Category: Great People

A Heritage of Great African leaders and visionaries

So Long to Cameroonian Filmmaker Bassek Ba Kobhio

On By Dr. Y.In Great Moments, Great PeopleLeave a comment
Bassek Ba Kobhio (Source: Infomediaire.net)

The great Cameroonian filmmaker Bassek Ba Kobhio, the creator of Sango Malo or Le grand blanc de Lambaréné (the Great White of Lambarene), the founder of  Écrans Noirs Film Festival in Yaoundé, one of Central Africa’s most vital platforms for regional stories and cinematic resistance, has joined his ancestors.

I remember watching ” Le grand blanc de Lambaréné (The Great White of Lambarene)” and thinking about all the pains Africans endured at the hand of the European explorers and missionaries who visited Africa. The cruelty of these missionaries, who claimed to have had a civilizing mission in Africa. The vivid scene in the movie where the doctor removes the teeth of a villager with pliers and without any anesthesia is still stuck in my mind. Ba Kobhio had a way of showing the portraits of flawed idealists like Albert Schweitzer, the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner whose biopic Le grand blanc de Lambaréné is, who had ‘good’ intentions but turned to authoritarianism, and paternalism towards Africans who he (Schweitzer) thought in a way inferior, seeing himself as an “elder brother” to them. In that movie, Bassek showed a part of the Gabonese history and Equatorial French colonies through the lens of an African.

Le Grand Blanc de Lambarene by Bassek Ba Kobhio (Source: imdb.com)

His filmography, including masterpieces like Sango Malo (which won the 1992 public prize at the 2nd Festival du cinéma africain of Milan, in Italie), Le grand blanc de Lambaréné and The Silence of the Forest, consistently sought to reclaim the African narrative, portraying the continent with a dignity that rejected the traditional, condescending external gaze. Beyond his work behind the camera, Bassek Ba Kobhio was a visionary architect of the African film industry’s infrastructure. In 1997, he founded the Écrans Noirs Film Festival in Yaoundé, one of Central Africa’s most vital platforms for regional stories and cinematic resistance, contributing to African cinematography.

Excerpts below are from an article written by Henri Matip Ma Soundjock for the African Intercontinental Press (AICP). I could not have written a better eulogy! Enjoy!

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* PUBLICATION – AICP | AFRICAN INTERCONTINENTAL PRESS 

Nécrologie & Hommage – Yaoundé, 10 mai 2026 

Par Henri MATIP MA SOUNDJOCK

Tel: 237 6 72 71 81 64

 BASSECK BA KOBHIO N’EST PAS MORT : IL EST ENTRÉ DANS SES PROPRES IMAGES 

Hommage au cinéaste camerounais, père du Festival Écrans Noirs, qui vient de rendre l’âme

Il filmait pour que le Cameroun se voie. Il a créé Écrans Noirs pour que l’Afrique se regarde. Basseck Ba Kobhio vient de s’éteindre. Mais un homme qui a donné des images à un peuple n’entre pas dans la mort. Il entre dans le montage final. Celui où les vivants reprennent le scénario. 

I. LE CINÉASTE QUI A REFUSÉ QUE LE CAMEROUN SOIT HORS-CHAMP

1. Le nom : Basseck Ba Kobhio. Deux K. Comme Kamer. Comme Kribi, où il naît en 1957. Comme Kolatier, le quartier de Yaoundé où il installe ses bureaux. 

2. L’œuvre : Sango Malo 1991. Le Grand Blanc de Lambaréné 1995. Le Silence de la Forêt 2003. Il ne filme pas l’Afrique des cartes postales. Il filme l’Afrique des dilemmes. Le maître d’école qui gifle la colonisation. Le docteur Schweitzer vu par les Gabonais. Le Pygmée qui juge les Bantous. 

3. La thèse : Chez Basseck, la caméra n’est pas neutre. Elle est témoin. Elle est tribunal. Elle est confessionnal. Il filme comme on rend justice. Plan par plan, il a fait comparaître 100 ans de non-dits camerounais. 

Et nous ? Nous regardions. Pour la première fois, nous ne regardions pas Paris ou Hollywood. Nous nous regardions. Et nous avions mal. Et c’était bien.

