Five decades after the death of Togolese diva Bella Bellow, she is the subject of a national tribute in Togo until February. This tribute is marked by various events: concert, book signing… The opportunity to look back on the history of this voice which rocked the period of independence.
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With our correspondent in Lomé, Peter Sassou Dogbé
Bella Bellow, whose real name is Georgette Nafiatou Adjoavi, was born in 1945 in Tsévié. Her talent quickly attracted admiration and made her known. In 1965, she performed in Dahomey for the independence festivities. But her captivating voice truly conquered Africa during her participation in the 1st Negro Arts Festival in Dakar in 1966. In 1969, she recorded her first album, Rockia.
Former Prime Minister Joseph Kokou Koffigoh was his guitarist in the orchestra, “ The Sans-Culottes » in high school, remembers well. “ First, she only sang in the local language and yet her singing had a universal accent. Bella Bellow sang with great emotion. Both a lot of emotion, but a lot of serenity “, he remembers.
Bella Below is all the rage at the Zénith in Paris and in Brazil. She was preparing for her American tour when, on December 10, 1973, returning from Atakpamé in Togo, she died in a tragic car accident at the age of 27. Her daughter Nadia, who was barely a year old when her mother died, is moved: “ It’s pride, it’s regret, it’s a whole. I wish she was here. I find that at this age, to already have this depth is a grace. »
Like a rose, Bella Bellow lived the moment of a morning. His works have been covered several times by great artists, Akofa Akoussah, Ribouem and Angélique Kidjo, among others.
Protect your works
Bella Bellow leaves unforgettable works thanks to her vocal beauty and deep wisdom. To mark this tribute, the government has decided to protect his works for another twenty years.
“ The protection of economic rights over artistic works, which today is fifty years post-mortem, was very recently extended from fifty years to seventy years post-mortem, in an emergency procedure by the government and this , to allow to the works of our national pride, Bella Bellow, to continue to be covered by economic rights. Otherwise, these works would fall into the public domain this very year, fifty years after his death. The government took it upon itself to take this initiative urgently and today, its works will be protected for another twenty years and the same will be true for the works of all Togolese artists. », Reports Kossi Gbényo Lamadokou, Minister of Culture and Tourism, speaking to Peter Sassou Dogbé.
Kossi Gbényo Lamadokou, Minister of Culture and Tourism of Togo
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