Anne Marie Nzie Quits the Stage at 84?

Anne Marie Nzié is no more. Reports say Minister of Arts and Culture, Narcisse MOUELLE Kombi

had paid her a courtesy visit at the Yaounde Central Hospital. While medics tried to rescue Anne Marie Nzie, who is in the national musical heritage had allegedly kicked the bucket at 84. Anne-Marie Nzié, it should be noted was with Manu Dibango (83 years) the oldest Cameroonian artist and still active. However, the truth is that she is in hospital but news went viral on the internet that she was dead.

Anne-Marie Nzié sang bikutsi music. In the 1940s, Nzié began performing bikutsi in Yaounde. She signed with Pathé Marcom Records. Nzié remained active over the next five decades and helped to popularise bikutsi throughout Cameroon. Her long career earned her the epithets "Queen of Cameroonian Music" "Queen Mother of Cameroonian Music", and "Queen Mother of Bikutsi".

Nzié was a supporter of both of Cameroon's presidents, Ahmadou Ahidjo and Paul Biya. For example, she dedicated the song "Liberté" to Paul Biya and his Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) political party. In 1992, the Social Democratic Front used the song during John Fru Ndi's presidential campaign; Nzié said that she was "vehemently opposed" to the move. In another incident, student protesters changed the lyrics of the song to say, "Paul Biya go away". Nzié responded by saying that the song was always intended to be pro-Biya and pro-CPDM. Of late, her support to the Biya regime earned her a retirement home and a car that sparked a lot of controversy. But she had lived in a hut and in miseries for years. Before she retired from music, Anne Marie Nzié released the album Béza Ba Dzo in 1999.

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