Meet the best of Africa’s divas

They are elegant, articulate, talented and beautiful. Above all, they have found their true calling, embraced it, and, in the process, awed the globe.
While we cannot chronicle the stories of every major female artiste in Africa, we have trawled the archives for songstresses who have left an indelible mark on the collective African psyche; vocal queens whose exploits behind the microphone have grown from strength to strength. Join us on this journey. We start in South Africa.

One of the most fascinating voices from South Africa is Letta Mbulu. Married to Caiphus Semenya (another South African musical great), Letta is best known for hits like I Need Your Love, Buza, and Everybody Sing Along.

Ghetto child
Born and raised in Soweto, her musical talent gained wide recognition when, at an early age, she joined the famous African Jazz and Variety Company.
Her activism, however, saw her exiled from South Africa during the apartheid era, joining other musical icons (among them Hugh Masekhela and Miriam Makeba) in their activism abroad.

South Africa has also given us Yvonne Chaka Chaka, who has been around for almost two decades. She also made her name during the difficult apartheid days and has continued to blossom. Umqombothi and Thank You Mr DJ are evergreens, the favourites of millions of her cross-generational fans across the continent.

But South Africa’s biggest (and by far most successful) soul queen is Miriam Makeba, who died on November 10, 2008, aged 76. The lovable songbird earned the title Mama Africa very early in her career.

Her association with Kenya saw her perform at the country’s Independence celebrations in 1963, and her rendition of Fadhili William’s Malaika was one of the most requested songs during her tours around the world. Makeba’s sweet, motherly demeanour earned her a place in the hugely successful Sarafina musical, in which she played the lead star’s mother.

Other notable South African female greats include gospel artiste Rebecca Malope and veteran singer Dorothy Masuka. The DRC, considered the Mecca of African music, has given us Barbara Kanam. Born in Lubumbashi, Katanga, Barbara is a gifted, award-winning artiste whose most alluring composition is the love ballad Jardin d’Amour, in which she showcases great voice control through marvellous resonance.

Plenty of Kiswahili
Being Congolese, she sings in Lingala, French, and, interestingly, Kiswahili. She has three albums to her credit — Mokili (1999), Teti (2004), and Karibu (2009).

Barbara, who also plays the guitar and is a keen music producer, is following in the footsteps of her more illustrious compatriots Mbilia Bel and Tshala Muana — the Queen of Mutwashi.

Mbilia is, of course, well known for her great partnership from the early 1980s with veteran crooner Tabu Ley Rochereau, a collaboration that produced some of Africa’s greatest numbers. Among the rich repertoire is Nakei Nairobi, a favourite among her Kenyan fans, Nadina, and Beyanga.
A mention of Mbilia brings to mind Faya Tess, the marvellous vocalist recruited by Tabu Ley as her counterweight.

Paris-based divas
Faya Tess is still crooning, and occasionally teams up with her Paris-based Congolese counterparts during performances in European towns. Other leading Congolese musicians based in Paris include Pierret Adams and Yondo Sister.
Mbilia started out initially as a dancer, and owes her entry into entertainment to another great female musician, Abeti Masikini, who was a pioneer of sorts.

Mbilia has been enduring, having struck out on her own after leaving Tabu Ley, and has recorded some successful albums, among them Phenomene, which she produced with veteran guitarist and arranger Rigo Starr.
She has also done a collaboration with Kenyan diva Suzanna Owiyo, who is best known for her Kisumu 100 super hit.

Also from Kenya are Achieng’ Abura, a Kora Award winner who specialises in Afro Jazz, the late Queen Jane (Benga), Nyota Ndogo, and Princess Jully (Benga).

In Zambia, songbird Anna Mwale, who is married to a German, is best remembered for the songs Excuse Me and Get Free, and performs between Germany and Zambia.

But she is not alone in that part of the continent and staves off competition from another West African great, Angelique Kidjo.
Born in Benin, Kidjo, who sings in French and English, is a Grammy Award-winning icon who has been declared “Africa’s premier diva” by none other than Time Magazine. Her internationally acclaimed repertoire includes collaborations with such greats as Carlos Santana, Peter Gabriel, Alicia Keys, Josh Groban, Branford Marsalis, and Joss Stone.

Dynamic music
Known for her dynamic and uplifting music, she has been involved in charity work by promoting education for girls in Africa through her foundation, Batonga. As a Unicef goodwill ambassador, Kidjo travels the world to inspire and empower the less fortunate.

In Tanzania, towering over the female musicians is Lady Jaydee (Judith Wambura). Born in 1979, J-Dee, who has recorded a number of hits and has taken part in many high-profile events — including Nelson Mandela’s birthday concert in London — has her own group, Machozi Band, which performs regular gigs in Dar es Salaam and other Tanzanian towns.

She sings in Kiswahili and a bit of Lingala, blending Bongo Flava with the South African Kwela beats. Gospel singer Rose Muhando, also from Tanzania, is currently doing well with Nibebe and Akina Mama. West Africa has even more divas. The older ones include Aicha Kone of Cote d’Ivoire, well known for songs such as Aminata.

Similarly, Nayanka Bell, known for Amio (Get Up and Dance), is among the prominent African divas, and has done a duet with Congolese maestro Koffi Olomide. Nearer home, in Uganda, we have the exciting Juliana Kanyomozi, a former karaoke singer in Kampala and one of the judges in last year’s Tusker Project Fame III.

Her duet with Tanzanian crooner Bushoke, Usiende, has been well received across East Africa, and continues to attract rave reviews.
Bushoke turned down an award for the song last year, clarifying that the kudos should have instead gone to Juliana.

Africa Insight is an initiative of the Nation Media Group’s Africa Media Network Project.