Accueil » Culture » RFI Discovery Awards 2025: Joyce Babatunde in search of a coronation for Cameroon, 28 years after Sally Nyolo’s victory

RFI Discovery Awards 2025: Joyce Babatunde in search of a coronation for Cameroon, 28 years after Sally Nyolo’s victory

par Theophile
Joyce Babatunde

Cameroonian Joyce Babatunde is among the 10 finalists of the highly coveted RFI Discovery Awards 2025, whose winner will be revealed on February 18. This distinction, which highlights the musical talents of the African continent, selected the artist after several rigorous selection phases that began since the call for applications closed on November 20.

On her Facebook page, Joyce Babatunde expressed her gratitude in these terms: “It is a real honor to have been selected to represent Cameroon in the big league. This time at the Discovery Awards RFI. Thank you very much. This is a nod to those who choose authenticity in this imitative world (…) Never forget that the world needs the real you.” She also invited her fans to support her by voting massively for her, hoping to bring this award “home”.

Aged 35, Joyce Babatunde saw her musical career take a major turn in 2023 with the release of her first album Kwacoco Bible. This opus, which mixes love, encounters and social commitment, is an ode to Cameroonian culture, while addressing sensitive themes such as violence in the English-speaking zone where she is from, as well as corruption. Trained at the Bastos Musical Laboratory, a renowned artistic center in Yaoundé, the singer became known during the young talent competition organized by the Goethe Institut of Yaoundé in 2018.

If Joyce Babatunde were to win the RFI Discovery Awards 2025, it would mark a great victory for Cameroon, 28 years after the country’s last coronation. Indeed, Cameroon’s last victory dates back to 1997 with Sally Nyolo, after Coco Mbassi in 1996. Since then, despite the many attempts by young Cameroonian talents, victory has always eluded the country. Several Cameroonian artists have come close to winning the title, such as rapper Koppo in 2010, Danielle Eog in 2013, Krotal in 2014 and Sanzy Viany in 2015. In 2009, Kareyce Fotso was very close to the top, but the jury finally crowned Senegalese Naby.

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Since its creation in 1981, the RFI Discovery Awards has allowed many artists to make a name for themselves on the international scene. Among the winners who have marked the history of the competition, we can cite emblematic figures such as Tiken Jah Fakoly (Ivory Coast), Amadou and Mariam (Mali) and Rokia Traoré (Mali). The 2023 edition saw the victory of Congolese singer Jessy B (Congo), and it is now Joyce Babatunde’s turn to try her luck at winning the trophy. The jury for this edition is chaired by Angélique Kidjo, one of the greatest voices in African music, and is made up of professionals from the music sector. In addition to the honorary title, the winner receives a prize of 10,000 euros (a little over 6.5 million FCFA), a tour of Africa and a concert in Paris (France).

SBBC

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