Togo

 

Afiwavi Mawaulana Missohou or Afia Mala as she is professionally known was born along the Mono River in the village of Vogan, in the middle of Togo. She has a voice as fluid as that river.

She has been called Princess Wa Benki Ya Mono “Princess of the banks of Mono” & much has been made of her royal lineage, but the real royalty is her voice. When she was small she often accompanied her mother to the traditional singing lessons of the Habobo women. Following this early influence she soon started singing at village functions where the young Afia stunned elders with her fantastic singing.

This was during the time of the great Bella Bellow, the Togolese Lady of the Blues, who died at the height of her fame. Bella Bellow was an inspiration to an entire generation of African singers, in particular the young Afia Mala.

In 1974 Afia Mala’s music career was launched when she won third prize in the Best Togolese singer of the year contest. However, her promising career was almost cut short following a near fatal traffic accident. She spent over six months in the hospital recovering & her musical career ground to an abrupt halt. However, the muses had other ideas of their own. In 1984 “Ten Homte” (Black Earth) was selected by Radio France International listeners as their favorite song during the Discovery talent competition. Now numerous releases later, Afia ranks firmly amongst the great African Diva’s. In 1992 she was nominated ‘Best African Female Vocalist’. The album Prophetie won her the Nelson Mandela Prize in Nairobi, Kenya. Her music, in seven Beninese & Togolese dialects as well as Swahili, French, English, & Spanish, is filled with emotion, faith, love, suffering, & pleasure.

On Angelina, the performers are: Afia Mala – vocals; Yves Ndjock – keyboards, drum programming, & backing vocals; Hilaire Penda – bass; Nicholas Gueret – saxophone; Xavier Jouvelet – percussion; with Bibi Dens & Les Marybas – backing vocals

 Afia Mala – Angelina, Melody 505932, 1997. 

decryption code in comments

Tracklist –

Segne

Angelina

Asseye

Abalipoe

Stostke (Le Pardon)

Azon (Dieu)

Ten Homte

Remake (Refais)

Kokolile

Saxontosa

Akpeedje

Relax & enjoy,

NØ