Anne-Marie Nzié
The golden voice of Cameroon, queen mother of bikutsi
Born in 1932 · Died in 2016
Who are they?
A singer born in 1932 in Lolodorf. She began with jazz, Congolese rumba and biguine in the 1950s before turning to bikutsi and ngouba, across a career spanning fifty-five years.
What made them famous
The first Cameroonian woman to play guitar on stage, she signed with Pathé Marconi in 1958 and performed at the Olympia in Paris. Known as "the golden voice of Cameroon", she inspired several generations of musicians across the continent.
Key facts
- Made a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur, the second Cameroonian artist so honoured after Manu Dibango.
- She is regarded as the queen mother of bikutsi.
- In 2008 Cameroon devoted a week of ceremonies to her sixty-year career.