Dog Star Oct 3, 2014
Music video by Dog Star performing My Sweet Bamenda Produced
By Gajo Music
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents information about Bamenda in the Northwest region of Cameroon and showcases two videos that feature the 2014 song "My Sweet Bamenda".
Selected comments from the discussion thread for the first embedded video are also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.
Thanks to Dog Star for this music. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
I pray for peace in Bamenda and in all of Cameroon.
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VIDEO #2
Lord Focho, August 7, 2016
A montage of clips from the Mecuda convention London and Weston-Super-Mare in 2015 to My Sweet Bamenda song by Dog Star
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INFORMATION ABOUT BAMENDA
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamenda
"Bamenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town,[2] is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the Northwest Region. The city has a population of about 2 million people and is located 366 kilometres (227 mi) north-west of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé. Bamenda is known for its cool climate and scenic hilly location.
Colonial era
The origins of the city are related to the settlement of the
Tikar people who culturally forged and maintained relations with the Kingdom of
Bamum in the 1700s.[3] In 1884, the city was colonized by Germany until 1916
when it became a colony administered by Great Britain and France.[4] In 1919,
the administration of Northwest Region and thus the city of Bamenda became only
British. In 1961, the region joined the Cameroon.[5]
[...]
Many of the city's inhabitants are English-speaking, and Cameroonian Pidgin English is the main language spoken in the shops and on the streets of Bamenda.
[....]
For over four years, there has been an insurgency due to political tussles created by secessionist faction known as the Southern Cameroons Liberation Council, a united front consisting of separatists aiming for an independent Ambazonian state.[6]"...
-snip-
Click https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/1/violence-in-cameroon-anglophone-crisis-takes-high-civilian-toll for an April 1, 2021 article entitled "Violence in Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis takes high civilian toll".
The caption after that title reads "Experts warn country on verge of backsliding to ‘fragile state’ status, as conflict between Anglophone separatists and government forces increasingly affecting civilians."
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SELECTED COMMENTS
From the discussion thread for the first video that is embedded in this post.
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
1. Arrey Elvis Ntui, 2009
"Great song. This will probably hang on for a very long time. I cannot stay seated anywhere this track is playing - bar, cabaret, night club, even in a taxi. I must shake and gyrate for the love of my beautiful Bamenda. This song is too much!"
**
"Be proud of your self and keep up😍😍🌹🌹"
**
3. velma black, 2015
"MI LOVE DAT SONG SIR PROUDLY BAMENDA I MISS THE PLAC
4. D WEALTH, 2018
"
**
5. baiye roberto, 2018
"super j'adore cette chanson surtout quand je veux me sentir in courage mon frère"
-snip-
Google translate from French to English
"Great I love this song especially when I want to feel in courage my brother"
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6. Cynthia Akwar, 2019
"Oh God bless my homeland. Despite what happens"
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7. Leon Nelepa, 2019
"Still here watching God look in to our Bamenda is a bless land destroy all the evil pple at work"
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8. Benita-Martha Tamajong, 2019
"i know Bamenda, the land of bravery"
**
9. keith jackson, 2020
"Great song my brother, I plan on visiting Cameroon where I have 35% of my dna! Bamenda is the city where i plan on making my visit! Would love to meet you there! Can’t wait for my first return to the home of my ancestors! This son separated from home by slavery is headed home can’t wait visit is later this year 2020!"
**
Reply
10. Fonde Collins, 2020
"You're always welcome"
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Reply
11. didiash, 2020
"Not the best time to visit...pish it as far as possible"
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"
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13. jumneh baby, 2020
"I feel like I'm on exile in a strange land, how I wish I
could go back home to bda and not fear for a thing😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭"
**
Reply
14. Brita Tessoh, 2020
"December, we can’t travel back home cos of fear of the
unknown. God please help us."
**
15. Griffy Koagne, 2020
"I'm not from the north west less still from southwest but everytime I follow this song, the tears of pain flow and my heart breaks😭😭😭😭🙏💔💔"
**
16. Nchumulu Germaine, 2020
"My sweet Bamenda, a great place."
**
17. Nchumulu Germaine, 2020
"Crisis has crumbled, the sweet Bamenda. God safe Bamenda."
**
18. Ambanaku Raymond, 2020
"Bamenda in my hearts for ever. No leave no transfer."
19.
"They have finally destroyed that sweet bamenda.
I feel like crying right now though I'm from mamfe but I schooled in bamenda n
it was just the perfect to study."
**
20. Ambo Bebe, 2020
21. N.H. Jefferson, 2020
"
22.
"God bless you Dog star
God bless Bamenda and restored back all that the enemies have stolen from this beautiful blessed Land Bamenda .May God Almighty eradicate all the enemies out of this Land Bamenda in Jesus christ mighty name amen."
**
23. nyam syoya mah, 2020
"bamenda yi go better someday hopefull
**
24. Cyntia Pavelle, 2020
"I ´m still here in 2020. Bamenda😭😭😭"
**
25. nkimih mbeb, 2021
"It's good to be here in 2021.. Much love 4 home land B'da"
**
26. afumbom terence, 2021
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27. Acharich Speaks, 2021
"🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾"
**
28. Chefu Clovis, 2021
**
29. Idriss Nwagoum, 2021
"As a Francophone, I
really miss the old Bamenda. God bless!"
**
30. Achiri Cristel keng, April 10, 2021
"I can never stop listening to this music I pray n hope one
day my Bamenda will be more beautiful than before n there won't be any fear to
go home I enjoy the peace of home."
"Bamenda Is Under Serious Prunning In Other For The Best Of It To Blossom Like Never Before."
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Here's the only comment that is found in the discussion thread for the second video:
ReplyDeleteNdonue Takwi, 2017
"Welcome to the Tikar's Of Cameroon.#Bamenda#"
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Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikar_people for a Wikipedia article about the Tikar people of Cameroon.
"The Tikar are a Northern Bantoid ethnic group native to Cameroon.
There is no single ethnic group called the Tikar but some tribes related to them live in on the Tikar Plain in Adamawa Region. They speak a Bantoid language called Tikar. Their population is approximately 25,000. The Bedzan pygmies (who also live on the Tikar Plain) share their language. The main Tikar towns are Bankim, Ngambe Tikar, and Magba.
[...]
Quite different from these Tikar are many groups in the northwestern part of the country, in the Northwest Region near the Nigerian border whose royal families trace links to the Tikar royal family. Examples are the Nso' and the Wimbum from the North West as well as the Bamoun (from West Region) whose languages are different from Tikar. Although it is common to see statements such as the "Nso' are Tikar" or the Wimbum came from Tikari, that really should not be taken to be a statement about the culture, languages etc. of most of the people of that ethnicity.
On the 2006 PBS television program African American Lives, the musician Quincy Jones had his DNA tested; the test showed him to be of Tikar descent. In the PBS television program Finding Your Roots, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice learned she shared maternal heritage with the Tikar. Producer/Musician Flying Lotus is also descended from the Tikar.[3] However, there is no clarity about what sort of Tikar (as distinguished above) these test are identifying."...
-snip-
A list on that page indicates that DNA tests (supposedly) indicate that a number of other notable African Americans are Tikars.
Although they aren't included on that list, La Guardia Cross, host of the YouTube channel New Father Chronicles, recently informed his viewers that his maternal DNA test indicates that he is Tikar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fABmt43exKA&t=1s&ab_channel=LaGuardiaCross African DNA Test Results!, Feb. 18, 2021