It's official. The music festival, dubbed FESTI-BIKUTSI will be held from November 3 to 15, 2014 in Yaounde.
The Director of the festival, René Ayina and members of the Organizing Committee spoke to the press Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at the headquarters of the Irondel Association in Yaounde to reveal the schedule of the festival's 16th edition.
The opening of the Festival will be at the Art Centre from 3 to 12 November at camp artistique de Lada located at Nkoabang neighborhood. There will also be the "FESTI Bikutsi-2014 discovery award" contest scheduled for November 10 to 15 at Camp Sonel a Essos, a district of the capital. According to René Ayina, the Director of the Festival, a competition will be between emerging artists who will face a jury of professionals in the field of music.
Festival organizers indicate that the winner will receive a year of artistic support and promotion in the media.
The Festival will also be marked by a Mini promotional fair to be held from November 8 to 15 at Camp Sonel. Other activities planned are performances at the French Institute of Cameroon in Yaounde on 5, 6 and 8 November 2014.
Just as in the past, FESTI-BIKUTSI honours the best local artistes and those in the diaspora through various awards including: The Bikutsi of the year; Bikutsi of the public; Revelation of the year; Bikutsi diaspora; Bikutsi honor.
The 2014 edition will pay tribute to the artiste Mbarga Soukous considered one of the artists who wrote beautiful Bikutsi poems. Festi-Bikutsi is organized this year in partnership with Africa Itinerant festival where artists from Benin, Senegal and French take part in the event under the theme of "openness" of Bikutsi and other rhythms.
Although the festival will put focus on conferences, workshops, exhibitions and fair, it must be said that the public should expect a lot more live stage performances the artistes that will rock every night at Camp Sonel Essos in Yaounde .
