Francis Bebey

Cameroonian writer and composer

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Francis Bebey (born July 15, 1929, Douala, Cameroon—died May 28, 2001, Paris, France) was a Cameroonian-born writer, guitarist, and composer, one of the best-known singer-songwriters of Africa. He is sometimes called the father of world music.

Bebey began performing with a band while a teenager in Cameroon. In the mid-1950s he traveled to Paris to study at the Sorbonne, and during this time he was influenced by classical guitarist Andrés Segovia. After attending New York University, Bebey in 1960 settled in Paris, where he worked on several radio stations and was later hired by UNESCO to research and document traditional African music. Bebey continued composing his own music, gaining notice for his poetic lyrics and expressive voice. By 1967 he had made several recordings and had performed in New York City and Paris as well as in Africa. Highly experimental, Beby often incorporated Latin American, Western, and African sounds into his music. His numerous recordings include Akwaaba (1985), Amaya (1987), and Dibiye (1998).

Bebey was also a noted writer, and his first novel, Le Fils d’Agatha Moudio (Agatha Moudio’s Son, 1971), was published in 1967. Critics found the work a carefully constructed masterpiece of burlesque, and it won the Grand Prix Littéraire de l’Afrique Noire. The following year Embarras et Cie: nouvelles et poèmes (nine short stories, each accompanied by a poem) was published. Bebey claimed that his wide experience as a radio broadcaster affected the style of his stories, which he directed toward hearers rather than readers. His later works include La Poupée Ashanti (1973; The Ashanti Doll) and Le Roi Albert d’Effidi (1973; King Albert). Bebey also wrote a book on broadcasting in Africa and two books on African music, notably African Music: A People’s Art (1975, reprinted 1992).