GLOBAL STAR ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO CHAMPIONS ROTARY’S EFFORTS IN NEW SONG

In her new album, “Eve,” Grammy award winner Angélique Kidjo honors the women in Africa, and pays tribute to Rotary’s work to end polio worldwide.

The singer and activist from Benin chose to include Rotary in the soon-to-be-released video of the album’s signature song, “Eva.” Rotary’s presence in the video is no coincidence. The relationship between the singer dates back to 2011, when she joined about two dozen celebrities, including Jackie Chan, Jack Nicklaus, and Jane Goodall, in Rotary’s “This Close” polio awareness campaign.

“I am the cherry on top of the cake,” says Kidjo in an exclusive interview with Rotary News. “The important work is done by the people in the field.” With the voices of Kidjo and collaborator Nigerian signer Asa as a backdrop, the video shadows a young girl as she wanders about in an old novelty shop. The curious girl turns on an old TV and sees the singers on-screen, followed by footage of a Rotary Family Health Day project in South Africa.

She finds old photos and album covers of Kidjo and Asa and later, photos of polio survivors and polio immunization activities. The girl also finds a polio vaccine cooler used in immunization campaigns, and focuses on an "End Polio Now pin. 

In addition to Rotary’s prominent role in the video, Kidjo has lent her voice to the “This Close” campaign, and authored a 2011 World Polio Day op-ed and also attended a ceremony that illuminated the “End Polio Now” message on the New York Stock Exchange Building. She was also the keynote speaker at the 2012 Rotary World Peace Symposium and Rotary International Convention in Bangkok.

“It’s great for Rotary to have Angélique Kidjo as such an engaged supporter of polio eradication,” says Petina Dixon-Jenkins, Rotary’s PolioPlus communication manager. “When she talks about helping others -- particularly girls and women in Africa -- it’s clear that everything comes from the heart.”