Francis Bebey (, 15 July 1929 in

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Ai ...

, Cameroon – 28 May 2001 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, France) was a

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

ian writer and composer.

Early life

Francis Bebey was born in

, Cameroon, on 15 July 1929. Bebey attended college in

, where he studied mathematics, before going to study broadcasting at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

. Moving to the United States, he continued to study broadcasting at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. In 1957, Bebey moved to

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

at the invitation of Kwame Nkrumah, and took a job as a broadcaster.

Music career

In the early 1960s, Bebey moved to France and started work in the arts, establishing himself as a musician, sculptor, and writer. He was also the first African musician to use electric keyboards and programmable drum machines which he set alongside off the traditional African instruments. His most popular novel was ''Agatha Moudio's Son''. While working at

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

from 1961-74, he was able to become the head of the music department in Paris. This job allowed him to research and document traditional African music. Bebey released his first album in 1969. Bebey released over 20 albums on Ozileka, between 1975 and 1997. His music was primarily

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

-based, but he integrated traditional African instruments and synthesizers as well. Though Bebey is currently praised for his music, his musical taste created controversy with his native music when he first started off. His style merged Cameroonian

makossa Makossa is a Cameroonian style of urban music. Like much other late 20th century music of Sub-Saharan Africa, it uses strong electric bass rhythms and prominent brass. In the 1980s makossa had a wave of mainstream success across Africa and to a ...

with

classical guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, and pop, and was considered by critics to be groundbreaking, "intellectual, humorous, and profoundly sensual". He sang in Duala,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, and French. Bebey helped launch the career of Manu Dibango. Bebey released more than 20 albums over his career, and was also known for his poetry, including ''Black tears'' (1963), a poem dedicated to the

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, also known as simply the March on Washington or The Great March on Washington, was held in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic rig ...

. Bebey had a major role in popularizing the n'dehou, a one-note bamboo flute created by the Central African pygmies. Due to their shorter stature and isolated habitats, a lot is not known about the pygmies but Bebey took it upon himself to learn more about their culture from the African pygmies themselves, especially their music and then shared that knowledge with the world.

Literary career

Bebey wrote novels, poetry, plays, tales, short stories, and nonfiction works. He began his literary career as a journalist in the 1950s and at one time worked as a journalist in Ghana and other African countries for the French radio network, Société de radiodiffusion de la France d'outre-mer (SORAFOM). Bebey's first novel, ''Le Fils d'Agatha Moudio'' (Agatha Moudio's Son), was published in 1967 and awarded the

Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire The Grand prix littéraire d'Afrique noire (one of the major literary prizes of Black Africa for Francophone Literature) is a literary prize presented every year by the ADELF, the Association of French Language Writers for a French original text ...

in 1968; it remains his best-known work. His novel, ''L'Enfant pluie'' (The Child of Rain), published in 1994, was awarded the Prize Saint Exupéry. In addition to exploring childhood and adult experiences in his works, Bebey also wrote tales drawn from the African oral tradition.

Death and legacy

Bebey died in Paris, France, on 28 May 2001. His survivors include his children Patrick, Toups, and Kidi Bebey, and his wife. John Williams' piece "Hello Francis" is written as a tribute to Bebey: "The piece is based on the

Makossa Makossa is a Cameroonian style of urban music. Like much other late 20th century music of Sub-Saharan Africa, it uses strong electric bass rhythms and prominent brass. In the 1980s makossa had a wave of mainstream success across Africa and to a ...

, a popular dance rhythm from Cameroon often used by Francis, and includes a quote from his piece ''The Magic Box'' and a hidden bit of

J.S. Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...

's song, "

Everything Now ''Everything Now'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on July 28, 2017, through Sonovox Records (physical release), Columbia Records, and Rough Trade Records. It was produced by Arcade Fire, alongside T ...

," features a flute part from "The Coffee Cola Song" by Francis Bebey. The flute part was played by Patrick Bebey, Francis Bebey's son.

