Some 1171 musicians across the country have been converging at the Ministry of Arts and Culture in Yaounde to get paid through vouchers and royalties due them, since Monday, September 28.

During the press conference, paid vouchers distributed to the musicians had amounts ranging from FCFA 100,000 to FCFA one million depending on their categories.

Ace musician, François Missé Ngoh, who is chairperson of the Committee for sharing out the pay vouchers, told the media that the money was an exceptional pay package decided by President Paul Biya to alleviate the plight of Cameroon’s musicians.

Beneficiary musicians were grouped under four categories and each category corresponds to the amount paid out. However, neither the Ministry of Arts and Culture nor Missé Ngoh will tell the media the criteria used in categorizing the musicians – not even the exact amount of money contained in the special pay package was disclosed.

Ministry of Arts and Culture officials in response to musicians, who have been contesting the categorization criteria that correspond to the amount each of them is paid, said there are some musicians who have only one album, the songs of which are no longer sung but they claim to have the same rights to the royalties just as real musicians.