Interesting people from Africa

Senegalese master musician Baaba Maal's compositions range from the purest traditional sounds to innovative fusion. An artist with a social conscience, Baaba Maal is a remarkable voice for Africa; he represents the United Nations Development Program as a UNDP Youth Emissary and is a spokesman on the issue of HIV/Aids in Africa; and for over 15 years he has been using his music to express his concerns and empower his people. Source: Africa confidential

Oliver Mtukudzi is the best-selling artist in his home country of Zimbabwe, Africa. Oliver began recording in the mid-1970s as a member of Wagon Wheels, a band that also featured Thomas Mapfumo. After Wagon Wheels rolled to fame in Southern Africa, Tuku formed Black Spirits, the band that has backed him throughout his career. Mtukudzi has continued to perform regularly in Zimbabwe, but has never confined himself to his home country, performing at various international events, including touring through Europe in November 1997 with a collaboration of 12 Southern African musicians called Mahube.

Mohamed Amin (1943-1996) was a Kenyan photojournalist noted for his pictures and videotapes of Ethiopian famine. He founded Camerapix company in 1963 in Dar es Salaam and moved the company to Nairobi three years later. Amin's photos, along with Michael Buerk's reporting of the 1984 Ethiopian famine brought international attention to the crisis and eventually helped start the charity wave that resulted in Live Aid concerts. Apart from Ethiopian Famine, he contributed exclusive photos of the fall of Idi Amin and of Mengistu, and was author of numerous books, including Journey Through Pakistan, and covered various themes like East African Wildlife and the Uganda Railway.In June 2006, “Mo and Me”, a documentary film about him was premiered.

Femi Kuti is the oldest son of the legendary Nigerian afro-beat pioneer Fela Kuti who died on the 2nd of August 1997.

Femi quit school in 1984 to play alto sax in his father's band. In 1986 he split off from the band to form his own band called Positive Force. He sang about power politics. In 1999 he was rewarded a record deal with MCA for his 1999 release Shoki Shoki. The song was basically about the political history of Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Femi is still a force to be reckoned with in the afro-pop genre.

She has been described as an African Goddess because her voice just transcends you to another era . Her debut album Zandisile was officially launched in 2004 at the Johannesburg Music Hall, South Africa, when she shared the stage with Angelique Kidjo. Zandisile saw her winning 2 awards at the 2005 SAMA's (South African Music Awards). She won Best New Comer of the year and Best Jazz Vocalist. In this year's(2007)SAMA's her album One Love Movement on Bantu Biko Street saw her winning 4 awards. She won Best Album of the year, Best Female Vocalist, Best Vocal Jazz Album and Best Contemporary Jazz Album. She was the main act at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Europe in January 2006. She was also awarded the Rising Star Award by Avo Session Basel in Europe. She also performed around Europe for 3 months since May 2007. She has become the most successful African artist to take Europe by storm in just a little over six months.

Angelique Kidjo has graced the music scene since 1990. She has been nominated three times for the Grammy Awards in 1998, 2003 and 2005. Her style is a fusion of Afro-pop, Jazz and Gospel. The Beninese singer and songwriter sings in four languages. She is also popular for her outstanding dance moves on stage.

Tanzanian born painter Edward Saidi Tingatinga (1932 – 1972) started one of the most vibrant and successful contemporary art movements in Africa. His work featured brightly coloured paintings of birds, animals, urban and village scenes and today hundreds of local artists from East Africa continue to adopt his pioneering style.

Nigerian-born Sade is an internationally-acclaimed singer-songwriter whose sultry, jazzy music has made her one of the top-selling and critically-celebrated female artists of the last 20 years.

Guinean musician and Griot Mory Kante was the first African musician to record a single that sold over 1 million copies. The track released in 1980’s was called Yeke Yeke which means to celebrate life Source: New African magazine

James Makawa is the Founder and CEO of the Africa Channel. The company's mission is to open up a daily window into modern African life and, in the process, help demystify and promoted a positive image of Africa unlike the mainstream western media where the focus is constantly on the negative focus. Currently the channel is available in America and the US.