…

 III. LE PÈRE, LE PUGILISTE, LE PASSEUR

1. Le Père : Il engueulait. Il exigeait. « Un plan mal cadré est une faute morale », disait-il. Ses stagiaires pleuraient. Puis ils devenaient chefs-op. Il ne formait pas des techniciens. Il formait des héritiers.

2. Le Pugiliste : Il se battait avec le MINFI pour 10 millions de subvention. Avec les hôtels pour loger les réalisateurs. Avec Air France pour des billets. Il perdait souvent. Il revenait toujours. Écrans Noirs a eu lieu même quand il n’y avait pas de courant. Groupe électrogène. Même quand il n’y avait pas d’argent. Dette personnelle. 

3. Le Passeur : Il a passé 30 ans à connecter. Connecter Douala à Ouagadougou. Connecter le FESPACO à Cannes. Connecter le jeune de Mvog-Ada au producteur de Paris. Il était le câble HDMI de l’Afrique. 

Aujourd’hui le câble est coupé. À nous de devenir la fibre.

…

Pope Leo XIV gave his Last Blessing in Angola at an Old Slave Trade Hub

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On April 19, 2026, Pope Leo XIV gave the last blessing of his Angolan trip at a place which used to be pivotal in the slave trade! The irony is not lost on us. Can you imagine? The church that authorized and condoned the slavery of the African race, denying it of its humanity, now comes to bless the continent at an ancient slave fort? In 1452, the church authorized the eradication, subjugation, and enslavement of African people. Who told the pope that this was okay? Dum Diversas or The Vatican’s Authorization of Slavery, Vatican rejects ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ used to Justify Colonial Quest and Theft of Land.

Pope Leo XIV at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Muxima in Angola (Source: OSV News Photo, Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV visited Africa last month: visiting Algeria (first time for a pope to visit the predominantly Muslim country), Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. While in Angola, he delivered a message of peace and reconciliation at the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima in Angola, a revered Catholic site that once served as a hub of the trans-Atlantic slave trade !!!

The Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Muxima was founded in the village of Muxima in the 16th century. It stands on the left bank of the Kwanza River and is a contemporary of the Fortress of Muxima. Muxima was occupied by the Portuguese in 1589 and ten years later in 1599, the fortress was founded and the church was built with a prayer invoking the intercession of Nossa Senhora da Muxima – Muxima means ‘heart’ in Kimbundu. It was an important center in the Portuguese slave trade in Angola, protected by the fortress, and the church played an important role as it is where slaves were baptized before being deported. Picture this, a subhuman getting baptized to get his soul purified to be deported to another continent to be tortured and enslaved (didn’t even know that subhumans or things had souls!) ! The church was a hub of the Atlantic slave trade. Today, it has become the most important place of pilgrimage in Angola, getting over one million visitor from August 31 to September 1. It became a place of pilgrimage for Marians in the 19th century because of a suspected apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1833. In 1924, the church was listed as a historical monument and was later added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 1996. Is this freaking serious? Why, oh why are Africans so gullible? A place where our brothers and sisters were sold to slavery, where our ancestors lost their lives, a slave trade hub, is now a place of pilgrimage for Africans, because there were apparitions of the virgin Mary there? And you believe? Those ‘apparitions’ must have been the spirits of those who were sold into slavery and deported! And a century later, the same church who relegated us to below human beings, comes to talk of peace and reconciliation where they used to baptize these same subhumans to be sold out? And we go there? No matter what anyone says… we have to admit that there is something unpalatable with this picture!

Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição Muxima pilgrimage site in Bengo province, Angola (Source: Wikipedia)

Excerpts below are from Africanews.

Pope prays for healing at Angola shrine marked by slave trade history | Africanews

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Pope Leo XIV on Sunday delivered a message of peace and reconciliation at the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima in Angola, a revered Catholic site that once served as a hub of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Set along the Kwanza River, the sanctuary became a pilgrimage destination after reported Marian apparitions in the 19th century.

Yet the Church of Our Lady of Muxima was originally built by Portuguese colonizers in the late 16th century as part of a fortress linked to slavery.

Enslaved Africans were gathered there, baptized by priests, and forced to march more than 100 kilometers to Luanda before being shipped to the Americas.

… “It is love that must triumph, not war,” Leo said in a prayer invoking the Virgin Mary, urging believers to act as “messenger angels” spreading compassion and blessing [Compassion? on a site which was the hub of slave trade in Angola?].

