No harm done; ultimately, it is the well-known Charlotte Dipanda and (the unknown) Richard Kings who worked on the official anthem called “Homage to women football players” (Hommage aux footballeuses).
The announcement was made this past 5 August in Yaoundé, by the AfCON Organisation Committee (Cocan). But to be honest, the authors of the official anthem for this competition are numerous as the members of the team who validated it.
It is important to note that (Cocan insists on this, no-one knows why) the Opéra Garnier of Paris provides instrumentations for “Hommage aux footballeuses”. As soon as they became aware of this, some famous Cameroonian singers, such as jazzman Jay Lou Ava, expressed their indignation. “What! With all the musicians in Cameroon why go so far?” Here we are slightly paraphrasing his ire. But however unpleasant it might seem to Manu Dibango, the official anthem of the Cameroonian women’s cup of Nations benefited from the touch of the Director of the Opéra Garnier himself, Nicolat Bodinot! This is no small feat for Joseph Eloundou Atangana, Coordinator of the juries for the selection of the AfCON’s logo, mascot and anthem.
And to convince the most skeptical, we learned that Martinique’s Thierry Vaton, Director Arranger of the Opéra Garnier also added his personal touch to this “Hommage aux footballeuses”. And that is far from the end. Cameroonian Guy Nsangue Akwa, (favourite arranger of Charlotte Dipanda, Ed.) and not least Orchestra Director at the Opéra Garnier was also part of the team. And if all those big names are not enough to settle your doubts, known that “the official anthem of the 2016 African Women’s Cup of Nations, which is approximately 5 min long, is a song of reference having as principal arranger and Orchestra leader the President of the Republic H.E. Paul Biya”. Indeed, the approval of the Confederation of African Football and above all the Head of the Cameroonian State (who is apparently very knowledgeable music-wise), was necessary to validate “Hommage aux footballeuses”. And to the naysayers who say this song is “better at putting you to sleep than making you dance”, be aware that the video is ready. On your marks…