Celebrating Evangelist Mary Mandi, the pioneer voice of indigenous gospel music in Cameroon
In the journey of Pentecostalism in Cameroon, few voices carry as much ancestral reverence as that of Evangelist Mary Mandi, affectionately known as Mama Mary.
Long before gospel music became an organised movement in Cameroon, her voice echoed as a trumpet in the wilderness, calling hearts to repentance, worship, and consecration. At a time when few women ministered publicly through music, she rose with boldness and grace, carrying a message wrapped in indigenous melody and spiritual fire.
Mary Mandi was born in the Centre Region of Cameroon in the 1950s into a family deeply rooted in traditional music. Her grandfather played the mmeh njang (xylophone), while her grandmother sang using a mouth accordion.
These ancestral sounds formed her earliest musical environment and would later be redeemed and sanctified through her encounter with Christ. At the tender age of four or five, she composed her first song titled “Usoh,” meaning “river” in Ewondo.
After her salvation encounter, she joined the choir at Full Gospel Mission in Tiko, where she also taught herself how to play the guitar. Her music ministry took shape in the 1970s and 1980s, during a time when gospel musicians had little access to recordings.
She ministered faithfully at crusades, funerals, weddings, village outreaches, and church revivals, often walking long distances and never charging for her ministry. Her singular passion was to win souls for Christ.
Though inspired by Nigerian gospel voices she heard on Radio Buea, her sound remained distinctly Cameroonian. She pioneered the blending of indigenous rhythms such as bikutsi and makossa with gospel truth, shaping a worship identity that continues to influence gospel music in Cameroon today.
In God’s timing, recording doors opened supernaturally, leading to the production of her first major album through Rev. Komamdo Ivo. The album “Na Weti Be Man” became a generational anthem, cutting across denominations, languages, and regions.
As a pioneer, her ministry faced neglect, misunderstanding, and resistance, particularly because of her use of traditional rhythms and her identity as a woman in ministry.
Many churches failed to recognise her apostolic contribution in the early decades of her labour. Yet she neither retaliated nor abandoned her calling.
Today, Evangelist Mary Mandi has recorded nine full albums and several singles. She continues to mentor and train young worship leaders in prophetic praise and priestly sound. Married and blessed with children, her greatest joy remains hearing the testimony that someone encountered Christ through her song.
The life and ministry of Evangelist Mary Mandi exemplify ministry without commercialisation. By refusing to monetise her calling, she preserved the purity and authority of her anointing. While honour is biblical, her life stands as a warning against turning ministry into merchandise at the expense of souls.
Most profoundly, her life teaches the power of redeemed identity and indigenous expression. Rather than imitating foreign sounds, she allowed God to sanctify her cultural heritage and turn it into a vessel of revival.
Following in her footsteps today are names such as Minister Eta, Evangelist Ben Awabi, Caroline Lagloire, Sakwe Javis, and Bate Solomon, whose songs testify that worship does not have to be Western or Nigerian to be spiritual.
Younger gospel ministers in Cameroon must understand that heaven does not demand cultural abandonment but spiritual redemption. When God baptises identity, worship gains authority.
Evangelist Mary Mandi deserves more than casual remembrance; she deserves intentional honour.
Rev. Bobbs Lyonga Elive
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