The pupils and teachers of the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) Nursery School Kumbo paid a visit to the Musa Heritage Gallery on the 25 May 2001. The forty pupils and two teachers were conducted into the five rooms that make up the museum by Mrs. Pauline Musa the museum's patroness and Peter Musa its director. At the museum's information desk and souvenir shop, the director and the pupils participated in an exercise aimed at arousing a liking in the pupils for arts and crafts works. Wall decorations and utensils were showed to the kids by the director. Peter who wanted each of the kids to participate usually picked up an object from the shelves and counter in the souvenir shop also used as the information desk of the museum and the pupils were asked to identify the object by calling its name. The kids were asked to tell the material used for making the object, if they did not know the name or the material used the director took time and explained. It was an exciting exercise for the kids as well as the teachers and museum staff. One the two teachers who arranged for the visit, Mrs Tangwa Pauline said "This place has made me to remember the life, I had lived before. The museum is an education centre for all people, old and young."

Musa Heritage Gallery believes that if young people are introduced to arts and crafts, it will help to make this sector flourish, not only today but equally in the future. The sector could also create a lot of employment opportunities for many Cameroonians but for this to happen our kids should be introduced to arts and crafts.

In a related event the museum's director, Peter Musa presented two colourful story books to two outstanding kids in Nursery One and Two of Kid's Nursery School Tobin on the occasion of activities marking the end of the 2000/2001 academic year. Twenty one other colourful story books were presented by Peter Musa to His Royal Highness Fon Nformi Nfor I, Fon of Ndu for use by the children of his royal highness on the 7 August 2001. These publications are meant to cultivate a reading culture amongst the kids and a liking for arts through drawing, colouring and painting.

The Musa Heritage Gallery is very grateful to the Book Department of Pro Helvetia (The Arts Council of Switzerland) who generously donated the children's books.

Musa Heritage Gallery was represented at the 19th International Association of Music Libraries (IAML) Congress and IAML 50th Anniversary Celebrations that held in Perigueux, France as from the 8 to the 13 July 2001 by its director, Peter Musa.

350 participants from 41 countries from across the globe turned up for this significant event, the first in the 21st century! Peter Musa was the only participant from black Africa. Other African participants were Majid Bekkas from Conservatoire National de Musique et de Danse, Rabat, Morocco; Hatem Touil from Centres des Etudes Arabes et Mediterraneennes, Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia; Jolena and Daniel Geldenhuys from University of South Africa, Pretoria. Peter was guest of the French branch of IAML and was a recipient of a French Foreign Office grant that enabled him to travel to Perigueux, France for the congress.

Musa Heritage Gallery is an institutional member of the IAML and was granted IAML membership in 1999 by IAML past president, Pamela Thompson of the U.K. The Musa Heritage Gallery plans to set-up a Music Information Centre in Bamenda, Cameroon. (see write-up on the Music Information Centre below).

Musa Heritage Gallery is very grateful to both the French branch of the IAML and the French Foreign Office for making the participation of its director at the Perigueux 2001 Congress possible.

Cameroon is a cultural paradise and is located in a central position within the continent of Africa. Fondly referred to as "Africa in Miniature" this country is blessed with people from over 200 ethnic groups. Each of these ethnic groups has a musical heritage. While some of Cameroon's peoples are at the verge of loosing their cultural identities and values including rich and diverse folk music influenced by Western life-styles, rural exodus and more recently globalisation, especially with the introduction of new electronic media and communication devices, others still firmly adhere to their roots.

Cameroon is also very rich in the area of contemporary music. There is a vast variety such as Makossa and Assiko from the country's coastal or Sawa region. Njang, Bottle Dance, Bend-skin and Mangambo from the Western Grassfields while Bikutsi comes from the Centre and South Provinces. Hausa and Fulani Musicians from the northern provinces are also contributing to the country's music industry.

Musa Heritage Gallery at the Fore-Front of Establishing a Music Information Centre for Cameroon

The institution went operational on the 18th December 1996 in memory of Cameroonian artist Daniel and son, John Musa. Initially, it was created as a living edifice exhibiting works by the two departed artists. In September 1997, the Musa Heritage Gallery decided to expand its collection to cover the arts and crafts of the Western Grassfields of Cameroon. Today, the museum has a diverse collection of over 400 objects done mainly during the last three decades of the just ended Twentieth Century and continues to acquire contemporary Cameroonian art.

Realising how important preserving Cameroon's folk and contemporary music was, and making available a range music resources to a public and a country which has produced African music such Francis Bebey who passed away two months ago, Manu Dibango widely known in Europe and Wes Madiko based in the United States, Musa Heritage Gallery in 1999 contacted the out- going IAML President Pamela Thompson of U.K. who granted the institution IAML membership. Thanks to the IAML French branch Musa Heritage Gallery is participating in this 19th IAML congress in Perigueux 8th to 13th July 2001. It is also a great honour for our institution to join the IAML family in reflecting at the past fifty years, acknowledging our shortcomings and examining ways of redressing errors of the past while appreciating our achievements in the music documentation field and positively working out strategies that will guide our work in the 21st century.

After Perigueux it is the hope of Musa Heritage Gallery that IAML as well as some of its members and national branches shall join hands with our institution so that a Bilingual (English and French) Music Information Centre can be set-up in Bamenda, Cameroon.

For the project Musa Heritage Gallery has a family house which can be transformed into office accommodation. The building has a sitting room, four bedrooms, two toilets and a kitchen and store. However, renovation work is required on the building as well as fencing for security.

Furnishing with tables, shelves, cabinets and chairs as well as office equipment such as a computer, printer, scanner, photocopier and fax are also required. Donations of all sort of music materials, equipment and documentation will mean a quick start off for the centre.

Volunteers would also be needed from IAML national branches to come and set-up the music documentation centre and its day-to-day running so as to give on-the-spot training to the centre's personnel.

The Musa Heritage Gallery invites you to join them in whatever way you deem appropriate to get the Music Information Centre functional as soon as possible.

It was a great joy for Peter, George and Nyuyki Musa as well as Dikanjo Daniel Quan when they met each other in Paris at the Charles de Gaule Airport in the early hours of Friday 13 July 2001. George, Nyuyki and Daniel had travelled the long way from Stuttgart, Germany in order to meet Peter who was returning to Douala, Cameroon from the International Association of Music Libraries (IAML) Congress which took place in Perigueux, 450 kms south of Paris. The venue was Peter's hotel room at Le Cocoon. It was such a great pleasure for Peter, George and Daniel as they were meeting each other almost after six years.

Peter briefed the three men from Stuttgart on the Perigueux Congress and on developments at the Musa Heritage Gallery. He talked about the museum; the museum's website being updated; the planned arts, culture and development information centre as well as the music information centre for Cameroon. The three men were highly impressed with Peter's enthusiasm and called on him not to relent his efforts. They told him to count on them whenever their support was needed.

It is worth noting that George and Nyuyki Musa are members of the Musa Heritage Gallery and live in Stuttgart, Germany. Daniel who also lives in Stuttgart has been a close friend of George from childhood. Due to their love and friendship for each other Peter was really very excited to also meet Daniel "who is more than a brother to us," commented Peter.

The Musa Heritage Gallery Information Bulletin is published when necessary in the opinion of the Museum. The Bulletin is published in English and reports on the activities of the Musa Heritage Gallery. The Bulletin will also seek to promote the arts and crafts of the Cameroon Grassfields.