#028 - The Wealthy Diva
"Africa's premier diva" writes a letter to the girls of the world.
Don’t want to read? No problem! You can listen to me reading to you by clicking the play button above.
Welcome to the 28th edition of The Wealth Letters, a crowdsourced Anthology on how to find enough in a noisy world.
Please read or listen to the manifesto before diving into the collection to better understand the who, what, & why of The Wealth Letters.
Thank You!
A special thanks go out to the following people who have been nice enough to share The Wealth Letters with a friend or loved one. Your support is greatly appreciated, and is a driving force towards this project becoming a published book in the future!
My lovely wife, Carmen - My better half shared this project with a co-worker who then shared it with her husband and children (the husband will be writing a letter for The Wealth Letters). Thank you babe!
- - Charlie shared The Wealth Letters with his readers at . Charlie is a recovering addict writing about it (ALL)…because “life’s too short not to.” Thank you Charlie!
- - Viam shared The Wealth Letters with his readers at where he writes about philosophy every Wed. & Sunday morning. Thank you Viam!
The following is an open letter written by Angélique Kidjo to the girls of the world. This letter was sourced by
of .
Angélique Kidjo (Photo by The New York Times)
About Angélique
Five-time Grammy Award winner, Angélique Kidjo, is one of the greatest artists in international music today, with sixteen albums to her name. Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva", and named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Kidjo hopes that her songs might inspire the kind of togetherness that ultimately leads to transcendent change. In her own words:
“For our own survival, we need to recognize the humanity that we all share and learn how to live together. There’s just no other way.”
An open letter to the girls of the world
Dear Girls of the World,
I was a 12-year-old girl living in the center of Cotonou, Benin, in West Africa. Music was all around us, with the traditional singers and their drums and with the radio blasting songs from the entire world.
Singing had always been my passion. My mom even told me I sung before I spoke. One day, I discovered an uplifting song that made everyone dance. It was called “Pata Pata.” The power and beauty of the voice singing it mesmerized me. I had to get the 45 rpm single right away. That’s when I first heard the name of Miriam Makeba, the famous South African singer. I also learned her struggle against apartheid and her success all over the planet.
Even though at home I could see the respect that my father had for my mom, I could feel the world was unbalanced and that it was so hard for girls and women to succeed. Many of my girlfriends at school were dropping out at an early age as the social pressure was huge. Most of them could not choose their own destiny. It was as if they would always be the daughter, the wife or the mother of someone.
But looking at Miriam’s smile on the cover, her confidence and the respect she inspired, I started to dream. If an exiled African woman born from a poor family had been able to accomplish so much, there might be a little chance for me to follow her steps. Lost in my thoughts, lying on my bed, listening to her music for hours, learning by heart the lyrics of all her songs -- in my imagination, I was already traveling with her, singing with her, meeting world leaders and advocating with her for the freedom of her people.
That dream has never left me. I grew up and I experienced much rejection, many obstacles, but Miriam’s voice was always singing in my head. I started to have some success singing on the national radio.
One day, on the way back from school, a group of teenagers recognized me and insulted me, calling me a whore because I was a singer. I came back home, crying, and wanted to give up singing for good. Mama Congo, my maternal grandmother, happened to be home. She asked me why I was crying so much. Once I explained, she gave me a piece of advice that I have never forgotten and that I want you to remember when you feel your dreams are shattered.
She told me: “Do you want to be a singer?”
“Yes, Grandma.”
“Then, you can’t let the opinion of other people discourage you. Don’t give up on your dreams, don’t allow them to define who you are or they would have won!”
Many years passed. I left my country like Miriam had done. I worked hard, listening to constructive critics and ignoring the naysayers, keeping Miriam’s songs close to my heart. Then, in a different decade, in a different country, the day finally came when I was asked to sing as the opening act of my beloved idol. I could not believe it.
Please remember girls: Don’t let anyone define who you are!
Angelique Kidjo
Further Reading / Resources About Angelique
Thank You for Your Support
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I look forward to hearing from you!
Jordan
What a beautiful find, Jordan! This message really resonated with me today. ✨