Praying the Rosary inside the modest church, he recalled centuries of “sorrow and great suffering” endured by Angolans, without directly referencing slavery. [of course… how could he? When they visit other continents they acknowledge it, but in Africa… silence].

Sad Moments in Mali : Fallen Brothers and the Black Winter

On By Dr. Y.In Great Civilizations, Great Moments, Great PeopleLeave a comment

 

Map of Mali with its capital Bamako

Over the past week, there have been severe confrontations/battles in Mali between the government forces backed by the proud people of Mali and the jihadists forces funded by the West. These intense attacks culminated on April 25, 2026, with the deaths of the Malian Defense Minister, General Sadio Camara, members of his family, and countless soldiers and civilians. We have learned that the attacks were complex, coordinated, and simultaneous.

General Assimi Goita

As always, the Western media celebrated, and wondered where the Malian president was, and told us that the rebels were now in total control of Kidal. On Tuesday, President General Assimi Goïta, addressed the nation, and told us that, “A violent halt was put to the attackers who sought to establish a climate of violence.” These attacks, as President Assimi Goïta shared, were “coordinated [and] of an extreme gravity.”

ECOWAS Members – old map

The attacks were quite complex, as they were very sophisticated; the bandits were no longer thugs driving simple motorcycles, but advanced military vehicles instead, had high technology, missiles, and even satellite access for such coordination, and much more. As you can see, common bandits cannot have access to such high tech or intelligence: where do they get the money? It is clear that they are funded by the West, with France at the forefront, Ukraine, the E.U. and thus NATO, and the ECOWAS countries which are governed by puppets of France (Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Benin, Algeria, Mauritania). Remember that American general who lied about Ibrahim Traoré last summer visited several of these countries to establish other centers for the AFRICOM (What are American Troops doing in Nigeria ?)? This time, the jihadists hit almost simultaneously the cities of Gao, Kidal, Mopti, and Kati. You can see that this is an army, and not just ‘rebels’ as labelled by the western media, directly financed by the West with France in the front. It is said that they are numbering several thousand men.

Flag of Mali
Flag of Mali

President Goïta said, “Thanks to the promptness and professionalism of the armed and security forces, the attackers – whose objectives was to instill a climate of widespread violence in the affected localities –were  dealt a decisive blow. Thanks to the calm of the personnel deployed and the maintenance of a cohesive chain of command, the enemy’s nefarious plot was thwarted, resulting in the neutralization of a significant number of attackers. As I speak to you now, security measures have been reinforced; the situation is under control, and operations involving combing, search, intelligence gathering, and security consolidation remain ongoing.”

 

AES Logo

This, as you can see, is the black winter (dark winter), President Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso referred to at the beginning of the year. However, what the enemy has forgotten is that Assimi Goïta, Ibrahim Traoré, Abdourahamane Tchiani are all proud descendants of the great Mali Empire, Songhai Empire, Kanem-Bornu Empire, and offspring of the mighty Sundiata Keïta, Kankan Musa, Samori Touré, and so many others; these are men whose ancestors have been fighting for their freedom for generations (like Malians fighting the French forces at the battle of Sikasso). The fight for freedom did not start yesterday in 2020, but has been ongoing for centuries. As President Goïta said, “Our people have made the choice, the choice of sovereignty and dignity. The choice is the expression of a national will, fully embraced and boldly asserted. It comes at a price, and we are fully aware of it. This choice is the only path worth taking if we wish to offer our children a future that is free, just, and prosperous.” As president Goïta told us in 2022, No Sacrifice is too Big for this Country.

Bassolma Bazie of Burkina Faso Sets the Record Straight in Lome, Togo

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Flag of Burkina Faso

On April 18, 2026, during the AES-ECOWAS summit in Lomé, Togo, President of the National Commission of the Alliance des États du Sahel (AES) for Burkina Faso, Bassolma Bazié set the record straight. His intervention was fiery and strongly contrasted the AES with the ECOWAS/CEDEAO bloc. He reacted to current political tensions in West Africa, while delivering a forceful political address in Lomé. He spoke in defense of the AES, and made a call for African sovereignty. His speech was a call to action, and at the same time a summary of the progress Burkina Faso and the AES countries have made on their own. I felt proud to be African!

