Developing a Music Information Centre for Cameroon - An Uphill Task

By Peter Musa

The Musa Heritage Gallery (Mus'Art) has had a tradition for expansion and innovation as a method to make the institution vibrant and in order to cope with today's modern challenges characterised by a global economy.  The facing, acceptance, living and competing with a cultural diversified world community and with the emergence of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) thus offers great challenges to this artistic and cultural organisation.

Mus'Art based in Kumbo in Cameroon's North West Province started operations on the 18 December, 1996 as a museum preserving the works of two departed artists Daniel Kanjo and son John Yuniwo Musa. Shortly afterwards by 1997, the Musa Heritage Gallery in an effort to expand her collection decided to cover the entire Western Grassfields of Cameroon. When the organisation was about to be created one of the greatest handicaps the promoters faced was lack of information in the area of arts and culture.

The Musa Heritage Gallery after is creation thus embarked on information hunting with the aim of making it available to other interested parties and the general public. Arts, culture and Music information thus became the our secondary area of interest after the museum collection. It is within this context for expansion and innovation that the idea to develope a Music Information Centre for Cameroon at the Musa Heritage Gallery sprang up in 1997. One other reason for creating a music information centre at the gallery was to keep another of Daniel Kanjo Musa's hobby as a lover of music and organist alive.

Cameroon - Country with rich Musical Heritage

Cameroon is centrally positioned within the African continent. This country situated within the Gulf of Guinnea is a cutural paradise. With over 200 ethnic groups (this means over 200 national languages spoken) the country is an excellent example of a society where cultural diversity is promoted in national life through a multicultural and bilingual heritage with English and French as the country's official languages. The richness of Cameroon's cultural diversity can be seen as one moves across this country fondly dubbed "Africa in Miniature."

Blessed with such diversed peoples, Cameroon is no doubt a land of music. There is a wide variety of traditional or folk music booming using traditional musical instruments locally made by indigenous craftsmen. A visit to some of the tribes especially during cultural festivities, death celebrations or ritual performances will reveal what this country has to offer. While others are striving to preserve their heritage jealously and still firmly adhere to their roots, some of these ethnic groups or tribes are at the verge of loosing theirs. This puts Cameroon's rich and diverse folk music in danger. Reasons for this are; the influence by Western lifesyles, rural exodus, globalisation, and the emergence of new ICTs especialy the internet. The radio and television have also contributed adversely as they tend to give priority to modern contemporary Cameroonian music and music from abroad.

Cameroon is also rich in the area of contemporary music. There is a vast variety such as Makossa and Assiko from the country's coastal or Sawa region. Njang, Bottle Dance, Bend-skin and Mangambo from the Western Grassfields. Bikutsi is firmly rooted in the forest zones of the Centre andSouth Provinces. Hausa and Fulani Musicians from the the three northern provinces of Adamawa, North and Far North are also contributing to the country's music industry.

IAML Membership

In her quest for excellence and in order to build an institution which could stood the test of time, Musa Heritage Gallery was quick to get in touch with IAML Past President, Pamela Thompson who gave the institution IAML membership in 1999. This added a lot of impetus to the young African organisation considering that IAML is still struggling to develope her presence in Africa. In July 2001, the writer of this paper had the opportunity to represent his organisation at the 19th IAML Congress and 50th Anniversary Celebrations in Perigueux, south of France thanks to the IAML French Branch and the French Foreign Office. The trip to Perigueux was actually meant to participate in the conference and give Musa Heritage Gallery a chance to promote itself within the IAML family but unfortunately the writer was attacked by malaria and had to spend the rest of his days at the Centre Hospitalier de Perigueux. The malaria had come as a result of a very long stay (three weeks!) in Douala struggling to obtain a visa for France. The visa was granted just a day to the departure. The Musa Heritage Gallery very much appreciated the concern which was showed by the over 300 delegates that had assembled in Perigueux and is highly indebted to the French Foreign Office who took over his entire medical expenses.  

Since the Perigueux event nothing has happened as a result of the trip as far as the Music Information Centre is concerned with the IAML. However, the Musa Heritage Gallery has continued to receive Fontes Artis Musicae. We very much appreciate this publication. Since 2001, we have not been successful to be part of IAML conferences. We missed Berkeley 2002 and Tallinn 2003 this year.

After Perigueux 2001

Upon the return to Cameroon after Perigueux 2001, Musa Heritage Gallery intensified her efforts in developing the Music Information Centre. An appeal for musical scores, CDs and informational materials was launched. We received a lot of positive response. The Foundation Patricia Adkins Chiti "Donne in Musica" based in Italy contacted associates of the foundation who are women musicians on our behalf who sent in publications, scores and CDs. Some affiliates of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) also supported us with a few CDs. We received publications and CDs from Symphony Australia, Canadian Music Centre Prairie Region (also an IAML member), Contemporary Music Centre in Dublin, Ireland, the New Zealand Music Trust, the Library of the Polish Composers Union.

We established contacts with John Reid, director of the Canadian Music Centre (CMC) Prairie region (also an IAML member). John plans to visit us sometime this year or in 2004 in order to see our collection and to advice us. We see this as a positive development and as a major step in our work. He has the greenlight of the CMC national director and the CMC Prairie regional council to undertake the trip.

We also want to establish contacts within Cameroon and in Africa as well. We are creating and using links to our website in different African Art and Culture portals to introduce our organisation. We have also recently got intouch with the IMC regional bureau for Africa. Such connections are important for a new project like ours. Networking with others can help us to learn a lot and provide us with the necessary contacts needed to help build up our music information centre. 

What we are Striving For

In summary, our Music Information Centre would have realised her goals when it finally starts to collect folk and contemporary music of Cameroonand put at the reach of the public.

With our limited means, our growing centre had to start from somewhere that is why we included music from other countries in our project. This will help us in our bid to build a music information centre for Cameroon's folk and contemporary music.

At our Music Information Centre, we want cultural diversity to be promoted through recorded music, musical scores, information materials and publications. We want to contribute in building an institution which will cater for all classes when it relates to music. Non-formal music education is our concern and serving as a source for musical information for all those interested in music.

We also want to contribute to the growth of young musical talents as a source on numerous international musical competitions for Cameroonian based musicians.

23rd June, 2003