When I was six years old, my dad, Daniel Kanjo Musa, of blessed memory, embarked on a hobby which raised a lot of dust in our community. This was sometime in 1973 and exactly four years after dad had graduated from the University of Ife in Western Nigeria with a B.Sc. in Social Sciences with Honours in Political Science. Upon Graduation, he resumed functions in the then West Cameroon Dept. of Education. He served as Education Officer for Nkambe Division (now Donga Mantung Division) and Secretary of Council Schools before being appointed Sub-Divisional Officer for Jakiri Sub-Division in 1972. It was in Jakiri, in Cameroon's North West Province, that, while holding that top administrative position (Head of Administrative District), dad embarked on wood carving as a hobby. In Cameroon, most wood carvers are not highly educated. It was therefore no surprise to him that his new hobby astonished a lot of people, most with mixed feelings, taking into account his top administrative position. Most of his friends could not understand why dad should embark on such a hobby which was only good for villagers or school drop outs according to them.

Dad was born in 1930 and hailed from Nso', Bui Division, in the North West Province of Carneroon. Nso' is part of the Western Grassfields. The Western Grassfields is made up of both the North West and West Provinces. Although Nso' is highly regarded in the region for its rich cultural heritage, Nso' is not known to have produced great sculptural pieces nor great wood sculptors as is the case with some of the tribes of the Western Grassfields. Prominent among these are the carvers of Oku (near Nso'), Kom, Babanki and Bafut in the North West Province as well the Bamum and Bamileke of the West Province. Works of art from these places can be found in European and American museums today.

One major reason why Nso' art (Wood Carving) was not popular is that in Nso' the art was practiced in secrecy. Works of sculpture were commissioned by the Fon (Paramount ruler) of the Nso' people. The carvers of Nso', apart from making palace items such as the royal bed and stool, palace door posts and window frames etc., were fond of carving miniature human figures which were used for sorcery. In Nso' very few carvers existed and it was a privilege to be born into such a family. This was so since only members of such families had the opportunity to learn the art from their relative carver.

Dad did not come from a family lineage related to a carver and when he took up wood carving tools on a certain afternoon, it astonished many of his friends, family members and the entire Jakiri population where he was serving as the area's top administrator. Sarcastic remarks were made to dissuade him from continuing with his new hobby, but being serious about becoming a part-time carver, he turned a deaf ear to all the noise about it. Coming from the Western Grassfields, a region rich in artistic culture, dad's inborn talent began to be manifested. His first attempt, which took him six months to complete and an additional six months to have it completely beaded, remains a treasure of the gallery.

John, Peter, George and Solomon, sons of the Musa family carefully watched dad as he shaped wood into sculptural places. Very impressed with dad's finished works and how he spent his leisure lime, they all took up wood carving chisels one after the other and also embarked on wood carving especially during holidays. Gladys, one of the family's two daughters, also took up wood carving tools in 1978, did about two items and was stopped by dad with the excuse that in Nso' women do not engage in wood carving. The family's artistic talent was further developed by mum, Mrs Pauline Musa, who, apart from her demanding role of taking care of the home end children, could be also found at the workshop encouraging her busy husband and children, helping to sandpaper the items. stringing beads for future use as well as serving food to her busy husband and children. Unfortunately, the family lost Solomon at the age of 16 in 1985 and John at the age of 39 in 1996.

It was dad's greatest wish to open an art gallery to contain his works and those of his children in Kumbo town which is Nso's chief town and the seat of his Majesty, the Fon of Nso'. Kumbo Town, with a population of over 70,000, is the second biggest town in Cameroon's North West Province.

However, Dad's ambition was not realised as death snatched him on the afternoon of the 21st of March 1995. By then he had already laid a solid foundation for the gallery with over 300 artefacts made between 1973 and 1987. He also built the house that now houses the gallery named in his memory. Dad also wrote a book titled Nso' Traditional Sculpture just recently published and obtainable from the gallery.

Daniel Kanjo definitely did a great job to put Nso' on the rich artistic map of the Western Grassfields and ,upon his death, the Musa family decided to continue the fine work he pioneered by setting up the Musa Heritage Gallery (Musa'Art Gallery) under the directorship of Peter Mangong Musa. Mrs Pauline Musa is patroness of the gallery. The mission of the gallery is as follows:-

• To promote the works of art by members of the Musa family through Education Preservation and Exhibition.
• To encourage research on the sculptures and their works.
• To produce printed and audio/visual materials on the gallery, the sculptors and their works.
• To encourage offspring of the Musa family to engage in arts and crafts especially wood carving.
• To bring innovation into the family's artistic heritage thereby moving In pace with the challenges of the 21st century which is at hand.
• To co-operate with similar organisations in Cameroon and abroad.

The doors of the gallery, which will boost tourism in Nso', were opened to the public on Monday the 18th of December, 1996. The Musa family invites you to visit Cameroon and discover what the gallery has on display.