to the ranks of a legend. maker was 18 when she left nigeria and wound up in a german often it's for young adults today she's an internationally acclaimed musician. and 3 women who hit their musical stride by navigating different cultures. father is denying and her mother german moving from africa to hamburg at the age of 12 was a shock she experienced racism and suffered exclusion since the day music critics often compare her to the greats of soul and the believe. that. if. you are. a kid joy has been a leading light in the music industry for decades then she's won 3 grammys and the

world music category she rejects that label as too restrictive. her role models range from the south african singer mary emma keva to jimi hendrix. for job and to. nick a feels most at home here in the nigerian capital lagos even though she lived in hamburg for years. it's a great determination to forge a towards making her own music. fuse elements of hip hop soul african music under a strong helping africa a. such

. was a magical chill and i'm sorry key george lucas music straddles the continents but none of the singers are committed to a single musical style of cash agree and each has developed her own unique sound there they've build international audiences by working in europe all 3 regularly returned to africa this film explores how they transnational experiences have shaped a music. what kind of music do you make when you grow up in gonna be mean or nigeria and then spend a large part of your life in europe. now has the 3 process their experiences of rootlessness and of leaving their childhood homes. and

how did going back influenced their creative output. nicholas father is nigerian her mother german and she grew up in nigeria in africa she was teased in nigeria she sang at school and in the church choir there were no other opportunities to make music. or i in nigeria i was too noisy to think. there was one even if only for the noise in the news just family and. these kids will. see me was young and old there's a lot of things that well. it's not like i wanted to be but does do even. engaging in that is like yeah no this. is not happening. witchcraft that is worrying you.

you must be here and we've all said so we want to. remove it from you know. your. world. but today she's making music after all. naked as the youngest of 4 siblings had german mother left the family when a car was 2 years old and returned to hamburg alone. it was 982 and the start of a traumatic phase in acres life. the children suffered years of abuse at the hands of their stepmother. but never does not speak about her past from early on she sort of focused on her goals and the positive things in her life finding comfort in

a christian faith and its music. it provides an outlet for he experiences and history channel. and. when she was 18 nicole and her brother left their father's home and sought shelter with their biological mother in germany but she had no room for them all alone they turned to the city for help. hamburg was the city way. you could get some really good social help. so yeah i'm in the river missions us it's the foyer bitch trust is the people that actually. took me and so that's hamburg and then after that obviously i got i kind of got transferred to. ca told issues hime.

them denounce their they took care of me for a couple of years and that's my relationship to hamburg mainly obviously because the i feel like they embraced me and they were people who were very nice to me when i 1st came here who were willing to yet to show me a path and give me opportunities. which i might have not had when allison thank you. nic i learned german fast she got a high school diploma within 18 months and graduated from university with a degree in ethnology anthropology and african studies though she had to work on jobs to finance his studies she still found time to sing and play guitar. she was introduced to hip hop by german producer d.j. father hot the pair continue to collaborate in the studio to this day. she left

handed more than 15 years ago but she occasionally comes back to visit and to work her management agency is based here. and of course she performs here too like at the big jazz festival in hamburg stockman's. how different her life is today it's love but everything she's been through resurfaces time and again in music and lyrics. make me they. throw. in this man.

down. found her way managing to put in a difficult past behind her now she wants to give something back many of her lyrics are political taking aim at injustice environmental destruction and find.

she uses her international natural easy to promote humanitarian projects lending her voice to those who would otherwise go on her. voice to condemn the nigerian terrorist group boko haram and back overnight as ations that helped former child soldiers and advance women's rights. the be. right. give me. the last.

live. live. live. live. my. friends is a common destination for refugees and migrants from former french colonies in africa. and chile kidjo arrived in paris after fleeing binny's communist dictatorship more than 35 years ago. today she can't walk down the street without being recognized. to. and she's much in demand as an interview guest she's been invited to god you know but today to talk about her autobiography.

