By George Orido

When Prince Ndedi Eyango hit the Hilton Hotel stage at 11pm last Saturday the whole house went wild and the stage was filled with fans dancing to his Mokossa tune.

The hitherto reserved guests dressed in evening and latest Cameroonian national attire, let off steam and gyrated to the beats of songs that they first heard more than 20 years ago.

Eyango was princely in his opening act dressed in black jeans hemmed in gold and adorning crops of fresh sprouting dreadlocks.

Looking fresh and young the man who started writing his own songs and playing guitar at the age of 15 took the guests through Banjo filled titles from his many albums.

His number Tourne La Parge was greeted with sing along and for once the air was more Cameroonian than Kenyan with beautiful women joining the stage to dance with the Prince. With a mellow voice Eyango sang along with his excited fans most of the time.

Mokossa is a Douala word, meaning dance.

Fast pace

Action was in no short supply from this African musician who rocked Nairobi courtesy of Kenya Airways that flew him in from Douala. Four dancers, who took the dance to a new level, injecting energy, joined him. And, men in suits could not hold any more joining the bevy in this fast pace show.

In his performance, Eyango not only engages the audience but also treats it to delightful footwork.

"I can’t stop dancing to his music," quipped a young woman in Cameroonian national dress as she rose to join the floor.

Eyango took a break and when he returned he had changed into a white denim shirt and matching troussers. He then sang You Must Calculer bringing the roof down as the audience asked for more.

In this classic Prince Eyango advises people not to be in a hurry when making decision on a relationship.

"You must always take caution, calculating your steps, before making a life changing decision," he explained to The Standard on Saturday before his show in his room.

It is this single released in 1987 that propelled Eyango to unparalleled heights and he has never looked back.

"I write music that tells stories from my own experiences back home in Douala," said Eyango, whose father died when he was 11 years old and had to drop out of school.

Eyango’s collections include Service libre (1985), Saluts les maries (1986) and Soul Botingo (1989).