Organisers of the Cameroon music and cultural awards, CANAL D'Or, have honoured jailed singer Lambo Sandjo Pierre Roger aka Lapiro de Mbanga with a a Life time Achievement Award.
The special tribute presented to his wife Louisette Lambo Sandjo on Friday is in recognition of the artiste's work, especially his engaging lyrics on the social, political and economic situation of his countrymen, often delivered in the "mboko" variant of the country's lingua franca, Pidgin-English.
"I dedicate this award to my husband and to all who are with him in cell number 18," the emotional Louisette told the audience made up of politicians, senior civil servants, top class businessmen, musicians, comedians and journalists.
Lapiro de Mbanga was arrested in April 2008 after the violent riots that rocked Cameroon in protest of high prices of basic commodities and popular discontent over a change in the country's constitution to drop the restriction of Presidential terms.
"I WON'T CRY"
He was convicted in September 2008 to three years imprisonment for looting, unlawful gathering and blocking the public highway at Mbanga, 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Douala, the economic capital and one of several towns swept by riots that claimed more than 40 lives according to the official toll.
"It is hard to hand-over such a prize to someone who is not free but it is a sign of recognition," said Rabier Bindzi, one of the directors of the private television channel, Canal 2 International,which organises the awards.
The wife of the musician who was a candidate for the opposition SDF party during the 2007 Council elections said the tribute would be a sign of encouragement for Lapiro and his family. "I will not cry," she said. "If I do it would be tears of happiness and not of sadness,".
EKAMBI BRILLANT RECOGNISED
But Lapiro was not the only musician who was recognised at the occasion. Ekambi Brillant, one of Cameroon's foremost stars to have migrated to Europe and the U.S. in the 1970s, was also presented with a Life-time Achievement Award.
"Many years ago when I got to the U.S. and watched the Grammy Awards on TV, I asked myself when that shall ever happen in my country...It is here today and am happy to see it," the entertainer said before enthralling the audience with a rendition of his famous tune "Moussoloki".
The final Life-time Accievement award went to Wes Madico who has sold over 4 million records across the world. The big man, dropped to his knees after receiving his award and made all manner of laudation about Cameroon, his native land.
"I intend to hand over this Canal d'Or Award to the President of the Republic Paul Biya, so that it shall illuminate his home and ensure that each morning he would see the new light emanating from our culture," Wes Madico said.
He, however, disappointed the audience as he declined to sing complaining of tiredness. After pleas from Consty Eka, the special impressario for this section of the evening,Wes attempted a despicable accapella with a croaking voice. It didn't really endear him much to an audience that had begun to rustle with impatience.
That was on the first night of the two-day event which held on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 April at separate locations in Douala. So, he returned on night 2 to perform one of his more popular tunes.
TRIBUTE TO THE DEAD
Although the organises celebrated Charlotte Dipanda, Longue Longue, Tsimi Toro, X-Maleya and other laureates on that first night (see separate story), the final feature was a tribute to some talented musicians who died in 2009 - including J.P. Kaiti, Charlotte Mbango, Hoigen Ekwalla and Michael Jackson.
An interesting performance by a Michael Jackson look-alike called "Billy Jackson" ensured that such a feast didn't close with the sour taste of death. Sadly, the live audience was heading for the exits by then.
Would you really blame them? It was about 3.30 a.m (Cameroon time) by then...and there was still and after party to attend...
My favorite Cameroonian song which I heard since I was kid is "Zangalewa" released in 1986. It was a makossa hit for Cameroonian group Golden Sounds. I love African songs!
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