, Odille Ngaska’s assistant Adeline Mbenkum resigned her post.
    Adeline Mbenkum in collaboration with Ateh Bazore and other Anglophone artistes, grouped themselves together and created the association of Cameroon Anglophone Musicians.
    Meanwhile, Odille Ngaska continued braving the storm, moving from one scandal to even greater folly, until she was disgraced out of office in October 2013. Odille Ngaska (she is the wife of the Executive Secretary of Chantal Biya’s several charities, Jean Stephane Biatcha), was found guilty of embezzling over 78 million FCFA.
    In the election that followed her dismissal, Prince Ndedi Eyango emerged as the new PCA of SOCAM.
    But even before Eyango even made his first reconnaissance visit to SOCAM, he was fired by the MINAC, Ama Tutu Muna, who evoked allegations that Eyango had double nationality – American and Cameroonian.
    In the midst of accusations, counter accusations and counter-counter accusations that ensued, Ama Muna, in her characteristic toughness, created two committees; one to redress and another to normalize the situation at SOCAM.
    The creation of these bodies did not however deter Ndedi Eyango who apart from the court battles he engaged, employed all other means to regain his legitimate due.
    Eyango paired up with Sam Mbende of CMC and launched a campaign to expose the excesses of Tutu Muna. And their campaign enjoyed the support of the majority of reputable artistes.
    However in the midst of the campaign by the duo, Ama Muna again took the public by surprise by creating yet another author’s rights body – SOCACIM.