"We Africans just don't know what we've given to the world," Angélique Kidjo said at the ceremony

🌐 Here's What Happened

Five-time Grammy award winner Angélique Kidjo, who made history on Tuesday to become the first African musician to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has told the BBC she wants to dedicate the accolade to the continent of her birth.

"This star is for all the continent of Africa. Because if I was not African, would I be here?" said the 66-year-old musical icon from Benin.

She reiterated her message, made at the ceremony in Los Angeles to mark her four-decade career, about the importance of Africans to the world of music.

📌 Key Details

"Without the blues brought by the slaves in America, there's no R&B, there's no rock and roll, there's no soul music, there's no jazz. All of it comes from Africa."

Kidjo told BBC Focus on Africa TV that Africans themselves needed to appreciate what they had given the world, and nurture talent at home.

"Let's celebrate our artists in their own right on the continent. Let's give them visibility, strength, because music creates economy," she said.

Most African artists - besides mega stars who have a global fanbase - struggle to make a living as they rarely get paid the royalties they are owed.

"We need to recognise our artists and create a system for them to make money on their continent and to participate also in creating jobs."

Angélique Kidjo has won fans across the world with her commanding voice and ability to fuse West African styles with funk, jazz and R&B

📰 Source: BBC Africa