Cameroon has not remained the same since last October 21, deadly train accident at Esseka that led to the lost of over 200 lives and over 600 injured and Cameroonians are not in a hurry to forget this tragic incident as government officials open up condolence books here and there. The country’s musicians are equally following the trend as more tribute songs to honor Esseka victims keep popping every now and then. That which caught my attention is that of reigning makossa king Petit Pays titled “Peur dans la cite”
In this song done in the Douala language and in French, the
makossa legend Adolph Mundi known to fans as Petit Pays, Effatta, Rabba rabbi,
Turbo Omega; exposes some daring truths about the bad government of the
country and repeatedly accuses the
government for the lost of innocent lives at the Eseka train derailment.
I think you should
listen to the song already; that is for those who understand French. Meanwhile,
below I have attempted to translate some of the very pronounced lines to
English.
In his opening phrase he sings << Fear in the city, in Africa we replace something that no longer works with that which doesn't work>> he continues with << Sooner or later the truth shall be revealed, Lies take the lift while the truth takes the stairs>> and he says << Everybody is castrated, you have castrated everybody>> as many believes this is addressed to the Head of States. << You have used and destroyed your entourage, to reign alone>> he continues. This line really got me thinking. He says << The only country where people walk with heads down and legs up>>. <<Everybody is afraid of you>> he adds. He continues as he sings tributes to the lost in Eseka, <<it is not your fault>> he says. I might have missed some strong languages in my translation, but I believe from the little excepts you can get the whole story line. Cameroon might just be experiencing the return of Lapiro De Mbanga. You should still listen to the French version though.
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