A Kenyan court on Friday overturned a ban on Wanuri Kahiu’s “Rafiki” – though for seven days only – allowing the film about a lesbian romance to be considered for the Academy Awards.

Kahiu brought the court action after the Kenya Film Classification Board banned Rafiki for “promoting lesbianism”, effectively barring it from the Oscars competition.

Judge Wlfrida Okwany ruled that Rafiki could now be shown to “willing adults only” for seven days, a minimum requirement for submitting feature films for the Academy Awards.

Okwany said that to maintain the ban would deprive Kahiu of “the fame, glory, exposure and opportunity that the Oscar nomination brings a film maker.

“The matter is not for determination on whether homosexuality is right or wrong, moral or immoral, but whether an artist or filmmaker can, in exercising his or her right to freedom of expression and artistic creativity, make a film depicting a gay theme.”

Rafiki made history this year by becoming the first Kenyan movie to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival. It featured in the “Un Certain Regard” category, earmarked for emerging directors or unexpected or marginal themes.

Kahiu now wants her film to have a shot at the Oscars in February. However, the award rules state that a film must “be first publicly exhibited for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theatre for the profit of the producer and exhibitor” to enter the competition.

With the deadline of 30 September approaching Kahiu sought – and won – a court order in her favour.

Many applauded the court ruling allowing Rafiki to be shown in theatres, but some on social media noted that LGBT Kenyans continue to face harassment in an intensely homophobic culture.

Kenya has retained British colonial-era laws that make homosexuality illegal. The ruling comes as Kenyans await another potentially landmark ruling on the constitutionality of a law that punishes same-sex intercourse with up to 14 years in prison.

Ezekiel Mutua, the censorship board’s head and a self-described “fervent moral crusader”, banned the film “due to its homosexual theme and clear intent to promote lesbianism in Kenya contrary to the law.”

Mutua denounced Friday’s ruling, asking on Twitter: “What pleasure, pray, does a person of a sane mind find in watching girls having sex with other girls?”

It would be a tragedy and a shame to have homosexual films defining the Kenyan culture. That’s not who we are and homosexuality is not our way of life

The film does not include sex scenes, but the censorship board accused producers of changing the original script that was licensed for production, which they say didn’t have romantic scenes between the female actors.

The board released a statement saying that “it is a sad moment, not only to the film industry, but to all Kenyans who stand for morality, that a film that glorifies homosexuality is allowed to be the country’s new branding tool abroad.”

“Rafiki” – meaning “friend” in Kiswahili – is adapted from an award-winning story called “Jambula Tree” by Ugandan writer Monica Arac Nyeko. It tells the tale of two young women, daughters of rival politicians, who fall in love.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Nigeria’s Afropop sensation, Davido is causing political shockwaves in home state of Osun where he is campaigning for the candidate of the opposition People’s Development Party (PDP) in the race to be governor.

The multi-millionaire singer-songwriter and record producer, has been posting pictures and videos on his social media, endorsing his uncle, Ademola Adeleke who is running on the PDP ticket.

Billboards in the state also show pictures of the singer in traditional dress, leaning on an empty black leather chair next to the Nigerian flag.

“I, Davido, support Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke as governor of Osun State,” the roadside advertisements read.

Adeleke, dubbed “the dancing senator” because of his penchant for dancing in public, must be hoping his high-profile nephew can win him as many voters as he has music fans.

The 58-year-old politician is running for the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against Gboyega Oyetola of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Candidates from no fewer than 48 parties are vying to replace APC Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who is stepping down after a maximum of two four-year terms.

Saturday’s poll is the final major electoral test before Nigerians vote for a new president, parliament, governors and state legislatures in February and March next year.

Davido the politician?

Davido, real name David Adedeji Adeleke, recently signed up for the yearlong compulsory national service, and entertained his colleagues at the swearing-in event.

While Davido may be better known as one of Nigeria’s most successful musical exports, Davido also comes from a well-known political dynasty.

His grandfather, Raji Ayoola Adeleke,was a senator between 1979 and 1983 while another uncle, Isiaka Adeleke, was Osun’s first civilian governor from January 1992 to November 1993.

The performer’s father, Adedeji Adeleke, is a wealthy businessman with interests in banking, property, education, shipping, haulage and oil and gas.

Some people see a political future for Davido.

Source: Africa News

Sandra Made and Zou Qianshun are, in many ways, like millions of newly married couples around the world. Made, 27, is a housewife who looks after their 10-month-old baby, while Zou, 43, is a fishing captain and the family breadwinner. But in China, they have become an online sensation.