Awards

Francis Bebey was awarded the Grand Prix de la Mémoire of the GPLA 2013 for his literary legacy. The Grand Prix de la Mémoire is an award dedicated to major writers of contemporary Cameroonian literature who have died. He was also awarded the Grand Prix Litteraire De L'Afrique Noire in 1968 for his first novel ''Le Fils d'Agatha Moudio (Agatha Moudio's Son).'' The Grand Prix Litteraire De L'Afrique Noire is a literary prize for Black Africa. His novel ''L'Enfant pluie (Rain Child)'' won the Prix Saint Exupéry in 1994. The Prix Saint Exupéry award is given to writers whose books love young people and the young people love their books.

Discography

Albums

* ''Concert Pour Un Vieux Masque'', LP, Philips, 1968 * ''Savannah Georgia'', LP, Fiesta Records, 1975 * ''Guitare D'Une Autre Rime'', LP, Ozileka, 1975 * ''La Condition Masculine'', LP, Ozileka, 1976 * ''Fleur Tropicale'', LP, Ozileka, 1976 * ''Je Vous Aime Zaime Zaime'', LP, Ozileka, 1977 * ''Ballades Africaines'', LP, Ozileka, 1978 * ''Priere Aux Masques''. LP, Ozileka, 1979 * ''Un Petit Ivoirien'', LP, Ozileka, 1979 * ''Afrikanischer Frühling'', LP, Marifon, 1980 * ''Haïti - Guitar Music Trio'', LP, Ozileka, 1981 * ''Bia So Nika'', LP, Ozileka, 1981 * ''Africa Sanza'', Ozileka, 1982 * ''New Track'', Ozileka, 1982 * ''Pygmy Love Song'', LP, Editions Makossa, 1982 * ''Super Bebey - Vingt Plages Ensoleillées'', 2xLP, Ozileka, 1983 * ''Sanza Nocturne'', Ozileka, 1984 * ''Akwaaba: Music For Sanza'', Original Music, 1984 * ''Le Solo De Bruxelles'', LP, Ozileka, 1985 * ''Heavy Ghetto, Anti Apartheid Makossa'', LP, Ozileka, 1985 * ''Si Les Gaulois Avaient Su!'', LP, Blue Silver, 1986 * ''Baobab'', LP, Volume, 1988 * ''African Woman'', LP, Volume, 1988 * ''World Music Guitar'', CD, Ozileka, 1992 * ''Sourire De Lune'', CD, Ozileka, 1996

Compilations

* ''Rire Africain'', Ozileka, 1981 * ''Nadolo / With Love - Francis Bebey Works: 1963-1994'', CD, Original Music, 1995 * ''African Electronic Music 1975-1982'', LP/CD, Born Bad Records, 2011 * ''Psychedelic Sanza 1982-1984'', LP/CD, Born Bad Records, 2014 * ''La Condition Masculine'', CD, Sonodisc

Bibliography

Works by Bebey

* ''La Radiodiffusion en Afrique noire'', 1963 (English translation: ''Broadcasting in Black Africa'') * ''Le Fils d'Agatha Moudio'', 1967 (English translation: ''Agatha Moudio's Son'') * ''Embarras de Cie: nouvelles et poèmes'', 1968 * ''Trois petits cireurs'', 1972 (English translation: ''Three Little Shoeshine Boys'') * ''La Poupée Ashanti'', 1973 (English translation: ''The Ashanti Doll'') * ''Le Roi Albert d'Effidi'', 1976 (English translation: ''King Albert'') * ''Musique de l'Afrique'', 1969 (English translation: ''African Music: A People's Art'') * ''Le Ministre et le griot'', 1992 (English translation: ''The Minister and the Griot'') * ''L'Enfant pluie'', 1994 (English translation: ''Rain Child'')

Notes

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bebey, Francis 1929 births 2001 deaths People from Douala Cameroonian artists Cameroonian guitarists Cameroonian male writers People of French Equatorial Africa University of Paris alumni 20th-century Cameroonian sculptors Cameroonian expatriates in France