xhosa.1637.kidjo
IZIGANEKO ezibini ezenzeka ebomini bukaAngélique Kidjo... Xa ecula eqongeni uye acele izihlwele ukuba zicule naye kwaye ngeny' imini wathi ecula kwikhonsathi eyayiseHouston, eTexas wabona bhinqa lithile lilila lo gama liculayo.
"Ingaba unengxaki?" yalibuza le mvumikazi yaseNtshona Afrika ekwangumqambi weengoma.
Laphendula lathi, "Ndililiswa luvuyo. Kwiminyaka embalwa edlulileyo ndafunyaniswa ukuba ndinomhlaza webele waza udadewethu wandidlalela umculo wakho. Ndandiwudlala xa ndandigula kwaye ngoku ndisindile!"
Kwenye ikhonsathi... eHarare, ngo-2006 uAngélique wayiyeka phakathi ingoma waya phambili eqongeni waza wathi: "Ngumntu onjani otshisa ilizwe lakhe aze axhwile abantu bakhe?
"Xa ungakwazi ukukhathalela abantu obaphetheyo awuyonkokheli. Loo nto ikwenza ube sisilwanyana. Xa uphila ngodushe uya kufa ngalo."
Ingxelo yeTime ithi amagosa eCentral Intelligence Organisation kaMugabe angxamela eqongeni kodwa izihlwele zawavalel' indlela zikhusela uKidjo.
Ezi ziganeko zibonisa inkolelo enzulu kaKidjo yokuba umculo uyabamanya abantu behlabathi kwaye uyalwa nengcinezelo.
Kunzima kwezolonwabo. Iimvumi eziliqela zeli zithi usakufikelela kwinqanaba elithile lempumelelo uba neentshaba namaphepha-ndaba abhala izinto ezimbi ngawe.
Nabaphengululi bamacwecwe babhala ngawe bathi "uphumile endleleni" - benza ngokungathi awukwazi ukukhula emculweni koko uya kusoloko ukhupha umculo ofanayo. Xa ungatshintshi bayakugxeka bathi uyoyika ukwenza into entsha.
Ukwabiwa komculo
UKidjo usoloko egxekwa ngokuba umculo wakhe awunguwo owaseAfrika.
"Ubizwa ngokuba yintoni umculo wamaNgesi? Ndicela nindixelele ukuba uyintoni na ukuze ndinichazele ngomculo wam. Ukho umntu obuza iRolling Stones ukuba zicula umculo wamaNgesi?"
Ngumba obalulekileyo lo eziza kuhlangabezana nawo iimvumi zeli lizwekazi xa zifikelela kumgangatho wehlabathi. Umculo wazo uza kwabelwa kwicandelo lomculo waseAfrika kuze kulindeleke ukuba zivelise isandi esifanayo sakwantu zisebenzise amagubu akwantu.
"Uninzi lwabaphengululi bomculo abazange balubeka eAfrika. Bawazi njani ke umculo waseAfrika?
"Nkqu nam andilwazi uhlobo lommculo endiwuculayo," itshilo le mvumikazi eyachongwa kwiimbasa zeGrammy izihlandlo ezine ngeengoma eziquka ethi Agolo, Ayé nethi Batonga. Uthetha iilwimi ezisibhozo ekukho kuzo isiFon, isiFrentshi, isiYoruba nesiNgesi.
Uthini ke kwabo abathi umculo wakhe ungumxube wesandi samandulo nesale mihla?
Eso "sisincomo" ezisiqhelileyo iimvumi zeli kodwa uKidjo akavumelani naso. "Umculo wam ngumculo nje qha. Ndiphenjelelwa ngumculo endandiwumamela ndiselula de kube ngoku," utshilo.
"Ziindidi ngeendidi zomculo ezindikhulisileyo emculweni. Ndimamela umculo wesintu, oweThe Beatles, oweRolling Stones, okaJames Brown, okaOtis Redding, okaCarlos Santana - nokuba ngokabani na.
"NdingumAfrika kwaye ndizisa inkcubeko yam eNtshona. Ndisebenzisa ubuchwepheshe, umculo opholileyo nejazz. Ndidibanisa izixhobo zam nezasentshona," utshilo ehleka.
E-Benin
U-Angélique wazalelwa eOuidah eBenin kwaye balithoba kokwabo. Waqal' ukungena emculweni xa abantakwabo besungul' iqela lomculo. Wayejuxuzela uJimi Hendrix noJames Brown eselula.
"Xa ndineminyaka emithandathu umama wasungula iqela lemiboniso. Kwakunzima ukufuman' inkxaso-mali yeli qela kodwa wazixelela ukuba uza kuqhubeka. Wathengisa iimpahla ukuze afumane imali," kutsho uKidjo.
Wambandakanya noKidjo kweli qela ngenxa yokuba embona ukuba uthand' umculo.
"Wathi 'Usoloko ucula ekhaya, ubalisa amabali, yiza uzokwenza loo nto eqongeni.'
"Ndandingcangcazela luloyiko mhla ndandiqala ukuba seqongeni! Wandityhala wathi: Yenza le nto uqhele ukuyenza. Yiba ngathi usekhaya. 'Yonwaba wena kuqala kuba loo nto yenza nabany' abantu bonwabe'. Ndaqala ngolo hlobo ukuba seqongeni," utshilo uKidjo.
Ukukhulela kwakhe eNtshona yeAfrika kwamxhobisa ngezakhono ezimncede xa efikelela kwinqanaba lokuba yimvumikazi yehlabathi.