Weddings and engagements

The couple began live-streaming funny skits of their home life on Chinese social media platform, Kuaishou, in February. They now have 120,000 followers. Made says their videos are popular because people are not used to seeing an African woman with a Chinese man.

“Everyone loves Sandra and thinks she’s outgoing,” says Zou. The couple makes about 5,000 yuan ($727) a month through virtual gifts donated by fans on the site, which can be exchanged for money, he adds.

They met three years ago when Zou was working in Cameroon, where Made ran a hair salon. A year later, Zou proposed and the couple married in March 2017. Soon after, they relocated to Zou’s hometown near Dandong, Liaoning province, in northeast China.

In 2016, there were just 1,700 mixed marriages in Liaoning, which is home to 43.7 million people, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics. But Zou says there are five other Chinese men in his town with African wives. “They all met in Africa,” he adds.

A love affair

Earlier this month, Chinese president Xi Jinping pledged to invest $60 billion in Africa over the next three years at the triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing. It was symbolic of how China’s ties with the continent have deepened over the past two decades.

About 10,000 Chinese-owned firms operate in Africa today, according to American research firm McKinsey, and a significant number of Africans have moved to China. Their main base is the southern manufacturing city of Guangzhou, where about 20,000 African migrants live, according to Gordon Matthews, a professor of anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and author of “The World in Guangzhou: Africans and Other Foreigners in South China.”

In Guangzhou, romances between Africans and Chinese people are not uncommon. But they mostly involve a Chinese woman and an African man, according to Matthews. That’s partly because there are more male African traders in Guangzhou than female, he says.

“But Chinese women are also more socially adept, socially skilled and speak better English (than Chinese men),” he adds. “So they are more likely to marry foreigners than Chinese men.”

Racism in China

The most-viewed video on Made’s feed is a comedy sketch of her pretending to feed her baby, Daniel, but instead putting all the food into her mouth.

Reactions on Kuaishou to the couple’s humorous skits include “666,” which means cool, and “Sandra! You’re so beautiful,” “Pretty eyes,” and “You speak good Dandong dialect!” Made says she improves her Putonghua by talking with fans online.

But not everyone’s reaction has been so positive. Initially, Zou’s mother, Zhao Fu Qing, was against their union. “How can a Chinese marry a black woman? She can leave at any time. That’s why at the beginning, both my husband and I said NO to this marriage,” she told Al Jazeera. The couple say Zhao has since become fond of her daughter-in-law.

Chinese racism towards Africans, however, is a sensitive issue. Last year, a skit on China’s biggest Lunar New Year TV show sparked outrage when an Asian actress appeared with blackface and enlarged bottom. Meanwhile, earlier this month a Chinese man was deported from Kenya for posting a video making racist remarks about Kenyans online.

“We haven’t encountered any racist prejudices yet, apart from people’s concerns about cultural differences,” says Qianshun. “But I always tell those people that love has no boundaries.” Matthews says that while racism in China “undoubtedly exists,” extreme cases such as people rubbing Africans’ skin to see if their color will come off are no longer an “everyday thing.”

As the China-Africa economic relationship yields more unions like that of Made and Zou, Matthews hopes the public will gain a better understanding of race. “The more international marriages we have the quicker we can end racism,” he says.

Source: Action News Now

An attempt to define Petit Pays is an attempt to define, the indefinable. The Greeks once defined man as something between a fool and God- this definition could probably be the peck into which Petit Pays could comfortably fit into, for simple reasons. But if we were to add flesh to this skeleton of a definition, I will start by saying that, the status of an artist has proven itself incapable of holding bound the vertiginous spirit of this man.

Here is a man who for more than 30 years has evolved himself into the most significant and un-avoidable cultural phenomenon in Cameroon. There is arguably no other individual in the history of this country who has sketched, defined, defied, influenced and shaped popular or public opinion. Void of fear, he has gone on to put on the table of public debate, the most inflammatory topics, as per African society-with issues like, homosexuality, sex positions and the eventual death of African Presidents. To name a few