President Capitaine
Ibrahim Traore (Source: sig.gov.bf)

He detailed some of the progress Burkina Faso has seen between 1960 to 2022 when it was ‘independent and democratic’ and ruled by the Western puppets, and since 2023 under the ‘junta’. The progress in 3 years is amazing, should be applauded and copied by all. Burkina Faso which never had air force bases, now has at least 4. Every citizen is happy to join in the effort of liberating their country. There were months when doctors and nurses who did not protest and understood the dire situation facing their countries did not receive pay; the President of the Faso, once the money came in, paid all the arrears. Burkina Faso saw its very first renal transplant operation last month; a first since forever! All citizens contributed, from their savings and salaries, over $2 billion to the cause of their country. Now that they are owners of their own destinies, they can do transactions without passing through the French slave currency FCFA, which gives them freedom to bargain with other countries and choose partners.

Here are some of the points President of the National Commission of the AES, Bassolma Bazié covered:

  • Assertion of Sovereignty : Bazié emphasizes that the AES countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger) are reclaiming their autonomy and refusing external interference. He said “they [the West] will no longer impose leaders upon us, our raw materials will serve our people” [“On ne va plus nous imposer des dirigeants, nos matieres premieres vont servir a nos peuples…“]. AES countries should control their own resources, define their own political systems, choose their own partners, and reject “tutelage” from former colonial powers.
  • Critique of ECOWAS (CEDEAO) : He argues that ECOWAS has drifted from its original mission established by its founding fathers, and now acts against the interests of its own member states. It has become an instrument of foreign powers, which imposes sanctions that harm African populations, and interferes in the internal affairs of sovereign states.
  • Defense of the Sahel Alliance : He presents the AES as a necessary response to security, political, and economic challenges, positioning it as a more authentic and people‑centered alternative. As you know, before the Alliance reclaimed its lands and its territories, the foreign forces and interventions had utterly miserably failed. Bazié says that sovereignty is not negotiable, even under pressure. Now, the Sahel countries have been fighting alone and faced terrorism financed by the same foreigners. The AES is building a new security architecture whose foundation is the cooperation between the 3 countries. He
  • Call for African Unity : Despite criticizing ECOWAS leadership, he calls for solidarity among African nations and urges them to rethink their alliances, to be really sovereign and to use their resources for their own people. Unity must be horizontal, not imposed. African institutions must serve African peoples, not external agendas. The AES is open to cooperation with other African states, but cooperation must be based on respect and equality.
  • Reaction to International Pressure : He denounces what he sees as foreign manipulation and insists that Sahel countries must define their own path.

 

Industrialization in Africa : Ibrahim Traoré Tells it All

On By Dr. Y.In Great Economy, Great Moments, Great PeopleLeave a comment

President Capitaine
Ibrahim Traore (Source: sig.gov.bf)

In his April 2, 2026 interview, the President of Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traoré, showed, through simple examples, like his illustrious predecessor Thomas Sankara, that true sovereignty is impossible without industrialization.

He used simple everyday objects, in layman’s terms, including a spoon, to illustrate how Africa remains trapped in a colonial economic model where it exports raw materials and imports the finished goods at a much higher cost. He took the example of soy beans that are grown locally, yet soy oil is imported; similarly with cotton which is produced locally, yet, clothing is imported from abroad even though there is a local industry. He said that Burkina Faso must stop exporting raw resources only to buy back manufactured items. Doesn’t this remind you of Sankara at the UN tribune? The Faso Dan Fani: Woven Cloth of the Homeland.

Faso Dan Fani

In 1986, the President of the Faso, Thomas Sankara, declared that it was important to “produce and consume Burkinabé.” Thus, Sankara declared “In all the villages of Burkina Faso, we know how to grow cotton. In all villages, women know how to spin cotton, men know how to weave it into cloth, and other men know how to sew those threads into clothes... [Dans tous les villages du Burkina Faso, l’on sait cultiver le coton. Dans tous les villages, des femmes savent filer le coton, des hommes savent tisser ce fil en pagnes et d’autres hommes savent coudre les pagnes en vêtements …]” and further “We should not be slave of what others produce [Nous ne devons pas être esclave de ce que les autres produisent].”

Fuel

Traoré argued that Africa must produce locally, adding value to its own resources instead of enriching foreign industries. Like currently, the world is held up by the energy crisis caused by the Iran war and the blockade of the strait of Ormuz. Can you imagine that some African oil-producing countries like Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, have an oil/fuel penury? How come? well, for instance, Cameroon’s oil refinery burnt down a few years back, and Cameroonian oil is exported to Europe, bought back from them to be imported into the country as cheap toxic fuel! There are countless examples like that: Swiss Firms poison Oil destined for Africa. This is why Africa’s Richest Man Dangote has built one of the world’s largest oil refineries.

