Education advocate Angelique Kidjo dedicates Grammy Award to women of Africa
Singer and rights campaigner Angelique Kidjo won her second Grammy Award last night 国产视频 and dedicated it to 国产视频渢he women of Africa国产视频.
Angelique, who is a member of the Global Emergency Coalition for Education Action, was the winner of the year国产视频檚 best World Music album. At the ceremony in Los Angeles she said: 国产视频淭his album is dedicated to the women of Africa 国产视频 to their beauty and resilience. Women of Africa, you rock!国产视频
国产视频淔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.国产视频
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国产视频檚 Album went to an audio version of I Am Malala 国产视频 the book by children国产视频檚 rights activist Malala Yousafzai.
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国产视频檚 rights. She has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2002 and founded the Batonga Foundation, 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国产视频檚 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 A World at School国产视频檚 2014 September Forum in New York, where they paid tribute to winners of the 2014 Global Education Youth Courage Awards.
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 saw an accelerated course programme in the town of Zakpota, which helps adolescents 国产视频 mainly girls 国产视频 who have never had an education or who have dropped out of school.
As part of A World at School国产视频檚 My Inspirational Teacher series, Angelique revealed that her mother Yvonne had聽国产视频渢aught me everything I needed to know about the stage.国产视频
The singer国产视频檚 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.