The singer Anne-Marie Nzié and the song "liberté": on popular music and the poscolonial state in Cameroon

Abstract

In November 2008, the 60th anniversary of singer Anne-Marie Nzié's career was celebrated in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. The Ministry of Culture and the President of Cameroon organised an overwhelming number of festivities in honour of the popular singer. Anne-Marie Nzié was celebrated as Cameroon's pioneer female musician and one of the most popular singers of the country, and reading between the lines, she was additionally honoured for her life-long loyalty to the Cameroonian nation and especially the ruling powers of the postcolonial state. The life and career of Anne-Marie Nzié, over 80 years of age at time of writing in 2013, are inextricably linked to the cultural politics of the Republic of Cameroon since its independence in 1960.