Five-time Grammy Award winner Angelique Kidjo has issued a call for Africans to resolve their internal divisions and focus on a collective effort to “create together.” The 66-year-old Beninese musician and activist made the appeal during a Spotify event in Johannesburg on Tuesday, where she was visiting for a jazz festival. The youth today is hungry for new things,” she said. “We need to come together and set aside our differences and create together, tell our story together.
Dressed in a printed blazer and a signature red headwrap, the artist highlighted the untapped potential of Africa’s youth, whom she described as hungry for innovation. According to Kidjo, Africa possesses a vast, overwhelming amount of culture, but success requires strategic focus. She urged for a unified approach to storytelling, stating, “We are the only continent where we are fighting with each other and within ourselves.” But we have to be strategic, it is so big that even we are overwhelmed.
Kidjo’s career, spanning over 40 years and 18 albums, saw a historic milestone in August when she became the first Black African woman to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. During the Johannesburg event, she showcased her latest album, “Hope,” which includes collaborations with Pharrell Williams and Ayra Starr. She noted that social media and direct messaging played a crucial role in building those artistic relationships.
As a long-time UNICEF Goodwill ambassador since 2002 and founder of the Batonga Foundation, Kidjo has dedicated much of her career to empowering girls and young women. “Art is a form of resistance,” she remarked, adding that African creators, whether in painting, literature, or theater, consistently transcend limitations. Recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people, she remains committed to her mission of enabling people across the continent to share their unique experiences with the world.