Being the epicenter of contradictions that he is, Petit Pays has proven himself capable of articulating in sound and text, the transcendental dimension of Love a la Eros in tracks like “Ne me Quitte pas”. And on the other hand, has made evident his ability to excel in the profane-by making edible the breast of a woman in a song Like ‘’Bobee’’.  Again he is credited with “Loba” one of the most favorite gospel and soul-searching songs in Cameroon; but on the other side of the coin he has gained alarming value in controversial currency for his song “Pede”; which is nothing else but a comic recognition and description of homosexuality in Cameroon. He is continuously seen putting on the griot’s attire for men in power-then will again come up with S.O.S songs decrying the deplorable living conditions of the citizens under their governance. “Refusing to kill the child” in him like every other genius, he is seen on his album covers playing with his sex (Maestro, 2002), dressed like a woman (La Monaco, 2005), and with virtually no quantum of shame

Posing naked (Class F and Class M, 1996), making his entrance into concerts in a coffin, dubbing himself with a multitude of titles and names ranging from Effata to Raba Rabbi or from turbo to omega. As he describes himself, “It seems like I have the genius to shock.” For sure there is no doubt, which the ability to perennially reconstruct one’s image and to surprise the audience is the mark of every true artist.

He remains one of the few Makossa artists continually redefining the genre. For example, by collaborating with the Cape Verdean musical director, Manu Lima, in the early 90’s he created a sub-genre today called Makossa-Love; characterized by the ubiquitous presence of the clavier and its sentimental effect; immensely influenced by the afro-zouk groove popularly played in Lusophone Africa. He as well injected pop and rock colors into Makossa by crowning the presence of the drums in his compositions. To create what can be defined as Makossa-pop; characterized by quick-exciting drum movements.

As a groundbreaker, he made his entrance into the musical scene with two instant hit albums; “ca fait mal” in 1987 and “Ancien Parigo” in 1988 till date considered by most critics as a masterpiece. He holds till date the speed record for album sales in Cameroon after selling in a week 50000 cassettes of his double album “Class F and Class M’’in 1996.

Using the autobiographical elements of his former marriage to a French woman, popularly known as Maria, Petit Pays composed songs and introduced a mythic character into the love mythology of the Cameroonian society called Maria. A character defined by her elusiveness and the sensuality of all her parts.  And overtime Maria has gained grown as a mythic character in the country, virtually everybody has heard about her, but on the other hand, almost nobody can recognize her without the introduction of her former husband (Adolphe Claude Moundi)

Considered by some as an incarnation of the devil and by others as an incarnation of God the father love or hate him, it is impossible to be insensitive or indifferent in Cameroon and in Africa at large at the mention of the name Petit Pays. And once indifference seizes to be presented as a reaction to a man or objects, then we are sure to be witnesses of something great; irrespective of how one may like to define the word “great.”

And am sure my Cameroonian counterparts would agree with me that, there is no way to escape, forget and ignore a man in this country who stands up to say “a Etoudi et a Mvomeka C’est Nioxx.” Finally, In his new album coming this summer, titled ” Renaissance” Petit pays brings a cultural rebirth of his musical career with themes from the 80s through the 90s, based on the reawakening of  Makossa love the strengthens till today.

By Siben Gerard

The 13-man Jury of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, on Tuesday, unveiled the nominees list for the 2018 edition. The event which held at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, had officials of the African Union Commission, Jury members and some stakeholders in attendance. The released nominees list covers the five Regional Categories divided into Female and Male categories as follows: Best Female Artiste in Central Africa; Best Male Artiste in Central Africa; Best Female Artiste in Eastern Africa; Best Male Artiste in Eastern Africa; Best Female Artiste in Northern Africa; Best Male Artiste in Northern Africa; Best Female Artiste in Southern Africa; Best Male Artiste in Southern Africa; Best Female Artiste in Western Africa and Best Male Artiste in Western Africa.

A total of 79 songs made it to the Regional nominees list. Cameroon takes up four of the eight spots in the category for Best Female Artiste in Central Africa, followed by DRC (2), and Angola (2). In the category for Best Male Artiste in Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) takes the lead with five spots followed by Cameroon 2 and Chad 1.

From Eastern Africa, the female category Kenya holds three spots while Uganda takes 2 with Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania occupying one nomination slot respectively. In the male category, Kenya and Tanzania maintain three nominations each Tanzania ties with Ethiopia & Tanzania registering one nomination apiece. The Algerian female artistes have a lead ahead of their male counterparts as they took four out of the six spots in the category for Best Female Artiste in Northern Africa, with Tunisia and Egypt holding one spot each.

The Male category has Moroccan artistes occupying four of the eight spots, Algeria 2, Egypt and Tunisia earning one nomination each. The Southern African region is dominated by South African artistes both in the male and female categories, with a total of nine spots, followed by Zimbabwe- 3, while Swaziland, Namibia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe take 1 spot each. The Western region Male category is having great contenders between Nigeria and Ghana. Holding up 4 spots is Nigeria, closely followed by Ghana (3), while Guinea and Cape Verde hold 1 spot each. The Best Female Artiste in the Western region has Nigeria and Ghana in a tie of 2 spots respectively, with Benin (1), Mali (1), Senegal (1), and Cote d’Ivoire (1).