i mean. with the animated nature she brings the studio to life singing chatting and spreading an infectious good mood. in the interview she recounts how she left her hometown of course to new and then in and came to paris without any money or a job. the parents who stayed behind in africa feared for their young daughters welfare in the big city where one could quickly had the skids in her autobiography entitled spirit rising my life my music she describes this time of her life. and imagine and imagine. like nica she to manage to keep her head above the water by working odd jobs. as long as i could pay my rent and have enough to eat well to be honest i didn't eat enough which wasn't so bad my passion for music supported me i knew if i worked hard and kept on at my music then i would get there eventually. my music she happy

by it's evident that angelica life and music are defined by her thirst for freedom her embrace of different cultures a self-confident joy and experimentation and a commitment to stand up for others traits she says she owes to his liberal minded and culturally astute parents are the mark of. it all began in kota new where i grew up i dedicated the book to my father he always brought music and books home and encouraged us to play sports these pleasures always had an educational value my dad was keen to couple learning with fun. i wrote the book mainly to be a few prejudices about africa. despite all the misery there's joy there too it's not like everyone in africa is suffering. freedom of speech was part of the way of life in my family home. everyone had the right to speak freely our father

and mother were ahead of their time. but i don't want anyone to write that about me later i want to tell my own story now to tell the truth about what i am and what is going on in africa today a lot is happening in africa right now a lot of rapid changes people think this continent will never amount to anything but it's moving ahead. he said. there's still time for a quick photo shoot at the radio station angelica he chose day is full of appointments and everything is tightly timed after all she is not in paris as much as she used to be and she's got a lot to do when she is. she still feels at home here in france the former colonial ruler of her homeland binny

. clearly french culture has inspired and influenced her but it's safe to say that she's mastered the art of assimilating other cultures and creating something uniquely her. was. for instance by drawing an unexpected visitor from piaf swilled wearisome songs. even the rehearsal as a joy not least because she's being accompanied by the playwright director actor and festival director olivier peak. was the. lives of. the last. hour the battle to.

come. come. come come come. she truly loves the dynamic culture of paris home tuna ray of good recording studios enticing shops and a large african community. she lives with her husband and manages the basis joy in play in a small house on the outskirts of town when she's not in new york dineen over somewhere else that has. really doesn't put on any airs and graces she cooks herself and likes to show off her cousin eric talents. oh.

yes i'm making chicken and shrimps. some thai. is the next everything together whether it's food or music i mix it all up taieb in a nice french whatever i feel like as a child in between under leak was exposed to music from all over the world his father owned an extensive record collection and played the banjo the mother ran a theater play the clarinet and selling. but after a regime change everything was different. the communist banned all music even on the radio which had played everything until then all sorts of music all a sudden boom you got up in the morning and heard get ready for the revolution the fight goes on and you heard the same when you went to bed too it went on all day always the same old news from the same regime but there was no news from the rest

of the world. it was dangerous to listen to the french radio station f e or other foreign broadcasts if a neighbor heard you you could be denounced as a traitor it was a far cry from freedom. liberty of it. had become a star in the knee in the country's marxist regime expected her to sing propaganda songs and was displeased when she refused. she was afraid she'd end up in prison. in 1982 she fled to paris on a small plane. when i arrived in france i caught up with all the music i missed out on. french music english american even classical

music. the 1st thing i did was literally day the music. i listen to anything i hadn't heard before and i'm still discovering new things today i was always curious about what people here were doing. and it's a good. function excess paris broadened her musical horizons it was here that she studied singing as well as law for a while and then developed a profile as a human rights activist after launching her career with african songs and performances that she developed from traditional dances she came to work with such big music industry names as peter gabriel conason tana joss stone and alicia keys. on her travels and on tour she discovered influences of african music all over the world. when ever i was in the u.s. or brazil where ever i was i always discovered something of my continent the club

the rhythm that came with the slaves. all these rhythms are based on the weather to quarter 4 quarter a 6 quarter time. when i'm making music i never get out of time if i listen to the club then i know exactly where i am. in. the music of africa has had a profound influence on the world music and there are a few genres where its presence is as strongly felt as in latin american music. blending it into any as it came naturally to under a leaky jewel who is fluent in spanish.

