Education advocate Angelique Kidjo dedicates Grammy Award to women of Africa
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Singer and rights campaigner Angelique Kidjo won her second Grammy Award last night 鈥 and dedicated it to 鈥渢he women of Africa鈥.
Angelique, who is a member of the , was the winner of the year鈥檚 best World Music album. At the ceremony in Los Angeles she said: 鈥淭his album is dedicated to the women of Africa 鈥 to their beauty and resilience. Women of Africa, you rock!鈥
鈥淔or me, music is a weapon of peace and today more than ever, as artists we have a role to play in the stability of this world.鈥
Another member of the emergency education coalition, classical pianist Lang Lang, appeared alongside the singer Pharrell Williams in a special live version of his global smash hit Happy. And the award for Best Children鈥檚 Album went to an audio version of I Am Malala 鈥 the book by children鈥檚 rights activist .
Angelique and Lang Lang with Youth Courage Award winner Rabia Faridi
Angelique, who is from Benin, has been a longtime supporter of education for all and women鈥檚 rights. She has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2002 and founded the , which helps girls take the lead in changing Africa through scholarships, building schools and other projects.
She has been a regular feature of International Women鈥檚 Day events. Last year she was featured in a TV documentary about equal opportunity for girls in education. And in 2013 she performed in London at the Women of the World Festival.
She and Lang Lang attended in New York, where they paid tribute to winners of the
Last month, Angelique received the Crystal award for her humanitarian work at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. That came just days after she visited her home country and e in the town of Zakpota, which helps adolescents 鈥 mainly girls 鈥 who have never had an education or who have dropped out of school.
As part of A World at School鈥檚 My Inspirational Teacher series, that her mother Yvonne had聽鈥渢aught me everything I needed to know about the stage.鈥
The singer鈥檚 Grammy came for her album Eve, for which she travelled through Benin and other parts of Africa, recording the voices of women and the harmonies of female choirs.