Angelique Kidjo | Leading the Way for the Next Generation of African Artists | Talks at Google
65Angelique Kidjo discusses her journey, career and how she is paving the way for the next generation of African artists.
Five-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo is one of the greatest artists in international music today and a creative force with sixteen albums to her name. As a performer, her striking voice, stage presence and fluency in multiple cultures and languages have won respect from her peers and expanded her following across national borders. Angélique 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.
Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva", and one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2021. The BBC has included her in its list of the continent's 50 most iconic figures, and in 2011 The Guardian listed her as one of their Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World. Forbes Magazine has ranked Angelique as the first woman in their list of the Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa. Additionally, Angelique is the recent recipient of the prestigious 2015 Crystal Award given by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the 2016 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award, and the 2018 German Sustainability Award.
Angelique also travels the world advocating on behalf of children in her capacity as a UNICEF and OXFAM Goodwill Ambassador. At the G7 Summit in 2019, President Macron of France named her as the spokesperson for the AFAWA initiative (Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa) to help close the financing gap for women entrepreneurs in Africa. She has also created her own charitable foundation, Batonga, dedicated to support the education of young girls in Africa.
Moderated by Kechy Eke.
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