Music Action Diffusion (MAD)
MAD is a non profit organization founded in Yaounde-Cameroon.
It's prime objective is to assist youths in Cameroon in helping them to understand music, in getting to know the music world and in giving them the opportunity to learn with professional assistance in the background.
Taking music - as one of the most popular art forms - and the teaching of music into daily life and some school and college programs, MAD wants to help getting some children from roaming the streets into normal life.
Therefore MAD wants to get in touch with international institutions, schools, organizations and foundations that can assist the realization of this project. It wants to support the insertion of young and talented musicians into famous music institution and help getting contacts that can be beneficial for their future.
Motivation
In every social project there are initiators and pacesetters. At this point we have got to present the commendable idea and the will to go ahead. I want to set an example that is to be emulated by the future generations of youths in the country.
The inspiration for this project comes from my personal experience back when I was a young musician in Cameroon aspiring for a better future and the difficulties that I went through: lack of respect and understanding, inappropriate academic understanding of music.
Every time I wanted to enter a European conservatory I was asked to show proof of my academic certificates. The lack of certificates kept making things difficult for me until I had the chance to convince a trumpet professor in a German conservatory of music to listen to a tape of mine rather than to ask for certificates and diplomas.
This is how I succeeded to enter the conservatory of music in Cologne with a DAAD scholarship and this tape kept opening a lot of doors and opportunities for me such as the Berkeley School of Music BEST scholarship, a place at the Royal Conservatory in the Netherlands, a scholarship at the Longy School of Music in Boston, a place in the Europe-Africa Jazz Orchestra and many more opportunities I spare you here.
That was a great recognition of my natural skills and talent and the work done as an autodidact. I am to a great extent convinced that there are many other youths like me, who will never get the chance I had. They should be given some basic facilities at home, in Cameroon, to facilitate their growth and preparatory phase in the western conservatories over the world though books and a lot of other material are not available yet.
Our vanguard position gives us the responsibility to create better prospects for the younger generation.
Moreover music and musicians as a whole are not yet understood and duly considered despite the enormous cultural heritage of the country coupled with the linguistic and human diversity. We still have a long way to go in the cultural modernization of our society. Our contribution at this point is music.
It is a truism that adults who attended music inclined schools have a different approach to music and musicians as a whole. They can buy records, go to concerts of various genres and put up logical criticism of music. These are essential elements for the approach to music and musicians.
Function
Youths are the most sensible part of any society. The future of a country can be formed by the influence they can exercise on their parents. Through the medium of music youths will have free access to modern musical equipment that will help stimulating the natural talent in them: music clubs at schools, colleges and universities will be taking active part in the yearly festivities. There has always been particular attention despite the limited means, which I experienced from the time when I was president of the music club in my high school.
The MAD will also have a great international scope of action, which evolves around the contacts I have with famous musicians, professors and friends I meet during my stay in Europe and elsewhere. We intend to organize concerts, lessons and workshops with international musicians and a nationwide musical crusade that will culminate on the International Music Day on the 21st of June every year.
This musical crusade will take place at the beginning of June every year with potential musicians. National as well as international musicians will give and coordinate lessons, master classes and concerts at various places and in different towns of the country. These concerts will be pacesetters and good examples for the aspiring musicians.
Structure and implementation
The MAD should be made up of an artistic director with a locally based musician crew, a road manager and coordinator, and a secretary with a running secretariat. For our implementation we need an operating venue and offices equipped with appropriate secretariat facilities.
The center will comprise a music hall with amplified equipment and a set of instruments for the performance of live concerts and workshops which can be put at the disposal of schools and universities. There should be a mediatheque with an archive of CDs and cassettes: a collection of possibly all musical genres of the world. A library with music books, magazines and stuff that can serve as reference towards enlightenment.
Our official partners for the beginning are the Ministry of Culture of Cameroon, the Ministry of National Education and the International Music Council.
We are expecting the collaboration of the various foreign cultural centers in Cameroon, the IFPC-UNESCO and a list of private sponsor and partners to be able to raise funds and equipment necessary to make this unique project reality.
You can support us by (new & used):
Any donation and support are helping the concretisation of the Project will be very welcome
Contact: Terrence Ngassa
Berrenrather Strasse 348
D-50937 Cologne, Germany
Tel. / Fax: 0049-221-1399127
Mobile: 0049-162-8109777
ngassat@yahoo.fr www.ngassa.org