pct. yeah of course was german grandfather worked on ships in hamburg through its port the city has always been a gateway to the world. that was sometimes still feels alien and unwelcome

it's different when she gets to work here she's surrounded by musicians and dancers from all over the world people of all different skin colors and all regions. she spent the 1st 2 years of her life in ghana and other african countries with her mother a german development aid worker and her canadian father the musician she was 12 when the family moved to hamburg it was hard to adjust to a new culture a new mindset and who had german school was she was the only pupil with dark skin. is it so him or his t.c.k. so i describe myself as a t.c.k. 3rd culture kid. my mother's from hamburg where we're shooting right now. and my father is from ghana. he was born and raised in eastern gonna so i have an entirely

different culture namely in the 3rd culture and that's exactly how i see music music is the personal 3rd culture it's everything that is inside you the output is indefinable for me output is always indefinable i like artists who work like that and i draw inspiration from very different things. it's about i recorded my nephew's heart be i wait i'll show you. i mix that with this. man. yes and it's a backyard in senegal indycar and this was the result. of

. the sounds of africa a continuous source of inspiration for your cultural. the continent is abuzz with music it's not a cliché but reality as we discover in the canadian capital accra. in the district of jamestown a different tune reverberates from every street side stall. we hear after pop and afro beat as well as contemporary hits created on computers just like songs anywhere else in the world and yet there's something quintessentially african about them.

africa doesn't just inspire through its music this is an artist and scores where yasser likes to buy fabrics she finds ideas for his stage shows and music video costumes here. the author of the. today she's looking for fabric for a head scarf. to choose my favorite. things. most like you put. it with 3 yards what we do is she has never turned her back on africa she still feels at home his she says and it's more relaxed here than in europe. in ghana she tells us

she never feels misunderstood never out of place will stand out and if a chance because of her origin. this also is where she reconnects to her musical roots the music she heard in a child it. yeah i was growing up here you are continuously exposed to music. and of course the biggest musical influence was my father who was a high life musician. as he had a rehearsal room in our house and rehearsals were always on saturdays at 4 o'clock . am starts on feel. my and my father taught me how to play the john by a little our traditional drum and my mother introduced me to piano. i had piano lessons but it was all very classical i had a very strict piano teacher here in akra. i actually only played mozart and the

like with him which i hated. and so when i got home i mostly did my own songs with a few notes or chords that i already knew. but i must. tell you today you cut his music is rooted somewhere between africa and europe like 1000000. people today she said once adrift and at home in several places at the same time. her worldview is all encompassing taking in different languages and cultures but her lifestyle is also complicated. recordings for a video clip with abandon across. from

riyadh. and. freedom is within you is the message of his song diamonds the diamonds of life are yours save the lyrics it's you and nobody else who can crack your code to freedom. that. maybe i. was called back and is european and they rehearsed regularly in paris but the musical lunatics is a group here and across a bridge to africa that helps her to stay in touch with her good name and roots. they currently working on a musical it's a big project that will still take time and work to put together. but now

they're rehearsing the song teacher. each. generation. they write you start to change. a right you start to change. preparing. your clothes so it is a musical comedian who effortlessly transforms have voice from velvety soft money

and fragile to powerful soul to. get closer write songs about people why. they come why they go why they fall in love she has called her style soul seeking music.

it's february and cold in paris. nikka arrived the previous day commuting between continents as part of the music business. all 3 sing is returned to the french capital frequently to record which also infuses their music with european influences. from nick has brought some recordings from lagos ideas for new songs to develop in the studio here. she meets up with musician plays and money and

a producer she worked with both on her last album was. more. than what he wanted to blaze records named his voice on the computer playing the preprinted used backing tracks overhead fence. he never worked for. he never would have for example. the family lived down because studio work and lyrics are strongly shaped by her life experiences and spirituality. down the tracks step by step and dabs over onto her own original recording. did blaze get it down on his laptop. because happy i had already done some recordings at home on my

computer. back with just with the guitar. and i can misty has to do to do something else but then we ended up recording it on now it's because the song it's done within $24.00 i was. giving. back. you never want to work for me. you never heard from me. and.