Traoré explained that Burkina Faso cannot remain dependent on foreign factories for basic goods. He insisted that local transformation of resources is the only path to real independence. To come back to the spoon example, Burkina Faso exports metal ore, while foreign countries turn it into spoons or tools, and Burkina buys those finished products back.  This is not development; it is dependency!

Flag of Burkina Faso

This development must be led by Burkinabe, and Africans themselves. It cannot be dictated by foreign institutions (IMF, World Bank, UN, etc) which do not serve our interests. Africa must build its own industries, and the opportunities and job creations are endless, from the example of the spoon, plates, medicine, clothing, housing materials, etc. True Burkinabe and African sovereignty cannot be done with industrialization!

 

Ibrahim Traore’s Masterclass: Press Conference on April 2, 2026

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Capitaine President Ibrahim Traore (Source: sig.gov.bf)

On April 2, 2026, President Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso addressed the local and international press for more than 2 hours. He focused on several major themes central to Burkina Faso itself and its relationship with foreign powers. It was a real masterclass. He did not fall for the numerous press’ traps.

Below are some key themes he focused on:

Sovereignty and independence

Traoré emphasized that Burkina Faso must strengthen its sovereignty in all areas: political, economic, and security-related. He framed the country’s current path as a struggle for real independence, and not symbolic autonomy which many African countries have had since their ‘independence‘ in the 1960s. It is important to reclaim our sovereignty! He highlighted that Burkinabé are now in charge of their own army, and is funded and trained by Burkinabé themselves; thus the mindset and strategy have changed and lent to victories against terrorism.

“We are heirs of the revolution” by Thomas Sankara

Economic Liberation

Optimal management of our resources and end the dependency on foreign powers and for Africa to build its own systems. He reminded us, almost like President Thomas Sankara before, that we have to build and plant what we need to achieve self-sufficienty (Thomas Sankara in His Words, Thomas Sankara’s Speech at the United Nations / Discours de Thomas Sankara aux Nations Unies, Thomas Sankara Speech on Debt and Unity, “The National Economy: Independent, Self-Sufficient, and Planned at the Service of Democratic and Popular Society” — Thomas Sankara). Taking the example of a spoon that we use to eat, but yet is imported; or Africa which imports food from other countries, when it is the continent with the most arable lands in the world. Something has to change.

Security and the war against terrorism

For a country like Burkina Faso, Western-style democratic systems cannot be simply grafted or copied to a nation like his, fighting terrorism and dealing with Western embargo, and deep institutional corruption. Security and stability must come before adopting external political needs.

Democracy and Media Reactions

President Traoré said that “Burkinabé must forget democracy,” and many Western media were triggered by it. In reality, the president of the Faso (PF) was trying to say that western electoral models cannot function effectively in Burkina Faso during wartime and when it is trying to free itself from imperialist chains.  Moreover, as we have discussed here before, Africans must stop falling into the trap of democracy; the West has cheated Africa for far too long with that word called democracy that most of them do not even apply! The PF also reminded us about the “Charte du Mandé” the very first declaration of human rights in the world established in Africa and which shows that Africa’s ancestral governance should be made more relevant today and is adapted to our struggles.

Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso

Justice and institutional reform

The PF highlighted that the focus is on rebuilding institutions and creating systems that are resistant to corruption and external manipulation. He also showed how old traditional/local/ancestral governments could live in harmony with the modern republican government for the benefit of the homeland.

Africa’s geopolitical position

He positioned Burkina Faso within a broader African struggle for independence. As the leader of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), he stated that priorities would be on the operationalization of the unified force, the acceleration of regional integration, and the implementation of major economic initiatives. He urged Africans everywhere to see themselves as part of one global community which should fight for its independence.

