Sacem saved our lives - Ekambi Brillant

Ekambi Brillant is a Cameroonian artiste who enjoyed a status that allowed him to performance live internationally and admired by many.

In 2013, he was honored with a diamond medal from Sacem and the African Intellectual Property Organization (AIPO) which should be an inspiration to others.

Unfortunately, he does not enjoy the rights of authors in Cameroon. When we met with him yesterday in Yaoundé, Ekambi Brillant said the copyright crisis was expected.

"The Minister of Arts and Culture is in no state of mind to handle the culture. She failed to get to her real artistes. Her job is not to distribute guitars but to develop a cultural project for our country and she did not do that".

He added that if it was not for the Sacem, he would have already been dead. He advised artistes to put in all the effort to produce songs that will be of honor to Cameroon worldwide. He considered himself an honest artiste who values culture and one who is full of admiration.

As part of the reform led by the Prime Minister, he recommended that no more than 15 members in the Board of Directors who are agitated for some time due to the copyright issue should be excluded.

Brilliant Ekambi praised himself saying: "Barack Obama has congratulated me for what I have done for the black race. He invited me in November 2014 in Washington at the inauguration of the Afro-American museum that showcased the greatest inventions and works of blacks who valued the black race."

A young writer of the office de radio et télévision française (Ortf), which became Rfi and has become one of the emblematic figures of world music in the world attributes his success to his hard work. "You can be born with the gift but a career cannot last if one does not have the talent. One must therefore work ", he said.

He had a passion for music in the late 60s at Leclerc high school. "I was a student at Leclerc High School where I started from sixième to première until the sixth form. I studied music at this school thanks to Zanne Daniel, our music teacher”, he recalled.

The music was so popular he became one of the first winners of Rfi. This contest allowed him to release 45 albums. In 1972, he flew to Europe and joined one of the large multinational houses that promotes artistes in France. Surrounded by great musicians, he has also become a great professional.

As a result of his frankness, he is one of the few legends of the Cameroonian culture. At 66 years old, his long experience (44 years career) in music attracts admiration from the public.

His receipt in 2013, the diamond disk of Sacem and the African Intellectual Property Organization (AIPO) should even be a muse and an inspiration.