Dr. Mathias Fobi, an obesity surgeon based in the US, and Libianca are the only two people from Southern Cameroons to have achieved celebrity status since 1961. That is, Libianca and Dr. Fobi are the only two celebrities to have ever emerged from Southern Cameroons.

 

Libianca has achieved a high level of fame and recognition in the music industry. Her breakout single, “People,” has been streamed over 150 million times and reached number one on the UK Afrobeats chart. She has also been featured in major publications such as BBC News and The Guardian.

 

Dr. Mathias Fobi is a medical doctor who has achieved a certain level of fame and recognition, particularly in the field of bariatric surgery. He has been featured in several news articles and television shows, and he has performed weight loss surgery on a number of celebrities, including Roseanne Barr and Randy Jackson.

 

Jovi, Stanley Enow, and Syndy Emade have had remarkable success, but they have not achieved the worldwide recognition and media influence to be considered celebrities.

 

The youth of Southern Cameroons have always looked up to celebrities from French Cameroon, such as Francis Ngannou, Samuel Eto’o, Roger Milla, Manu Dibango, and Yannick Noah. French Cameroon has produced more celebrities, as the local press, such as Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV), has helped to promote their talents to the world. It is also economically more vibrant, which is a major factor.

 

Marginalization has also been a factor that has limited the talents of Southern Cameroons. They have barely been able to achieve anything on their own, with very little help from multimedia companies in French Cameroon. Southern Cameroons bloggers have been promoting their own talents on their own.

 

At the moment, Libianca is the second celebrity with worldwide recognition to have emerged from Southern Cameroons after Dr. Mathias Fobi. Kang Quintus may be the next celebrity from Southern Cameroons, but he needs a little push.

 

We have Libianca. She is one of our own. One day, we will produce our own Samuel Eto’o, Francis Ngannou, and Roger Milla.

 

“Anglophones” should understand that they can make their own celebrities by themselves  without depending on French Cameroun or Nigeria, like Libianca, who only made use of an opportunity-being at the right place at the right time. Shine wuna eyes!

 

Dela Nganguh, the old broom