 

Standing in Solidarity with our Cuban Brothers and Sisters

On By Dr. Y.In Great Moments, Great People1 Comment

Flag of Cuba

Our hearts go out to our Cuban brothers and sisters who are currently getting strangled alive! Yes… alive! Through no fault of their own, except standing for their freedom. Cuba has been struggling, facing embargo for over 64 years (the US imposed embargo on Cuba on February 3, 1962), and now, since January 3rd when the US kidnapped the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife (Pirates of the Caribbeans in Venezuela, or the Renewed Face of the Far West), Cuba has been denied any oil imports. Until then, Venezuela had been providing 50 % of all of Cuba’s oil. Since then, all other countries, like Mexico, which were providing oil to Cuba have stopped after getting threatened by American president Donald Trump with tariffs. On Monday, the power grid collapsed, and on Wednesday power was partially restored to the island of 11 millions. Faced with years of embargo, Cuba’s power grid is aging and now with the recent oil blocade, it is falling apart. Highways are deserted, hospitals suffer, doctors operate with candle lights, and mothers give birth in darkness.

Whatever happens, Cuba is a beacon to the ‘small’ people of the world, and we stand with them. Cubans with Fidel Castro (Fidel Castro: Ideas cannot be Killed!) have shown us that the size of a country or its people does not matter when fighting for freedom and principles. Cuba is a small country, but its actions, its help, has been immense to Africa for the past 50 years. Even to this day, doctors across Africa have been trained in Cuba, and Cuban doctors have vastly supported the health-care services of many countries including Ghana. We stand with them!

Excerpts below are from Al Jazeera.

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Fuel

Cuba has reconnected its power grid and brought online its largest oil-fired power plant, energy officials said, putting an end to a nationwide blackout that lasted more than 29 hours amid a United States move to choke off the island’s fuel supply.

After the country’s 10 million people had been plunged into darkness overnight, the Caribbean island’s national power grid had fully come back online by 6:11pm (22:11 GMT) on Tuesday. However, officials said power shortages may continue because not enough electricity is being generated.

In addition to cutting off oil sales to Cuba, US President Donald Trump has escalated his rhetoric against the Communist-run island, saying on Monday he could do anything he wanted with the country.

A US State Department official blamed the Cuban government for the grid collapse, calling blackouts a “symptom of the failing regime’s incompetence”.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel fired back at Washington, criticising its “almost daily public threats against Cuba”.

“They intend to and announce plans to take over the country, its resources, its properties, and even the very economy they seek to suffocate in order to force us to surrender,” Diaz-Canel wrote on social media on Tuesday night, shortly after power returned nationwide.

Cuba has yet to say what caused Monday’s nationwide grid failure, the first such collapse since the US cut off the island’s oil supply from Venezuela and threatened to slap tariffs on countries that ship fuel to the nation.

By midday on Tuesday, grid workers successfully fired up the Antonio Guiteras power plant, a decades-old behemoth that underpins the country’s power grid.

…

Cameroonian Musical Genius : Ekambi Brillant

On By Dr. Y.In Great Music, Great PeopleLeave a comment

Ekambi Brillant on the cover of his 1987 album Reason (Source: RhythmConnection.Blogspot.com)

Ekambi Brillant was without doubt one of Cameroon’s greatest artists and one of the great African musicians. Originally from Dibombari, a village close to Douala, Brillant spent his youth with his maternal grandparents in Jebale, a suburban island of Douala. Per the words of Cameroonian author Elolongue Epanya Yondo, Jebale is known as the “emerald island, flamboyant jewel” on the Wouri estuary; no wonder, it served as the inspiration to a young Ekambi!  His passion for music was born from ancestral roots and from watching and listening to fishermen singing on their way back home from the sea.

Wouri river and the Djebale island seen on the other side

In 1962, Brillant was admitted to the 6th grade in the prestigious Lycée Général Leclerc (General-Leclerc High School) of Yaoundé. It was there, under the careful attention of Mr. Daniel Zane, his French music teacher, that he learned to play music, particularly the guitar. In 1971, at the age of 23, he stopped his studies and moved to Douala, where he joined the band The Crack’s as a guitarist. He applied for and won the music contest launched by the Office of French Broadcasting Television (ORTF), judged by some of the continent’s great musical personalities such as Manu Dibango and Francis Bebey. Thanks to this prize, he was able to release his first 45 rpm record, Jonguèlè la Ndolo, which sold 20,000 copies.

Ekambi Brillant’s album ‘Africa Oumba’

In 1972, he flew to France, where, with the support of Jean Dikoto Mandengue, a Cameroonian bassist, he produced and released his second 45 rpm record with Phonogram. The album was a major success and sold 25,000 copies. As stated before, Ekambi Brillant’s love for his country, his people, and music can be felt in every single note!

