In Douala, (doo – ah-la) Cameroon, a pastor is breaking with tradition to give a new voice to urban gospel music.
Long criticized for his passion for urban Christian music, Pastor Christian Mpondo is now considered one of the major promoters of new-generation gospel music, speaking to young people using their own language.
VIDEO SCRIPT
Reporter: [00:00:00] In the vibrant streets of Douala, Cameroon, urban gospel music is becoming the voice of a new generation. Behind this musical revolution is Pastor Christian Mpondo. Passionate about urban sounds from an early age, he decided to support a musical movement that was criticized by many traditional churches.
Pastor Mpondo: Uh, at the beginning it was not easy because I had to face, you know, the, the animosity of some pastors, and, uh, I just have to persevere.
Reporter: At a time when gospel rap, Christian R&B, and Afro-gospel were often considered too worldly, Pastor Mpondo chose to defend Christian youths searching for a way to express themselves.
Pastor Mpondo: The Book of 1 Samuel 17, we read about the story of the young David who refused to use Saul’s armor because it was not made for him. He finally used a sling and five stones to defeat Goliath. So this is very symbolic and expressive for, uh, for us today. You know, it enable us to [00:01:00] understand that God does not depends on the old methods of the church, you know, to fight the battles of nowadays.
Reporter: But his version was not welcomed by everyone. Some church leaders openly criticized this adoption of urban culture.
Pastor Mpondo: People need to be free to be themselves, to use the codes, the languages, their creativity to face, uh, the giant of their generation.
Reporter: He then created a radio program entirely dedicated to urban gospel music. Today, many urban gospel artists in Cameroon acknowledge the impact of this initiative on their careers and on the evolution of modern gospel music in the country.
Pastor Mpondo: There are so many young people who are, are singing for God using rap music and reaching out to the young people of their society.
Reporter: Between faith and modernity, Pastor Christian Mpondo has transformed a controversial passion into an opportunity to reach young people with the gospel.
Reporting from Douala, Cameroon, this is Global News [00:02:00] Alliance.
People Interviewed and their Titles
Christian Mpondo, Pastor
Recording Location
Douala, Cameroon
Reporter/Producer for the story
Eric Dipo
Story Provider/Contact
Sam Ebersole
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