Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo, known as Angélique Kidjo, currently in Nigeria for the latest work of Kunle Afolayan, The CEO, speaks to DUPE AYINLA-OLASUNKANMI on her journey as a black musician who had survived the odds abroad, among other issues. Enjoy
CAN you tell us about your role in the movie The CEO?
I can’t tell you until you see the movie. If I give out the secret and the juices, then what pleasure would you have when watching the movie?
What made you accept the script?
What attracted me to the script is because the part I am playing can be seen in different light. I can be a mediator, a helper, a stressed reliever and also help people to understand the work they are doing and what they can do with it. And if they have the opportunity to change, then they have the opportunity to be prominent in their life and that of the corporation they are working for. It is a very versatile role.
I see the way you have been relating with everyone on set. Which is usually unseen of an entertainer; why are you different?
I relate with everybody the same way. It does not matter if you are rich or poor; because that is the way I have been raised. Every single human being deserves respect, even your enemy. If you have problem with someone, you can say good morning and walk away; you don’t have to entertain the person. But courtesy is very important.
We are not animals, we are taught manners. For me, I know some of my colleagues feel for you to be a celebrity, you have to be untouchable. I have people who protect me, and I know how to protect myself too. If I don’t want to spend time with you, I tell you I don’t have the time, and if you feel vexed by it, then it’s your problem.
And I have been told by many that I give and don’t keep for myself, so I’m learning. Because if give too much, you dry yourself.
I do my music, always thinking how to impact on people, and how do you impact when you are lying? You preach, but you don’t do what you preach. I don’t relate to people because they are rich or poor, I relate to people because I’m excited to see what is in your brain; how we can talk, come together and share ideas, and do things together on how we can move forward.
Like I do when in the studio to do my music; you have talent and want to play on my music, if it fits what I want to do at that time, then you can be part of it.
How close are you to your roots?
Nigeria is close to Republic of Benin. And I have ties here; part of my family is from Iseyin, while others are from Ilorin. I am deeply rooted to the Yoruba culture. I used to come here when I was a kid, until the age of 14, when I left. Even if I was not in Nigeria, I have learnt that everywhere I go to in Africa, we have a lot in common.
The women around the continent, we have the same challenges. Because women in Europe are not as free as we thought. That is because equal diplomat does not mean equal pay in Europe.
So when I come to you and you want to be nasty to me, then it’s your problem. I just walk away because I don’t want to be a party to that.
You want to talk to me, I am always available, but if I don’t have the time, I say ‘can we push it?’ When you wanted to do the interview earlier, my head was not there; that is because I can’t do two things at the same time. When it comes to talking to people, I am very careful, because I like to listen when people are talking to me. For me, everybody on the set is my blood.
Everywhere I go, I have been exposed and always see every human being like a kin. I don’t have any ego about that, because that is how my parents raised me.
How often do you come home?
I do that every year. This is my second time and towards the end of the year, I will be going to Cotonou to see my mother, because her 89th birthday is coming up. And every time I’m opportune to be in Africa, it is home.
You still speak Yoruba, how have you been able to maintain the dialect after many years abroad?
I have brothers over there and whenever we want to have conversations that are private, we switch to Yoruba. Whenever I m home, my mum speaks Yoruba.
But most people forget their local languages when they travel for long.
Yes, that is why I said it is a matter of choices; if you make the wrong choices you have to pay for it. My dad used to say that you should be careful of what you wish for; because if it turns out to be good, you take the glory for it, and if turns out wrongly, you pay for the consequences.
More so, I have been taught that before you give your word, make sure you have the time to fulfil it. Because you can’t come back if you don’t have the word, you have no honour nor respect. So that is how I function.
Why should I forget where I come from? What is it out there that can be better than where my ancestor comes from? Nothing, because every single person from this planet comes from Africa. You DNA is linked to this continent, so why are Africans of this complex of I-want-to-be-different?
But you lose, because when you know your culture, and know where you come from, then you can be strong. And that is where I stand, because I know who I am. For me, it’s surprising when I see some of my high school mates and you speak your language to them and they tell you they don’t understand anymore. I look at them and say ‘I really pity you, because you can spend your whole life abroad and spit on your culture.’ When you can live in a rich culture, but thinking it is a liability for you to move forward.
And then you throw this rich culture in the garbage, the day you wake up, you will not even be treated like a human being. The music I listen to around the world, where does it come from? Here, I don’t brag about it.
