Paul Biya discriminates writers, filmmakers and painters

Musicians have been trooping in at counters to collect their copyright royalties and neighboring rights since Wednesday, September 23, 2015.

This is based on an exceptional distribution instructed by Paul Biya.

In a communiqué, Ama Tutu Muna, the Minister of Arts and Culture (MINAC) stated that "from the instructions from the president of the Republic, it stated that the distribution will be done on an exceptional basis.”

An operation which is aimed, according to the president, “to enable those concerned to cope with their family obligations during the school year,” indicated the MINAC.

What about other copyright actors? The Messenger newspaper in its September 23 edition questioned. "Why consider only the musicians (category B) and ignore the artists of other companies of collective management of copyright and neighboring rights, including the SCAAP (Civil Society of the Audiovisual Arts and Photographic) and SOCADAP (Cameroonian Society of Copyright and Neighboring Rights in the Graphic and Plastic Arts),” questioned the private daily which emphasised that all artists are concerned with issues of back to school.

According to Le Messager, it is a "discrimination and injustice from the head of state and he has to review it by granting royalty to the artists who were not considered in his decree. A criticism that is often made against Paul Biya in other sectors like sport, where it is said that he accords too much attention to football at the expense of other disciplines.