"Indoda esasineminyaka emine yonke sithandana yandixelela ukuba ayisoze inditshate xa ndiseyimvumikazi. Ndavul' ucango ndathi kuyo, 'Phuma.' Kaloku xa uyintombi eziphethe kakuhle eBenin kufuneka utshate yaye uphangele e-ofisini."
UKidjo wayifulathela iBenin ngo-1983. Uthi iinkokheli zamakomanisi zeli lizwe zayalela iimvumi ukuba zincome iinkokheli zepolitiki xa zicula eqongeni. "Ndayenza izihlandlo ezimbalwa loo nto kodwa ndoyisakala," watsho kolunye udliwano-ndlebe.
"Ukuba ndandihlalile ndavakalis' izimvo zam ngenkqubo yepolotiki yeli lizwe ndandiza kubek' ubomi bam nobosapho lwam esichengeni."
E-Paris
Walifulathela ilizwe lakhe wayohlala eParis. I-Benin yayiphantsi kweFrance de yakhululeka ngoo-1960 yaye iParis yayinomculo onenkcubeko yaseAfrika.
"Ndanditshayela ezihotele ndibulawa yindlala kodwa ndandizimisele ukuhlupheka ukuze ndiphumelele emculweni. Ndandikholelwa kwilizwi lam."
Wenza izifundo zomculo weclassic waza wadibana nomyeni wakhe onguprodyusa uJean Hebrail eklasini. Ekupheleni koo-1980 wayeyenye yeemvumikazi ezithandwayo eParis.
Wafumana izivumelwano zokushicilela emva koko waza wakhupha amacwecwe afana nelithi Parakou nelithi Logozo aza amenza waduma kwihlabathi.
Ngo-1998 uKidjo, umyeni wakhe kunye nentombi yabo uNaima bafudukela eNew York waza apho wakhupha icwecwe lakhe elithi Oremi, cwecwe elo laliphanda ngobudlelwane bomculo weR&B neBenin neAfrika. Lalinengoma kaJimi Hendrix ethi Voodoo Chile kodwa ingekho ikatala kuyo koko uKidjo wayesebenzisa ilizwi lakhe njengezixhobo.
I-CD ethi Black Ivory Soul yayiphanda ngobudlelwane phakathi kweBenin neBahia eseBrazil ekwakuthunyelwa kuyo amakhoboka aseNtshona Afrika.
NgoJulayi 2002 uKidjo wonyulwa njengonozakuzaku weUNICEF wemfundo yabantwana nemfundiso ngokuthintela ukusasazeka kukagawulayo.
"Ibalulekile kakhulu kum imfundo kuba yonk' into ihambisana nayo, njengepolitiki nophuhliso.
"Ulutsha lulithemba lweli lizwekazi. Ndithi xa ndibona abantwana baseAfrika ndibe nethemba lokufezekiswa kwamaphupha. Ngeny' imini imfundo nempilo entle ziza kwenza eli lizwekazi liphumelele."
NgoMeyi uphehlelele iBatonga, ekuyinkqubo enceda ifundise amantombazana akumabanga aphantsi eBenin, eCameroon, eEthiopia, eMali naseSierra Leone ukuze akwazi ukuyofikelela kumabanga aphakamileyo naseyunivesithi.
Akanamkhethe
UKidjo ukhuphe iCD ethi Djin Djin ngoMeyi. Kuyo ucula noJosh Groban, uCarlos Santana, uAlicia Keys neziny' iimvumi eziphambili kwaye ifikelele kunombolo 1 kumanqwanqwa omculo wehlabathi weBillboard.
Isihloko sayo sithathelwe kwisandi esenziwa ziintsimbi zaseBenin ezintama imini entsha. Xa eqamba iingoma zakhe uzicula ezirekhoda kwitheyiphu aze umyeni wakhe azifake kwikhompyutha.
"Ndibulel' uThixo ngaye nangobukho beekhompyutha. Ndazi ntoni kaloku mna ngeekhompyutha? Zizinto zabantu abamhlophe ezo," utsho uAngélique.
Uthi xa echaza umyeni wakhe "umhlophe qhwa."
"Abantu bathi kum, 'Kutheni utshate nomntu omhlophe kangaka?' Ndiphendula ndithi 'Uyindoda. Andiboni mahluko mna.'"
Ukholelwa ekubeni umculo awunamkhethe ngokwebala. "Awukhethi bala nalwimi. Umculo uyaphilisa yaye umanya iintlanga ngeentlanga. Udambisa nemfazwe.
"Xa uphulaphule umculo uyalibala nokuba uculwa ngumntu onjani na, othetha luphi ulwimi. Nkqu neentshaba ziphulaphul' umculo ofanayo." [x]
BONA XHOSA - August 2007
Imvumikazi yaseBenin uAngélique Kidjo uyabonisa ukuba noxa uyimbalasane ekumgangatho wehlabathi uyancamathela kwiingcambu zakho - yaye usebenzis' umculo ukulwa nengcinezelo
IFOTO ENKULU: UKidjo akoyiki ukuthetha phandle ngomculo, ukungalingani kwezopolitiko neminy' imiba.
NGASENTLA EKHOHLO:UKidjo ecula, esazis' umculo wakhe okhethekileyo kwihlabathi.
EKHOHLO NANGEZANTSI: UKidjo uzimisele ngomsebenzi weUNICEF.
Uculela ihlabathi
BONA XHOSA - August 2007
kubhale uISAAC KWELA
kufote uGALLO IMAGES/AFP
u
t
BONA XHOSA - August 2005
"Lulutsha ithemba lelizwekazi laseAfrika," utsho uKidjo, okholelwa ekubeni imfundo isisombululo kwiingxaki zaseAfrika.
Xa ndibukele abantwana baseAfrika, ndiba nethemba lokufezekiswa kwamaphupha
