American-Cameroonian singer Libianca Fonji popularly known as Libianca, is a true example of “Never forget where you come from“.
Since the release of Libianca’s chart-topping single “People” in 2023, the singer’s life has undergone a dramatic transformation. Not only did the single capture the hearts of fans, but it also achieved unprecedented success for a debut artist.
As of the time of this publication, the single has garnered an impressive 289 million views on YouTube and boasts over 8 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Despite having her music career, like recording and releasing projects as well as touring the world, one thing she has held unapologetically, is her roots.
Libianca is not only proud to be Cameroonian, she’s unapologetically “Bamenda” and being a town in her father’s home country where she also lived at some point in her life, the town has been affected by a political crisis spanning seven years.
While numerous artists have shied away from engaging in political matters, Libianca has boldly refused to remain silent. Instead, she has utilized her platforms to raise awareness about these issues.
The ongoing political crisis, which has resulted in the loss of over 6,000 lives since its inception in 2016, has primarily impacted the two Anglophone regions of the country, namely the Northwest and Southwest regions.
Since the beginning of 2024, Libianca has refused to stay quiet about these ills, and has gone as far as recording a song to call out the perpetrators of this unending crisis.
Since the beginning of 2024, Libianca has steadfastly refused to remain silent about these injustices. She has taken steps, including recording a song, to denounce those responsible for perpetuating this ongoing crisis.
She has pledged to donate all proceeds from the songs addressing the crisis to organizations in Cameroon, aimed at providing assistance to the affected population.
Libianca has not only been recording political verses to address these issues but has also taken significant actions. She even postponed her North American tour due to numerous threats from separatist fighters. She revealed that her management email received over 50 threats.
According to the singer, these unknown individuals threatened to harm her if she returned to Cameroon. These threats surfaced immediately after her performance in Australia, where she proudly displayed a Cameroonian flag on stage.
The separatists perceived her actions as supportive of Paul Biya’s regime, although this was not the case. In fact, she recorded a freestyle posted on TikTok, calling on President Paul Biya to release “her” people.
It’s therefore clear that Libianca loves Cameroon and not the leaders ruling the country and adding her voice to the ongoing feud could go a long way to inspire Cameroonian youths to get involved in the voting process, come the 2025 presidential elections.
Not many artists who are in the spotlight can be bold enough to add their voices to political issues regardless of which country they’re based in, however Libianca has distinguished herself, not being compelled by anyone else, but by her desire to see her people set free from enslavement.
Recently, the singer unveiled her debut EP titled “Walk Away” but has not received any significant nominations for it. Despite this, she appears unfazed as her career continues to thrive. Currently, her focus lies on what truly matters to her: lending her voice to the chorus calling for an end to the Anglophone crisis. Amidst the “noise”, Libianca opts to be the guiding voice.