While providing insights into the process by which the entries were reviewed and graded, the spokesperson for the International Jury of AFRIMA and the Programme Director, Cameroon TV and Radio, CRTV, Mr. Robert Ekukole (representing Eastern Africa) explained that tasked with the responsibility of carefully and mindfully sieving through 8,009 entries submitted by African music professionals within the awards validity period of August 1, 2017 to August 1, 2018, “the jury members have no choice but to be thorough and deliberate about their work because we will be doing artistes and creators of these works a great injustice if we don’t accord them the review their works deserves”, “The AFRIMA Nominees list we arrived at reflects and represents the top-notch creative expressions of music talents and professionals within the relevant regions and validity period. However, we also have a challenge where some artistes failed to enter for the awards and as such missed the opportunity to be evaluated or possibly nominated for AFRIMA”.

The AFRIMA adjudication is carried out electronically via the proprietary AFRIMA Adjudication Software, which was designed by AFRIMA in 2014, has been deployed for use since the 2015 annual adjudication process. When public voting opens on the AFRIMA website on Monday, August 27, both continental and regional nominees in the 38 AFRIMA award categories will compete against one another for the coveted 23.9 carat gold-plated AFRIMA Trophy.

Nominees will now depend on votes from their fans and followers spread across the globe to vote for their songs in an open voting process via the AFRIMA website, www.afrima.org From August 7, when the annual adjudication process began, the 13-man AFRIMA Jury worked painstakingly and tirelessly in assessing and grading the submitted entries which was an astronomical increase of 63% against the 2017 entries received by AFRIMA.

Speaking on the parameters considered by the Jury during the adjudication process, Jury member representing Diaspora (North America), Hadja Kobélé Keita, a music executive with work experience in international music companies like Universal Music Africa and Island Africa, reiterated the AFRIMA objective, which is about rewarding and promoting talents and

www.vanguardngr.com

Dear Guest,

We are delighted to announce the SOBA UK Residential Convention which will take place from 21st to 23rd September 2018. The Gala night will be on Saturday 22nd September 2018 at The Hilton, St George’s Park in Burton Upon Trent. Last year, we had a very successful Convention at Dunchurch Park, Rugby, Warwickshire which continued to set high standards for SOBA UK.

This year we are going to the splendid venue at The Hilton, St George’s Park, Burton Upon Trend. This is the Home of England National Teams befitting of a World Cup year, which saw the England National Football Team make it to the last 4 teams in the World Cup football tournament. We believe that Sobans, their families and guests will have a fantastic time in such a wonderful venue.

The theme of this year’s Convention is “Together We Succeed“, reflecting on the difficult year our association and people have had both in the UK and Cameroon. Our focus will also be on the crisis in the Northwest and Southwest regions in Cameroon which has led to thousands of people being displaced and significant loss of lives. We will be looking to assist where possible and we look forward to your generous support.

Our tickets have been priced very competitively at £70 for a standard ticket, but there is an early bird discount of £10 which reduces the price to £60 provided, if you purchase your ticket by 23rd August, 2018. There are also limited VIP tickets on a first come first serve basis. Please contact our sales agents for more details from the attached flyer. You can purchase your hotel room directly using the dedicated SOBA UK link attached below at discounted prices up to 23rd August 2018.

On behalf of all Sobans in the UK, we say a big thank you in advance for your continued support and to this end, I commend the 2018 Convention to you and encourage you to buy your tickets and start making plans for this esteemed SOBA UK event. We look forward to welcoming you and your families at The Hilton at St George’s Park.

SOBA:UK Secretariat soba@sobaintheuk.org

Yours sincerely,

Ayuk Akoh-Arrey President SOBA UK

Email: soba@sobaintheuk.org

 

 

Nearly a decade after his death, Michael Jackson is out with new music in a guest appearance on the keenly awaited new album by Drake.

The late King of Pop appears in a song on “Scorpion,” the fifth studio album by the Toronto hip-hop star who pulled another surprise by using the release to come clean about his secret child.

True to form for Drake, whose sensibility for catchy beats has made him one of the top-selling artists of recent years, the 25-track album that came out Friday sprawls defiantly, as if resisting the traditional confines of records.

