Visionary Reports

On Friday December 12,2025 in Douala, the air was thick with reflection and challenge. At a Bonapriso restaurant conference room, makossa legend Charly Nelle, after a period of intense online scrutiny, chose to break his silence with a heartfelt address: “My Share of the Truth.”The artist, a veteran of the Cameroonian music scene for nearly four decades, used the occasion to launch his new single, “Ikon.” Meaning “Jealousy” in English, this Duala-language track is both a bitter acknowledgment of pain and a liberating message. Nelle, who first gained public recognition with the 1985 EP “Makossa” and boasts a discography of some fifteen albums, is confronting the toxicity that has marked his 2024.However,the relentless attacks on social media have clearly left their mark. “I loved my brothers, but the reaction was catastrophic,” Charly Nelle stated, his voice thick with palpable disappointment. While he dismisses these accusations as “a fly bite on an elephant,” the experience served as a painful turning point.Today, Nelle reveals he was “inspired by God” to compose “Ikon,” a track that skillfully blends Cameroonian rumba with the authentic Sawa rhythm of ambass-bey. “We’re tearing each other apart like crabs in a basket,” he declared during the listening session.His appeal is aimed particularly at the Sawa community. “I don’t know why we’re killing each other when we have so much to offer,” he lamented, posing a disturbing question: If jealousy triumphs, what will his detractors truly gain after his departure?

His elder sister and producer, Éléonore Mandengue, visibly moved, testified to the divine strength that sustained her brother during this ordeal. “He got back on his feet,” she simply stated.Moreover, Charly Nelle has made a clear decision: he walks alone, far from his “enemies.” Yet, his essential fight remains a musical one. A staunch defender of makossa, he dreams of seeing this Cameroonian heritage regain its former glory.”We won’t achieve that by playing highlife or copying others. We have a unique style that we must bring to the forefront,” he insisted.The single “Ikon,”is available on all platforms and in physical format (USB and CD), heralds an upcoming album. As for the release date? “Giving you a date would be a lie. We need to prepare properly,” concluded the cautious artist, who continues to make people dance far beyond Cameroon’s borders.

By Henry Wana