The Role of Music Evaluated in Douala

During a meeting organised by the National Musical Council, issues plaguing this sector were addressed.

"The impact of Music on Cameroonian youths" was the theme chosen for the ninth edition of "Musical Talk" organised by the Cameroon Music Council on Tuesday February 12 in Douala. Hosted by the French Institute, the encounter was characterised by a panel discussion regrouping four resource persons; with focus on the definition of music, its availability and accessibility to the youth population, as well as the role it plays in their lives.

In the first presentation, the Littoral Regional Delegate of Youth and Civic Education, Leonard Logmo, described youths as the greatest consumers of music. His exposé underlined the positive effects of music, among which were the following: music feeds the soul, develops intellectual capacity, a means of creating one's personality, opinions about the people and things around us. As concerns the negative factors, he cited dressing and behavioural patterns, hair-do, language and ideology. However, he added at parents have a major controlling role to play in controlling the type of music and video that their children are attracted to. Given that, it nonetheless has an effect in a short of long term.

Meanwhile the second talk by Paul Bayike, a cultural educator stressed that given the indispensable place of music in life, there is a need to make the musical profession a career. Thus, after years of service to the public, they can boast of retirement benefits through affiliation at the National Social Insurance Fund (CNPS). An interactive session ensued during which participants proposed that the government should include cultural activities in financing youth programs through PAJER-U and PIASSI; integrate the teaching of music in schools' curricular; heighten censorship on music played on radio and television stations.