In 1975, he ended his deal with Phonogram and began a collaboration with Slim Pezin, with whom he released the album Africa Oumba, which included the major hit song “Elongui.” The song became an incredible source of inspiration for several other artists, both African and European, including the Greek singer Demis Roussos, who sang it as “L.O.V.E. Got a Hold of Me.” Roussos’ version used the exact melody of Ekambi Brillant’s original makossa hit, but he never acknowledged Ekambi Brillant—not even with a tribute. It was only later that African fans (including yours truly) loudly affirmed that this was Brillant’s original work. In the past, African compositions have often been adapted/plagiarized without formal credit, especially when entering European or American markets. Roussos earned millions from Ekambi’s song, without giving him a penny. This is reminiscent of Andre Marie Tala, Cameroon’s Blind Musical Virtuoso, and his song Hot Koki which was plagiarized by  James Brown, or more recently Shakira with “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” “adapting” the “Zamina mina (Zangaléwa)” song and claiming in an interview to have gotten inspiration while walking on a beach. The album Africa Oumba reached a record of about 4 million sales (diamond disk). Further collaborations with Slim Pezin as producer yielded titles such as Soul Castel and Musunguédi. In 1976, Ekambi Brillant formed his band known as The Ebis (Ekambi Brillant Show).

Ekambi Brillant ‘Muna Muto’

Over the course of his career, Brillant released nearly 20 albums. Brillant passed away on 12 December 2022 in Douala at the age of 74, after a battle with a long-term illness. Unfortunately, like many in Cameroon, he was a brilliant soul who barely received the recognition his genius deserved. He was from a generation of outstanding Cameroonian artists.

Ekambi Brillant remained an inspiration to generations of artists, propelling several careers and guiding many musicians—both Cameroonian, such as Marthe Zambo, Valery Lobe, and Alhaji Touré, and African, such as Cella Stella and Angelique Kidjo. He was so advanced, brilliant, and inspired … going through his music portfolio is filled with great sounds and a great source of inspiration. Cameroonians should get inspired from his work and celebrate his genius. 

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Muna Muto (My Love, my Darling) by Ekambi Brillant

On By Dr. Y.In Great Music, Great People2 Comments

Ekambi Brillant on the cover of his 1987 album Reason (Source: RhythmConnection.Blogspot.com)

Today we will celebrate a song, Muna Muto, and particularly a singer who has touched generations of musicians on the African continent, Ekambi Brillant. Brillant is a Cameroonian singer who has contributed to the emergence of outstanding African singers, such as the Beninese-French singer Angelique Kidjo, first African singer to get a Star on the Hollywood walk of fame , Cella Stella, Marthe Zambo, and countless others. To me, just like his name, he is one of the most brilliant Cameroonian singers ever, with a great voice, bass mastery, and a great teacher.

Muna Muto is a love song which focuses on deep affection, longing, and devotion. It is a love so deep that you wonder what life could have been before meeting that special one.

Just with the first note, you can tell that Ekambi is deeply patriotic, and loving of his country. He tells you that he comes from a place of abundant love “O nin mboa su nya bwam wuma ndolo mo nye no.” He further tells you that it is a place where people greet each other with warmth, a place filled with beautiful music, sounds, and dances, where joy and happiness are omnipresent (Wuma mongele mam mese ma nanga no na pi. Na ma senga so bobe mulema mu monya weya. Nyola mabola mongo na londi na isom). That sounds like a description of Africa!

Coeur
Coeur / Heart

He tells his lover that she is his everything, the love they share grows stronger every day. She is his everything and he cannot bear to be without her. “Muna Muto, Na petane nde ndolo po, o bola oa mo … Bo bunya mo bo poï tenge, a makusane mba mo.”

The most touching part is that he has searched far and wide, and found no one like her: he has found his center, his person, his backbone.  “Na si bi ka bo bunya bo mende te nde o po, Na ma nanga nde ndoti, bulu na bulu te … Bwanga to bo bo titi, ye nde welisane” (I have searched far and wide but found no one like you. You are the only one who understands me, heart and soul. … And our love will last forever, as we journey through life together.) So deep! All this on such a deep, dancing tune, and the chorus makes you want to sing “Muna Muto” for the rest of your life!

