Themes

Women in African music

By Music In Africa Foundation

01 Mar 2020 - 07:52

In January 2020, Angélique Kidjo won her fourth Grammy Award, making the Beninese singer one of the most successful African musicians in terms of Grammy victories. Her win was for the album Celia, which paid tribute to the queen of salsa, the late Cuban singer Celia Cruz.

Singer, entrepreneur and former president of the Musicians Union of Ghana Diana Hopeson speaking during the ACCES music conference in Accra, Ghana, in 2019. Photo: So Fraiche

Kidjo, a Goodwill Ambassador with UNICEF and vice-president of International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) where she actively promotes the interests of creators worldwide, is just one of the many women who play a pivotal role in popularising African music while advancing human and women’s rights.

When we talk about “women in African music” we sometimes forget that the people who perform onstage constitute a significantly small part of the many music professionals operating in the industry; and although we see quite a large number of women entertaining us live or through audio and video content, many areas of the music business – such as event management, stage management, A&R and digital distribution, to name a few – are seldom headed up by women.

On 8 March every year, the world celebrates International Woman’s Day. This day is an important one for the women’s rights movement; in some countries it is a day of protest while in others it celebrates womanhood.

At Music In Africa we dedicate the entire month of March to content about the work of women in the African music industry – both as music professionals and activists.

Below is some reading about women in African music. Make sure you visit this page daily for updates throughout March.

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