Entertaining repression: Music and politics in postcolonial Cameroon

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between musicians and political power in Cameroon in order to make a case for understanding the dynamics of agency and identity politics among musicians. It argues that politicians in Cameroon have tended to appropriate musicians and their creative efforts as part of their drive for power. Some musicians have refused to be at the beck and call of politicians and have tended to criticize and ridicule those in power. Others have seen in such invitations an opportunity for greater recognition and respectability. Some have sought to straddle both worlds, serving politicians while also pursuing their art in the interest of other constituencies. Their different responses notwithstanding, there is evidence that the fortunes and statuses of musicians have been transformed with changing political regimes and notions of politics.

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