What is the secret to your success story?
There is no secret. I always say if you are not inspired to do something, then what are you doing in there? I didn’t come to do music because I wanted to be rich; it was my passion that pushed me to where I am today. It is like breath to me; because if I don’t sing, I can’t breathe; which means I don’t live anymore.
And to be able to do what I do, it’s because I know all of us are story tellers. Because our tradition is important, and we are born in it, so how do you want to put that away?
So, people write things about you that are not true, it is not you. You know who you are, so tell your story. I maintain what I do, because when I am doing an album, I don’t think about hit. Every song is treated equally. I am an artiste that does an album, and if anyone becomes a hit, amen. My thought is not to be thinking hit, I don’t know how to do that, because I only follow my inspiration. If I’m not inspired to do a song, you will never hear me sing it.
Each song that I have written throughout my entire career, I can sing it anytime without being ashamed. I can sing it alone; I can also sing it with instruments, and different form, because they come from a truth place.
But most artistes expect their songs to be hits
If it works for them, fine. It does not work for me. Songs like Wombo Lombo, Babalawo, and some others; I didn’t plan them to be hits. I had fun doing it. And if you are on stage and you get bored, then you are in the wrong place. When you hit the stage, like my mama mi used to say to me, you should be able to make it spiritually. And it is that light that you give, you get back.
The public is not accessory; without the public, there is no artiste. Why do you want to make hit? To listen to it in the bathroom or put it out there for people to listen to? Without people listening to your music and interacting with you, you are nobody. So you have no respect for the public, you do one hit and disappear.
What are you here for, what do you want to do with your music? That question has to be asked. You want to be rich, famous, or you want to impact on people. You should be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say I am worth the money I make.
Have those always been your keywords or you developed these after making hit?
Right from day one, those have always been my key words since six years old that I started singing on stage. You write a beautiful song and I can’t sing it, I’m not going to sing it. Because I know a lot of artistes do one hit song and try to have a career, they don’t even like it.
You know how painful it is to be on stage, singing something you don’t like?
Has that ever happened to you?
No, never, my stage is my heaven. You are invited to participate anytime you want. But don’t bring any bad thought, it doesn’t work. I am not in the hate or envy business. What works for you, I wish you well, but use it well. It is all about give and take.
After so many years, the energy is still there, what do you take to maintain the energy?
The energy is African. I was fed in this continent, and the energy I have comes from here. And that energy cannot go away because I live and sink with my roots. And I have always worked out; if you don’t work out, how can you stay? I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, and I don’t do drugs. Fame has nothing to do with drugs; it’s bullshit. The only thing it does, it sucks you up. And I don’t want that, I want to live long, see my grandkids, and see people happy around me. I want to participate in the well being of this world, and to do that you cannot be hooked unto drugs 24/7.
What are the challenges of being a black artiste doing music abroad?
The challenges are still there. Because the ones who colonised and enslaved till date, whenever they see us in the market, expect you to be less educated, less articulate, and see you as an exotic product that they can consume and I am not. From day one, I made that clear. No one was going to decide what I sing, what my video was going to look like, so it has been very difficult and still difficult till today.
A prominent journalist told me with tears in her eyes in Denmark, that if I was not born in Africa, that I would be a planetary superstar. That the system put in place is unfair. But that won’t bring me down; what I can use the system to achieve is enough for me. That there are possibilities if we Africans stop stabbing each other in the back, we will always fail. If you look at the world, it is us the Africans that are still in the same place.
Why? Because there is no solidarity; we are more into the business of criticising and bringing people down then to help them rise up. And until we come to that realisation that we are hurting only ourselves, we will never move forward.
This cliché was waiting for me when I arrived in Europe and everywhere I go, and I always go around, but the cliché never fits in. They expect you to go late, I never go late. So we have a huge negative story that follows us. How do we change that narrative, by going around the world in truth, light and correctly; by proving to the world that it is not because you are African, that you have to fail. That people can do business with you and succeed too. We have to tell successful stories by being engaged with all our being. By doing things, not just take the money and run away, but to do things that when you leave are important.
Let’s be citizens of change to our own culture, country and narrative. Let’s bring history teaching in schools, let’s reach out to the elderly people to teach the kids that their culture is more important than anything else. So when next time they come around and want to take advantage of us, we can tell them time has changed.