Yet Drake loosely divides “Scorpion” in two — a first “side” in which he hones his rap skills and a second, more unexpected half in which Drake branches further into pop.

“Don’t Matter To Me,” the song with Jackson, belongs firmly to Drake’s pop mode. The 31-year-old proves his bona fides as a singer, his piercing rap delivery giving way to a full-textured silkiness that complements Jackson’s higher ranges.

A dreamy mid-tempo track driven by a synthesized R&B bass, “Don’t Matter To Me” is in line with the adult output of Jackson, whose distinct voice is heard on the chorus.

“All of a sudden you say you don’t want me no more / All of a sudden you say that I closed the door / It don’t matter to me,” Jackson sings.

Drake revealed nothing about the song’s genesis.

But Jackson is known to have left a series of unfinished tracks when he died in 2009. A previous posthumous duet, “Love Never Felt So Good,” came out in 2014 between Jackson and pop star Justin Timberlake.

Like “Don’t Matter To Me,” the Timberlake collaboration was credited in part to the legendary crooner Paul Anka.

Jackson had been working on an album of duets with Anka, the voice behind such classic pop hits as “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” in 1983.

But the project fell by the wayside as the former child star was propelled to fortune with “Thriller,” which went on to become the best-selling album of all time.

Drake, in a rare interview last year, described Jackson as a longtime model and voiced dismay at being pigeon-holed as a rapper.

The song coincidentally comes out little more than a day after the death of Joe Jackson, the King of Pop’s father and manager who guided his children’s careers but was ruthless in his discipline.

– Politics and a secret child –

Jackson is not the only special guest on “Scorpion.” Rap mega-star Jay-Z lends rhymes on “Talk Up” that denounce President Donald Trump — a rare political display for a song by Drake, who while making clear his disdain for Trump has largely preferred apolitical, crowd-pleasing rhythms.

Drake incorporates his recent input into “Scorpion” — “God’s Plan,” an infectious hip-hop track that has spent the longest stretch on the top of the US singles chart this year, and “Nice For What,” a fast-driving dip into New Orleans’ bounce scene.

But while “Scorpion” is full of feel-good vibes — “Ratchet Happy Birthday” seems destined to be played at many a boisterous party — Drake closes on a serious note as he acknowledges he is a father.

Drake admits the substance of a diss track in May by Pusha T who said that Drake had a son with Sophie Brussaux, a French former pornographic actress.

“I wasn’t hiding my kid from the world / I was hiding the world from my kid,” Drake raps in “Emotionless,” which samples Mariah Carey’s “Emotions.”

Later on the album, Drake hints that he has only seen his child once and is embarrassed he is following the footsteps of his divorced parents.

“Always promised the family unit / I wanted it to be different because I’ve been through it / But this is the harsh truth now.”

© 2018 AFP

At least eight women have accused Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman of subjecting them to inappropriate behavior or harassment on film sets or at promotional events, CNN reported on Thursday.

As part of its investigation of the 80-year-old actor, CNN said it had spoken with 16 people, some of whom also alleged inappropriate behavior by Freeman at his production company, Revelations Entertainment.

Freeman said in a statement that he was sorry to anyone who had been made to feel uncomfortable or disrespected.

“Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy,” he said. “I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected — that was never my intent.”

Representatives for Freeman and Revelations Entertainment did not respond to requests for comment beyond the statement. Reuters was unable to independently confirm any of the accusations.

Following the CNN report, credit card company Visa said in a statement that it was suspending its “marketing in which the actor is featured.” Freeman has been the longtime voice of Visa television advertisements.

A torrent of accusations of sexual misconduct against male actors, filmmakers and agents have roiled Hollywood since last fall, leading in some cases to resignations and the halting of projects.

Similar accusations have also engulfed powerful men in US politics and business, and inspired a #MeToo social media movement by people publicly sharing their stories of sexual harassment or abuse.

CNN reported that eight people told the network they were victims of what some labeled harassment and others called inappropriate behavior by Freeman. It said eight others told the network that they witnessed the actor’s alleged misconduct.

CNN also reported that other sources denied having seen any questionable behavior by the actor, and that those sources described him as behaving professionally on set and in the office.

Freeman, whose career has spanned 50 years and more than 100 movies, won a Oscar in 2005 as best supporting actor for his role as a former boxer in “Million Dollar Baby.”

