This speculation comes from a 1983 movie entitled “Places on the train” where Eddy Murphy plays the role of a Nanga Eboko. In one of the exchanges in the movie, a character in an absolutely hilarious disguise, comes along in the train: “Nanga! Nanga Eboko! he says. You remember me? It’s Lionel…” And from this the idea that Murphy is from the Central region was spun, and this, even though the interested party himself rather claimed to be from the Western region, precisely Bamena.
Indeed, after submitting his long-dead African origins to the scanner of the Ancestry Reconnection Programme (initiated by American company African Ancestry in partnership with the association Ark Jammers, Ed.), Eddy Murphy declared that he was Bamena through his ancestors.
This special DNA test enabled the “Beverly Hills Cop” (1984) to retrace his family lineage fragmented by the slave trade (which lasted over 4 centuries; between the 15th and 19th centuries). Even though his long-gone forefathers were from here and that the Bamena renamed him “Eddy Ndjoukoue Murphy”, the famous comedian still remains an American citizen through and through. He was born in New York, grew up there and works in the very closed world of Hollywood. However, there are many in the USA, who after finding out their origins in Cameroon, claim to be “Camericans”.
According to the website of the association Ark Jammers, about one hundred “Camericans” have already walked through the former slave port of Bimbia. Tears and trance are often par for the course. Apart from Eddy Murphy, we can note a slew of famous “Camericans”; most of Tikar Afro-heritage (North-West). These are among others Condoleeza Rice, Chris Rock, Anthony Anderson and the well-known producer Spike Lee who received his “Camerican” certificate in May 2013.
Monique Ngo Mayag
Exrait du film
