When Sadrak and the Sassene brothers (Evindi and Sundjah) decided to form Negrissim’ in 1995, little did they know that they’d created what would become one of Cameroon’s most influential pioneering hip hop crews, which would later win accolades from…
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The Minimalist Aesthetic in Ayriq Akam’s New Songs
Ayriq Akam’s experimental hip hop goes from soulful to minimalist Perhaps best known for “Bienvenue au Cameroun”, a hip hop song with a soulful influence released in 2010 to wide acclaim, Ayriq Akam can be considered as a lynchpin of…
The Afro-Anarchist’s Guide to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’
Kangsen Feka Wakai http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aShfolR6w8 1. You’ve recently resigned yourself to the fact that at a certain point in a rapper’s career, usually when he/she is already steering the yacht of mainstream success after having surmounted the crab-infested grime of the…
Eka Christa and the New School of Cameroonian Cinema
Dzekashu MacViban profiles Eka Christa, showing how her style eschews stereotypical narratives and goes for stories which are simple, delirious, funny, and highly reflective of the Cameroonian society.
Editorial Internships at Bakwa
Bakwa (a magazine of cultural criticism) is accepting applications from undergrads and graduates for its editorial internship program. Interns work on a part-time, unpaid basis for three to five months and receive practical experience in critical reading and analysis, research,…
Afritude
The excerpt below, from Monique Kwachou’s short story “Afritude” [originally published in the Caine Prize anthology To See the Mountain and other stories] is part of #100DaysofAfricanReads (curated by @SisterKilljoy). The story relates how Elizabeth’s life changes the day she…
[Short Review] The Chairman of Nigerian Hip Hop
Dzekashu MacViban A skit which is as outrageous as it is hilarious introduces us to MI’s third album, The Chairman, setting the tone for the album’s treatment of its main thematic concern, which is overcoming the travails one encounters…
Le Blanc d’Eyenga 2 and the Burden of a Sequel
Dzekashu MacViban One of the most anticipated movie sequels in Cameroon perhaps delivers as much as it falls short. Thierry Ntamack (middle) The desire to leave Cameroon for greener pastures, an issue which is ingeniously documented in the…
From Afrocentrism to Afropolitanism: Subcultural Journeys in Minna Salami’s Poetry
Dzekashu MacViban Cache by Minna Salami: Weedmark Publishing; 2013, ISBN-13: 978-1-291-31161-7. When Nigerian-Swedish writer Minna Salami released a slim collection of poetry on Valentine’s day last year, I immediately recalled that I’d read her poems sometime in 2010 on the…
