The “Voice of Cameroon” Chinese Song Competition

The "Voice of Cameroon" Chinese song competition has been successfully held for seven times since it first took place in 2014. This competition not only provides a stage for Cameroonian music lovers to show their musical talents, but also makes more and more Cameroonian people feel the richness and depth of the Chinese language and the unique charm of Chinese music.

The Chinese song competition of "Voice of Cameroon" consists of two stages: the preliminary competition and the final competition. The preliminary competition was held in Yaoundé, Douala and Maroua at the same time, and the outstanding players selected from the three competition areas finally competed in Yaoundé. The contestants included college students, middle school students and members of the social public. The songs in the competition covered Chinese folk music and pop music. On the stage, the contestants displayed their outstanding singing skills and stage expressiveness, conveying passion and dreams through singing.

Da Cheng (Chinese name), the champion of the third "Voice of Cameroon" Chinese Song Competition, singing Dear Child

The audience cheering for the contestants

Ngo Bayiha Bertilie Karell, whose Chinese name is Bai Ya, has participated in the Chinese song competition of the "Voice of Cameroon" twice and won the championship in the fifth competition. She described her feelings when singing Chinese songs as "learning Chinese happily by singing". Bai Ya said: "I must understand the meaning of every sentence in the lyrics in order to deepen my understanding of the songs. Singing not only helps me learn new words, but also helps improve my Chinese pronunciation."

Ngo Bayiha Bertilie Karell, the champion of the 5th "Voice of Cameroon" Chinese Song Competition, singing Dawn

Before each competition, international Chinese language teachers give systematic instructions to contestants in terms of dress, stage presence and singing skills. Liu Quan, Ngo Bayiha Bertilie Karell’s training teacher, mentioned that when helping the contestants prepare for the competition, he first selected songs that fit their characteristics and advantages; the second step was to have them read the lyrics sentence by sentence and correct their pronunciation word by word; the third step was to explain and analyze the meaning of lyrics for the contestants in order to cultivate their language sense and help them understand the emotions conveyed in the songs; the fourth step was to require the contestants to follow the music and practice repeatedly, optimize all details, and familiarize themselves with the rhythm and singing speed.

In a form that appeals to the local residents in Cameroon, the "Voice of Cameroon" Chinese song competition provides a stage for Cameroonian students and local people who are talented in singing and dancing to show themselves off. At the same time, it also allows them to learn Chinese through the authentic immersion into Chinese music, appreciate the beauty of Chinese music, and perceive and understand Chinese culture in the course of singing.