In a chat with the Naija Diaspora Magazine, aced Cameroonian comedian, Senior Pastor revealed that he has been Inspired more by Nigerian Comedians in his career.
The respected stage laughing pill who has made a name for himself over the years by mixing religion and laughter, in the recent interview, paid tributes to Nigerian Comedians like  » Aboki for Christ, Gordons for their positive impact on his ability to mount the stage and thrill the audience with comic reliefs.

 » Back then I had listened alot to Aboki for Christ, Gordons all those CDs and I wanted to be like them, the genre in Cameroon was not the same, our home-based comedians had adopted the female characters as stage identity, wearing kabba, makeup, and I didn’t like that. When I watched the Nigerian Comedians they dress well, mount the stage and crack the jokes.that  inspired me as a gospel comedian  , says Senior Pastor.

Senior Pastor discovered his talent as a church boy back then in Limbe, Opeque city in the South West region of Cameroon. He was discovered by famous Cameroonian comedian,  » Big Mami Agatha » who gave him a chance to participate in a radio show he hosted.
From there, Senior Pastor has travailed to get to the top of his career. However, he says, despite numerous challenges, several encounters with celebrated Nigerian Comedians, auditions such as That of « Ali Baba 490 audition in 2017». Senior Pastor had made to the final stage of the competition in January 2018. 
The said competition, he says was the breakthrough point of his career. 
 » The help Nigerians, such as boss Ali Baba, Clint the drug, Abororo, have helped me alot, they don’t pretend, though it may be hard to get to them but, they have been of good help to me » he says.

The aced comedian, hopes to take his jokes to other parts of Africa, Europe and the USA.

  » Being a bilingual comedian who can speak both French and English is a plus, i want to project Cameroon, shine the light for poeple to also see that Cameroon got talent in standup comedy. These people are my role models, Boss Ali Baba, Gordons, Big Mami Agatha, Aboki for Christ, if I have to become anything , it will be to be like them » he added 

Senior Pastor hopes to use his experience and good practices learnt from the Nigerian counterpart to make more strides in comedy. Senior Pastor has invited his fellow Cameroonians to make use to the positive relationship with Nigerians to break new grounds, market themselves and shred pride and keep working.
Senior Pastor is known till date to have hosted one of the greatest standup comedy shows in Cameroon. These shows had been attended by great Nigerian Comedians such as AY

The entertainment industry in Cameroon still leaves much to be desired, even though a Cameroonian musical icon has topped the world-class charts for decades. We’re talking about the late saxophonist, Manu Dibango. The problem with Cameroon seems to be the lack of an institutional framework or enabling environment for the industry to blossom.

Talents have never come in short supply in the industry; they are all over and bubbling with raw energy. Cameroon has thousands of artists, ranging from musicians to actors, curators, and festival organizers. Favored by the rich cultural diversity, Cameroon artists could compete favorably with those from other parts of the world. Proof positive is the fact that those who manage to perch their tent in Europe or any other Western nation flourish beyond the wildest imagination.

Beyond the lack of adequate care from the government, another key factor mitigating the flourishing of the entertainment industry in Cameroon is the weak patronage from the private sector. Very few companies and individuals in Cameroon have an articulate policy toward promoting local talents.

Another thorny issue bogging down the industry is the lack of media exposure. Very few hours are dedicated to cultural promotion on radio and television. Entertainment-only channels are almost non-existent in Cameroon, as against what’s obtained in other climes.

The worst is the film industry, which requires heavy financing. Even when the films are produced and are of standard quality, there are no available cinemas, theater halls or distribution channels. Festivals, which are good avenues to showcase our craft, only crop up sparingly.

No thanks to the economic crunch, the festival and film-going audience have dwindled significantly over the years. Added to the arrival of social media and other forms of entertainment, the industry in Cameroon faces dire challenges.

Only last year, the government of Cameroon tried addressing the issue through new legislation that sought to professionalize the music and arts festival industry. Even before the legislation could leave parliament for promulgation into law, criticisms of its shortcomings never lacked for a tongue. Many alleged that the new arts and entertainment legislation sponsored by the Ministries of Territorial Administration and that of Culture, was a tacit attempt by the government to frustrate unfriendly musicians and artists who stage shows abroad. The legislation was clear to the fact that Cameroonian artists could not stage shows abroad without prior authorization from the government.

