Angelique Kidjo Among "BBC 100 Women"
26 November 2020
Photo: Twitter/Angélique
By Kenneth Kiplagat
Beninese singer-songwriter, actress, and activist Angélique Kidjo is part of the list unveiled by BBC of top 100 most influential ladies in the continent with exponential abilities and expertise in Knowledge, Leadership, Creativity and Identity during this time of global pandemic.
The caption posted by BBC and reposted by Angélique Kidjo on her social media handles reads,
"Four-time Grammy award winner Angélique Kidjo is one of the greatest artists in international music today. She has cross-pollinated the West African traditions of her childhood in Benin with elements of American R&B, funk and jazz, as well as influences from Europe and Latin America.
After exploring the roads of Africa's diaspora in her take on the Talking Heads album Remain in Light, the French-Beninese singer is now investigating the African roots of celebrated icon Celia Cruz, the Cuban-born “Queen of Salsa”.
Angelique also advocates on behalf of children as a Unicef ambassador, and through her own charitable foundation, Batonga, which supports the education of young girls in Africa."
The BBC choses the 100 Women team based on names gathered by them and suggested by the BBC's network of World Service languages teams. They look for candidates who have made the headlines or influenced important stories over the past 12 months, as well as those who have inspiring stories to tell, achieved something significant or influenced their societies in ways that wouldn't necessarily make the news. The pool of names is then assessed against BBCS' yearly theme - women who led change - and measured for regional representation and due impartiality, before the final names are chosen.
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