As you go on to celebrate Valentine’s day, please sing Muna Muto to your special one, that one you have searched far and wide for, the only one, the one who understands your heart and soul, a love that will be immortal. Enjoy Mot’a Muenya love song!

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Brutally Murdered or How not to Trust an Enemy

On By Dr. Y.In Great Moments, Great PeopleLeave a comment

Muammar Gaddafi (Mouammar Kadhafi)

This is a sad day! Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the Libyan Guide Muammar Gaddafi (Kadhafi) has been brutally murdered in his house in Libya! I don’t know if this year we are going to get bad news every third day of the month, but so far, it has rained! At the height of the NATO attacks on Libya in 2011, we were there in prayers, and words, writing to tell all about the injustices that were being perpetrated against the Libyan people. The mainstream media lied, and of course Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nicolas Sarkozy and the rest of NATO launched a vicious attack on the Libyan people under the false pretense that Gaddafi was killing his own people, a people he loved so dearly. The lies were blatant, the attacks horrendous, and they destroyed Libya, thus destabilizing the whole of Africa. We can still hear HRC cackle as she described the killing of the Libyan Guide. Western Media Lies in Libya, NATO’s debacle in Libya, Truth Dispatch: Update on Libya.

Libya, the Prey of the West
Libya, the Prey of the West

Saif al-Islam was one of Gaddafi’s sons. He was brilliant, and a part of his father’s inner circle, at some point performing public relations and diplomatic roles on his behalf; he publicly turned down his father’s offer of the country’s second highest post and held no official government position. He studied at the London School of Economics, and wanted to bring modernism to his country. In 2005, he was awarded a “Young Global Leader” title by the World Economic Forum, and in January 2011, WEF founder Klaus Schwab personally invited Gaddafi to attend the annual WEF Forum in Davos. Young Gaddafi was tricked by the western glitter, and worked to lift the embargo on his country. He was instrumental in negotiations that led to Libya‘s abandoning its weapons of mass destruction program in 2002–2003, the country’s protection against western arms. He arranged several important business deals on behalf of the Libyan regime in the period of rapprochement that followed. He was viewed as a reformer, and openly criticized the regime, probably listening to western advisors.  Muammar Gaddafi did great things for Libya: it was one of the few countries in the world without debt, and with gold reserves. Living in a desert and constantly faced with lack of water, The Guide had even made water sprout in the desert digging deep, enabling amazing engineering feats such as the Great Man Made River Project, the world’s largest irrigation project once known as the 8th wonder of the world. Moreover, Muammar was helping other African countries free themselves, and was about to have the gold dinar to free African countries from the treacherous FCFA. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want the world to see that? Young Saif probably wanted to world to see the beauty his country was.

Map of Libya

Saif had schooled in Europe, in one of the best schools of the world, and likely wanted Libya to be accepted, and probably fell for the oldest Western trick in the book, that of “Democracy” Africans and the Trap of Democracy. He forgot that Westerners never forget! He forgot that once an enemy, always an enemy. He convinced his dad to open up to the west, to their measures, agree to their demands, etc. The Guide even financed Sarkozy’s campaign and election as president of France; he was in turn received like a king in Paris, just to be destroyed by that same Sarkozy (Former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, gets 5-year Sentence for Corruption Linked to Libya). Once Saif saw the vicious Western attacks on his country in 2011, he understood that the enemy was trying to destroy Libya, and fought against NATO forces, but by then it was too late, as the enemy had weakened their defenses with all the negotiations.

The destruction of Libya: the cake
The destruction of Libya: the cake

After the murder of The Guide, Saif was taken into custody, tortured for years, and later on freed. However, how can a child who has seen his country at its height, and then seen it broken to pieces, his family and people killed and scattered to the winds by the West, sit still? If you are that child, how can you live with yourself, knowing that your country’s downfall might have come from you trusting the enemy, or falling for their treacherous claims? He was still a menace for the West and they had to eliminate him!

The lesson is clear! If you have been enslaved by someone and hated, do not for a second forget and think that they would love you one day. It is important to know that the West never forgets… they keep track… (even after 100 years, they do not forget) and it is imperative for us to keep track and never forget! We live in a global world, so one needs business partners, but do not for an instant believe that someone who has pillaged your country, raped your sisters, destroyed your lives, would one day when you have freed yourself from their choke-hold, forget that they had crushed you once, or become your friends. Evil never becomes good!