Pop-Culture and the Postindependence Condition in the Music of Awilo de Bamenda

Abstract

Unlike during the last two decades of the 20th century when music was a
medium for cultural exchange and entertainment in Cameroon, the first two decades of the present century are witnessing a radical transformation in the art form, which seems to climax the fin de siècle anxieties bedevilling the country. Ethical questions characterise the songs both from creative and critical perspectives, casting doubts on the overall moral vision. In the ’80s and ’90s, Cameroonians were familiar with the censorship of what was considered by the establishment to be obscene renditions, although a few examples related to political themes that were seen to critique the regime. For the Anglophone musician in particular, as this paper argues, using the music of Awilo de Bamenda, a renaissance in output coincides with the emergence of an iconoclastic, youthful, and multilingual demographic, partly influenced by a similar resurgence in Afro-pop music on the continent. More specifically, the perennial theme of Anglophone marginalisation evokes a necessary complement to entertainment and resistance. Associated to this outlook will be the exemplification of collateral values that are related to Pan-African and feminist values, with the implication that issues of identity are as unique as they can be fluid.