SOCAM spends millions on fake artists

Members of SOCAM, mostly artists and musicians from Southwest region have decried the existence of thousands of uncertified artists who pass as members of SOCAM, the organ that takes care of property rights of musicians in Cameroon.

The revelation was made recently during a meeting coordinated by the SOCAM President for the Southwest Region, Joseph Musenja at the Regional Delegation of Culture for the Southwest Region in Buea.

Speaking during the reunion, Njume Loko, a Tiko based musician just returning from a meeting he attended in Yaounde on behalf of the Southwest branch of SOCAM, said out of the 5.178 names that were formally registered as artist with SOCAM, only 1.786 were real artists with complete documentation.

3.292 names he said were still fakes and used to collect money illegally. These fake artists he said used to take money more than genuine artists.

The artists unanimously complained that money worked by artists never reached them and that the average artist in Southwest Region was a poor person, some without homes of their own.

They said now that CONAC plans to start going to corporations further down the ladder; things would hopefully get better.

Jojo Musinga on his part said most problems of the musicians come, as a result, of their own doing.

Musicians jumped at the slightest amount of money that is pushed towards them adding that they always failed to protect their interest by sticking together in decisions taken.

Musicians he said worked in divided ranks fighting against each other from crumps that fall from the tables of traitors who pass for presidents.

He advised musicians to empower themselves with other income earning skills so as to stay within the limits of decent living and thus better protect themselves from adventures.