Even if you’ve been on a secret
NASA mission to the Sun, you must and should have heard of Stanley Enow and the
song “Hein père”. The former is the artist, proudly Cameroonian, and the latter
is the master key with which he has unlocked the doors leading to the national,
continental and international starosphere, garnering an MTV Africa Music Award and
an AFRIMMA Award in the process. The rise of the Bayangi boy as he fondly calls
himself has been imperial so much so that criticism has followed in equal if
not exceeding measure.
Love him or hate him, Stanley
Enow has achieved many fits amongst which is that of the impressive conquest of
the African musical world. So far praise for Stanley Enow has been tethered to
the fact that he is the first Cameroonian urban music artist to receive
international recognition with nomination as well as victory at leading awards
like the MAMA, outmuscling in the process music juggernauts from countries with
more urban music renown like Nigeria and South Africa. This is true but it is
merely part of the story. It is an all too standard and narrow-minded appraisal
of the Stanley Enow phenomenon when looked at from the perspective of what will
remain when and if the hype ever fades and he can’t repeat the fit.
Since awards and awardees come
and go, it is actually unfair to rate Stanley Enow highly merely because he has
the first Cameroonian artist to win an MTV award. In our Cameroonian context
where urban music is still underappreciated, Stanley Enow deserves more credit
for having hoisted the national flag high using this under considered musical
genre. He deserves credit for having treaded and succeeded where Cameroonian
musicians plying their trade with mainstream genres like Bikutsi and Makossa
have not even reached talk less of reached. When compared to Makossa and Bikutsi,
a musical genre like hip-hop is still juvenile and deserves more time before
hitting maturity when it is expected to hit high notes. But despite the
immaturity of the genre that emerged in Cameroon in rather timid fashion in
Cameroon in the late 80s and early nineties, it has with ambassadors like
Stanley Enow scaled heights that are still nothing more than a far-off dream
for mainstream Makossa and Bikutsi artist. This is a component of the Stanley
Enow story that has unfortunately not been echoed with sufficient insistence by
most if not all of those who have commented about the author of “Hein pere”.
Most Cameroonian artists have
accustomed the Cameroonian public with plaintiff outburst relating to their
increasing impoverishment due to piracy and the absence of State tutelage. This
is another area where Stanley Enow deserves a standing ovation. Rather than add
his voice to this pity-seeking lamentative old-school crowd, he has quietly set
about charting a recording a new song for artists’ advancement and which is
more in tune with contemporary realities. Who hasn’t’ seen all the baseball
caps and T-shirts unambiguously stamped Stanley Enow or “Hein pere”. This is
merchandising and is one of the current revenue streams being harnessed
assiduously by any thoughtful artist given that piracy has considerably narrowed
and is threatening to completely shut-off even the prospect of revenue from CD
sales. This is a potent answer to piracy and a reliable revenue source for artists
that has been exploited most prominently by no other Cameroonian artist than
Stanley Enow although he is not the first to have a hypnotic smash hit topping
the charts in Cameroon.
By virtue of his trade and all its attendant
constructs, Stanley Enow is not just a representation of a musical genre. He is
also a generational spokesperson and a role model whose every word, gesture and
even gait can brush off on his peers in every segment of the Cameroonian
society. From this perspective, the artist deserves even more accolades as
generally the message he has chosen to repetitively pass on to Cameroonians in
general and youths in particular has been one of self-construction, hard work,
pro-action and autonomy. In other words, he has used the pedestal on which he stands
to tell young Cameroonians to take responsibility for their destinies, do
things for themselves and stop always waiting for salvation from government or
from some other manna-giving entity. Coming from a star, this is a refreshing
message and component that needs to be highlighted.
Whether or not his rise to the
top on the heels of just one song is reason enough for all the criticism is debatable.
However one thing is clear- it is a challenge which the artist must overcome. The
mere fact that the spotlight is now shining on him has brought popular attention
in his direction. It has also raised pertinent questions as well as expectations
which he must quickly answer through his music and not interviews. Is he a one
hit wonder or is he a multidimensional artist who has so far shown just the tip
of his iceberg? Did he luckily strike gold with “Hein pere” or is there more
where “Hein pere” came from? His most recent release “Njama njama cow” is
unfortunately a poor answer to his critics because it has this whiff of déjà vu
since despite the tightness of the beat it is lyrically reminiscent of “Hein
pere”, an ode to out childhood lullabies. If Stanley Enow wants to continue walking
at the top, he needs to prove he is not a one hit wonder. The world is watching,
his critics too.
