Princess Vinia
A voice of the Nso people of Northwest Cameroon: Princess Vinia (Mbivwong Virginia Birlaf) sings the memory and beauty of her culture in ethno-traditional folk, from Kumbo to the stages of the world.
Biography
Born Mbivwong Virginia Birlaf in Kumbo, in Nso country (Cameroon's Northwest Region), Princess Vinia began singing in her secondary school choir and in the Nso Bahti women's association choir. Her calm voice, call-and-response songs and steady percussion tell the life and history of the Nso people.
A graduate in music performance from the Lionz Academy for Arts and Entertainment in Douala, she signed with Lionz Muzik. Her project Lii Wong — “our ways” in Lamnso — grew into a 25-track album, a 90-minute live show, a booklet of lyrics and folk tales, and a training course on Nso culture for kids.
Winner of Douala's Royal City Music Competition (2023) and of the Miss Mama Africa contest (2019), nominated at the German Critics Awards and the Cameroon Evolution Awards (2025) and at the CIMFEST Awards (2024 and 2025), she has performed at the Institut français in Yaoundé, Escale Bantoo and the Douala Music Art Festival. In the fall of 2026, her promotional tour crosses Europe, then Canada.
Stages and milestones
2025 — Lionz Academy Showcase — Institut français, Yaoundé · 2024 — Escale Bantoo — Yaoundé; Douala Music Art Festival — Douala · 2024 — World Music Day — Institut français, Douala
Upcoming dates
- Tuesday November 17, 2026 — Vitrine officielle — Mundial Montréal 2026 (soirée d'ouverture) · La Sala Rossa, Montréal (Canada) — Official page ↗
Public dates — collected from the artist's official channels on November 9, 2026.
Discography
2025 — Lii Wong (album) · 2024 — Kisheri (EP, with Mr Leo and Kotto Boy) · Singles: Barbasin; Allez Dire; Paradis; Jah; Sassayé
Calendar
- November 5-25, 2026 — Promotional tour in Canada (Europe: October 11-30, 2026)
- Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 8:40 p.m. — Mundial Montréal (16th edition) — official opening-night showcase — La Sala Rossa, Montreal
Show formats
- Voice and percussion — Nso ethno-traditional folk, as a full live show (Lii Wong, 90 minutes)
- Songs in Lamnso and English, call-and-response with the audience
On video — their Mundial Montréal 2026 showcase
The official presentation video of Princess Vinia for Mundial Montréal 2026: Tuesday, November 17, 2026 · 8:40 p.m. · La Sala Rossa, Montreal. Video © Mundial Montréal — provided to Festival TV in the festival's official media kit.