Singer Charlotte Dipanda was removed from the programme of a Canal d'Or awards gala sponsored by First Lady Chantal Biya, and unnamed sources say the presidency refused her presence because of political remarks she made in past years.
The claim that the presidency ordered the cancellation rests on unnamed sources and has not been confirmed by the presidency or by the event's organisers. The stated reason for the refusal has not been made public.
Dipanda said in a past interview that development would not be possible without a change of power, and that she had known only President Paul Biya as head of state. "As long as there is no alternation, there is no truly possible development," she said in that interview.
Journalist Annie Payep criticised those who reproached the singer for accepting the invitation. "You reproach this artist, one of our sure values, for having agreed to perform at Canal d'Or on the pretext that she had given an opinion on a political question?" she wrote. "Why do you absolutely want to lock artists up?"
The dispute turns on whether a performer's political opinions can bar her from a private cultural event sponsored by the first lady, and neither the presidency nor the organisers have publicly addressed that question.