(Source: Reuters)

Southern Cameroonians have always been fed stories about this little Roman Catholic seminarian from Mvomeka’a who eventually became president of the then United Republic on November 6^th 1982.  President Biya is now very far from the image conveyed by his autobiographers- that he was a modest man with a decent lifestyle. The 85 year old dictator has added a rolling fortress to his convoy of expensive cars. This time around, it is a Range Rover Klassen convertible.

Nothing can best represent an immoral and a failed society than the fact that an 85 year old leader is still excited about cars. Paul Biya arrived the 20th May Boulevard in Yaoundé to preside over the civil and military parade of the 46th edition of the so-called national day in armored and customized version of a Range Rover KLASSEN.

The car is extremely long and among the most expensive on the planet. It is also currently the most luxurious, sophisticated and ultra secure automobiles mankind ever produced. President Biya’s new Range Rover has a bulletproof capacity capable of withstanding 7.62 calibers and any violent explosion of approximately 15 kilograms or a DM51 grenade. It has all sought of electronic devices and its special 20-inch alloy wheels allow the vehicle to roll even with flat tires.

The passenger compartment was specially designed at the King’s command and is shielded with 6 pieces of steel. Its price far exceeds 400,000 Euros excluding taxes. All this for the Right Royal President

By Sessekou Asu Isong, London

A Commonwealth Games athlete who went missing during the Gold Coast event this year brazenly posted images of himself while in Melbourne to social media last month.

Cameroonian boxer Fotsala Simplice is one of more than 19 athletes and team staff who went missing from the Games last month and are now seeking asylum in Australia, according to refugee advocates.

Despite threats of detention from Federal Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton should the athletes not comply with their visa conditions, Simplice openly shared images of him smiling and posing while in Melbourne.

Cameroonian boxer Fotsala Simplice has brazenly posted social media images of him in Melbourne after disappearing from this year’s Commonwealth Games. Picture: Facebook.

Simplice is one of at least 19 other athletes who went missing from the Games and are now seeking asylum in Australia. Picture: Facebook.

Initially, it was believed 11 athletes had not returned home, including four other boxers and three wrestlers from Cameroon, two athletes from Uganda and a Rwandan Paralympic powerlifting coach.

This week however, Sydney’s Refugee Advice and Casework Service principal solicitor Sarah Dale said the organisation has helped more than 19 people lodge applications for protection, before their federally approved games visas expired on Tuesday.

“The numbers we have seen have been greater than that (19) and it’s our expectation that there are significantly more people in the community that have sought asylum here in Australia,” she told ABC radio on Wednesday.

Cameroon athletes from left to right, top to bottom: Fokou Arsene, Fotsala Simplice, Matam Matam Olivier Heracles, Ndiang Christelle, Fouodji Arcangeline Sonkbou, Ndzie Tsoye Christian, Yombo Ulrich, Minkoumba Petit David. (Supplied)

“It’s a significant number… It’s certainly more than what’s being reported.”

The competitors are seeking asylum for various reasons and are from several different African countries, Ms Dale confirmed.

The federal government has already said “some” of those who went missing have already seen granted bridging visas to allow them to stay.

The applicants will need to demonstrate they fear persecution, whether it be on religious, race, nationality, social group or political affiliation grounds.

More than 19 Cameroon athletes and team members are believed to be seeking refuge. (AAP)

The Australian Border Force said in a statement that any “visa overstayers” who do not cooperate with authorities to negotiate new visa conditions risk facing “enforcement measures”.

“Some individuals have already applied for other visas, while others will seek to engage Australia’s protection obligations. Those cases will be rigorously assessed in line with standard processes,” a statement said.

“For those who attempt to remain in the community without engaging with authorities, they should be aware that anyone in Australia without a valid visa will be subject to enforcement measures aimed at locating, detaining and removing them from Australia.

“The ABF has stood up a dedicated operation to ensure those that should depart Australia do so. Those who are removed may also face a three year re-entry ban from Australia and may owe a debt to the Australian Government for the cost of their removal.”

Cameroon at Commonwealth Games. (AAP)

Before the expiration of the visas the athletes held to be able to perform in the Commonwealth Games, Mr Dutton also confirmed they would need to leave Australia or risk a detention term.

“If they don’t want to be held in detention or locked up at the local watch house, they’d better jump on a plane before the 15th and comply with their visa’s conditions,” he told Macquarie Radio.

Ms Dale also hosed down suggestions the claimants planned to come to Australia as part of a games team and then stay.

“I would not suggest that there was a group of people that had decided ‘let’s compete in the Commonwealth Games to get to Australia’,” Ms Dale said.

“I think that’s too far of a stretch.”

Culled from www.9news.com