Anne-Marie Nzié, Cameroonian singer, Died at 84

  Music

Anne-Marie Nzié was born in 1932 and died on May 24, 2016.

She was a Cameroonian bikutsi singer.

During the 1940s, she started performing bikutsi, the music native to her home in central Cameroon.

Anne-Marie Nzié signed with Pathé Marcom Records.

Nzié remained active over the next five decades and helped to popularise bikutsi throughout Cameroon.

Anne-Marie Nzié long career earned her the epithets “Queen of Cameroonian Music”, “Queen Mother of Cameroonian Music”, and “Queen Mother of Bikutsi”.

He 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.

During 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.

During another incident, student protesters changed the lyrics of the song to say, “Paul Biya go away”.

He responded by saying that the song was always intended to be pro-Biya and pro-CPDM.

He had a long absence, Nzié released the album Béza Ba Dzo in 1999.

Anne-Marie Nzié passed away at 84 yrs old.