Catching Up With Roland

{ Posted on Oct 28 2008 by Bill Zimmerman }
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Categories : Off the beaten path

On Saturday I went down to Batoké to chat with Roland Boula about the events that had transpired over the last 72 hours. We sat and discussed in the shade while my roomies, Brian and our Cameroonian pals hit the beach. He told me that “the days had been short and the nights so long” since I broke the news to him about his online exposure. He also said that he’d chosen the opening music to his podcast, was working out the programming for his debut and proposed the title, “The Blues Anthology” for the show.

While we talked, I convinced him to bring out his turntable and vinyl collection for some photos. Here they are.

DSCN0251 DSCN0235 DSCN0226 DSCN0215 DSCN0227

And for those that may be wondering, the answer is, “yes- that’s an upright piano” in the first photo. The tropical climate isn’t exactly kind to pianos so it’s terribly out-of-tune, and finding a qualified tuner in Cameroon isn’t an easy task. Even so, Roland is learning to play it.

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2 Responses to “Catching Up With Roland”

  1. By BamendaBabe on Oct 29, 2008 | Reply
    Would you be so kind as to pass this along to your friend? I suspect he is quite fluent in English and Pidgin, but upon listening to your interview and learning that he is from the Francophone part of Cameroon, I thought I would send him a short letter in French. Please tell him to forgive any of my errors, as my French is rusty. Say “hello” to him and tell him that his fans at our household look forward to his podcast. ;)
    ~ ~ ~

    Attn:
    Une Lettre Pour Monsieur Roland Boula

    Salut Roland!

    Bonjour. J’espère que tout va bien avec vous. J’ai entendu les nouvelles de vous sur le blog de votre ami Américain qui habite à Buea. J’espère que c’est une semaine excitante pour vous.

    Je suis Camerounaise et je suis une fille de Bamenda, mais j’habite à Sacramento maintenant. C’est avec plaisir que je vous écris cette lettre. Je m’excuse si mon Français n’est pas bon.

    Je vous écris ces mots seulement pour dire que j’attends avec patience un petit peu de votre collection de musique de Blues. Je vous dis merci pour travailler avec votre ami, Monsieur Zimmerman, et nous permettre de partager dans votre passion pour la musique.

    Dites à votre ami Américain qu’il doit continuer à faire le bon travail qu’il fait au Cameroun et nous garder informés par son blog. Merci de nouveau.

    Très amicalement,
    BamendaBabe

  2. By billz on Oct 29, 2008 | Reply
    BB- I’ve already cut and pasted this into a document for printing. I’ll hand-deliver it to Roland and extend your greetings when I see him this weekend. He’ll appreciate it greatly, no doubt.

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