Welcome to niittii, a community of music and culture.

For the love of music, for the love of culture, and the love of wisdom.

It's been almost 30 years since Kotto Bass died. 1996 sounds like a long time ago but it feels like yesterday. Time passes, faces change but spirits remain alive. I was alive then as I am now when I felt the spirit of Kotto Bass. I say spirit because he was dead.

It was a normal day in Douala. I was living in Bali. A day that would become one of the most meaningful memories of my life, that day was the funeral of Kotto Bass.

I had no idea of what I was about to witness. I remember everyone in the compound going outside, even the elderly who rarely left the compound. Everyone who was able to walk left their homes to stand on the street. The street was crowded, it was packed. There were so many people that I could not find a place to stand. I was a small boy squeezing thru people's legs, struggling to get a view.

I could hear cars honking in the distance. I could feel the anticipation in the crowd. Then, I saw a parade of taxis drive by. There were people sitting on taxi hoods. There were people hanging out of car windows, flailing in excitement. As the taxi parade continued, and the crowd's anticipation grew, my impatience also grew.

I remember being confused. The parade seemed endless, as if every taxi in Douala was participating. I waited impatiently for something interesting to happen. I imagined what was coming at the end of the parade, perhaps something cool, perhaps something magical that could overjoy my mind. I waited and waited until I sensed it, something magical.

I could hear the crowd getting louder. I could feel the energy come alive. The moment had arrived. I was ready to be amazed, ready to witness magic. My eyes were as big as ever. My attention was focused on the road. I saw a long black car approaching. I stood there confused, I had never seen a car like that before. There was something in the back of the car, an object that I had never seen before. The only thought on my mind was, what is that?

While I stood there in confusion, trying to understand my vision, I was overwhelmed with joy. I say overwhelmed but that is an understatement. The joy I felt was not only in my mind, it was in my entire body. I felt as if the air was tingling with joy. I felt as if a breeze of joy was passing thru the crowd. There was an electric energy in the crowd, that energy was joy.

I looked around amazed. Everyone was energized with joy. I saw people crying with joy. I saw people singing with joy, different people singing different songs. Although I could not recognize the songs, I could feel the passion in their voices. It was a great day. It was a joyful day. The lasting memory of Kotto Bass was joy.

niitii is a community built in the memory of Kotto Bass. niitii's anthem is "J'aime tout le monde" by Kotto Bass.

To the spirit of joy, and
with love and joy, we love and enjoy "J'aime tout le monde".

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