Time
magazine called her “Africa's premier diva,” but singer Angelique Kidjo does
more than just belting out those notes. Born in Cotonou, Benin, Angelique is
known worldwide for her active support of human rights causes.
A UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
since 2002, Angelique is likewise an ambassador for Oxfam International
and LiveEarth,
campaigns strongly for African women's rights under The International
Federation of Human Rights. She has been supportive of musical collaborations
aimed at public awareness for various environmental, health and human rights
issues.
She founded The Batonga
Foundation, an organization now working in five
countries that aims to provide African girls with the opportunity to earn
secondary and higher education through scholarships, mentorship and training
programs, community awareness, the provision of school buildings and school
materials and the improvement of the quality of education overall. Angelique
has been awarded by various bodies for her humanitarian efforts, and was
recently appointed by the Commission of the African Union as one of their 14
Peace Ambassadors, and goes on to prove that women can, indeed, make a
difference in this world.