Future Directions

Despite the seemingly gloomy picture, the future is decidedly bright for the industry and the young talents therein. With the emergence of social media and the opportunity to reach out to audiences in various parts of the world, the industry only needs to innovate.

Creative talent is needed now more than ever. Because with ICT knowledge and access to the internet, artists could glean lots of much-needed dollars from across the world without having to go through the painful challenges of being denied a visa. Moreso, with YouTube and Facebook channels gradually replacing entertainment and cinema halls, and with distance no longer a barrier, the future of the entertainment industry in Cameroon can only be bright.

A famous Cameroonian musician, songwriter, entrepreneur and social activist, Ndifonka popularly known as Wax Dey, has cautioned Cameroonian artists and their Nigerian counterparts from fighting over amount of content from Nigeria being aired in Cameroon and vice versa, even though he is a staunch supporter of the promotion of local content (80/20).

Wax Dey, who always says Nigeria is a brother nation to Cameroon, made the statement while fielding questions by the Nigerian Diaspora Magazine on his opinion about the 80/20 campaign some Cameroonian entertainers have been heralding as best means to improve the industry.

“I started pushing for 80-20 back in 2016 after spending Easter with President Olusegun of Nigeria: he explained to us how a policy prioritizing local content helped to spur the music industry. That has been a key point of interaction in my meetings with Cameroonian leaders and lawmakers since. Other local platforms like Bimstr support this campaign actively on social media.”

He adds however that this does not need to be a cause for divisive outbursts or hatred.

According to the proposed regime, 80%of content played at clubs, receptions, Television station and radio and likes should be Cameroonian while 20 is foreign (including Nigeria).

Cameroon entertainers felt more value is given to Nigerians in their country while the same is not reciprocated by Nigerians in the clubs spaces. As a means to promote the Cameroon culture and revampe its values, the 80/20 campaign was adopted by humorist and socialist « Old Pancho ».

Measuring from that time of inception, Cameroonian musicians sort of won the 80/20 debate ; making a case why there is a need for the government to institute a quota of local music that must be played by local media houses and entertainment businesses.

The main argument put forward was that of other countries that had instituted similar laws to positive outcomes. This has been a heated debate on social media platforms.

Wax Dey, being the National Coordinator of the Cameroon Music Art pole, has worked over the years to not just put Cameroon but African music on the world map.

He was recently named the Central African Director for All Africa Music Awards ( AFRIMA). Wax Dey’s opinion to the fued which is seemingly fueling a sepration margin between Cameroon and Nigerian entertertainners, is that « Cameroon needs to collaborate more with Nigeria to grow ».

“What we are seeing is that people are increasingly calling for Nigerians to be boycotted” affirms Wax Dey. “This is a wrong interpretation of 80-20. By prioritizing local content, our artists will have more airtime, more shows, more income and will be able to both compete and collaborate better with Nigerians. At the end of the day, we have a lot to learn from Nigeria as an industry, and that will only happen through more collaboration. Cameroonian artists also perform a lot in smaller industries, so unity is a must.”

He sees « a possibility to market the uniqueness of Cameroonian arts on the global scene through fruitful collaboration with Nigeria », noting that many countries have done that and it has worked out well for them.

However, though Cameroon ‘s Afro Pop music is not where it used to be, Nde believes and it’s putting the work to make his country a name on the global stage. But for that to happen, he believes 80-20, applied the right way, is a must.

Wax Dey is known in Cameroon to have fought a lot of silent battles for the industry.His role in the Ministry of Art and culture has much to do with this; he has been instrumental in making some great Central African and Cameroonian artists infiltrate AFRIMA , MTV Awards etc.

Wax Dey has learnt from the greatest culture promoters, and he says he owes his country the due to to ensure the growth of the Industry.

Going by Nde, the ancient Makossa , Bikutsi, Asiko, Njang genre, have remained the country’s cultural heritage; he enjoined millennials and up coming artists to revive it by creating a fusion of afro pop with these genres to create a unique blend because in any case, « we are proud of who we are ».