it started snowing. nicus freezing. escaping european winters was one of the motivation factors behind her decision to go back to nigeria. when you're listening to the music can you tell whether it was written and produced under the african sun or in snowy paris. and does world travel and constant exposure to new influences really multi musical style.

yet we are very receptive beings i guess for i know as also as a musician. you hear something somewhere you might not be aware that you are taking that information in until maybe a year after. you know and then you hear it in your record saw yeah i would see differently traveling around not just staying in please but just traveling and meeting all of them was a shan's playing on different stages. color choices even food can influence your sound like that we knew cuckoo all. the winds that i see specific types of food can influence how you because then that can also have an effect on how you cook for yourself and how you cook also shows how you make music so all. the

cold cold. inspires you lot. as the snow is falling now i mean i don't listen to much these but this can't just inspire me to like i don't know when i created something. that was written on the rhythm is maybe. dragged up part so it's not like come on. it's not it's not the rhythm that musical to take it will be like maybe too. do. you know what it's still there so africa is in between i knew it was on the surface. if you can see that.

african rhythms feature strongly in all 3 women's music. and there's another thing that makes them stand out a voice a cadence that is clearly african in origin and very hard to copy. we've. had.

wound was. from africa via europe to new york. a few years ago and adopted the city as her 3rd. today she's on her way to the united nations she's been a unicef goodwill ambassador since 2002. i want to make up. a sign from her humanitarian work she also regularly hosts a current affairs program for the un website. 21st century french episode 69 her music has always appealed for peaceful coexistence between races and the sexes. as a presenter she embodies a life lived between continents and cultures

a citizen of the world in the truest sense. of evil i mean for the media. back on our age. once again his schedule is tight she squeezes in a small studio session with her band. a song about people who exert control over a country's government. leak

. the adventure of music began with personal a people and migration. 3 have make cross cultural innovation their guiding principle and the source of their inspiration. all the places i've been have shaped the person i am i travel because i have the health and strength to do so and counters with other cultures allow us to grow and recognize the world and its globalism. you are stuck in your own blinkered world where everything is only black or white instead the world has all the colors of the rainbow. the fear of the foreign leads to the creation of isolated worlds and truths. but you can't just live for yourself. i always say hate

and love aren't forces generated from outside and they come from within us. they took almost the same. and when that you know 100 years everyone will be t.c.k. . the case meaning by cultural and multicultural. as i think many people find it mentally strenuous because then you can no longer say what is what and who comes from where. so it's making older people a little nervous. and many people have put my music in a specific box or john or they would see it's afro pop some would see it's off contemporary afrobeat some would see it's hip hop so some would see it's conscious . i would say it's all of the. conscious.

life electronic synthetic authentic. chemical. organic. it's a frequency. that's. functionally kids will. need and you're caught 3 musicians at home between continents it's in a music that they have forged their identity music that knows no exclusion and transcends boundaries.

the. grand vision. grand deception. like. the perpetrators from the past. they promised huge profits for everyone but there. for themselves and inside towns. made in missouri. 90 minutes on t w. blinds us is on its way to bring you more conservation. how do we make city screen or how can we protect habitats we can make a difference google ideas into a series of global food 1000 on g.w.

and online. the time and place captured in pictures. images of cars on the. loose studios our cars documents lives in bygone eras. and leads to those living today. they are guarding gaza's past in a box. a legacy in black and white. collective memories start of august 14th on t.w. .

this is the w. news live from a 3rd night of protests in belarus software disputes its presidential election. tom uses the vote was nigh the fray no fair and is considering sanctions meanwhile the main opposition leader fearing for good servants safety has fled to lithuania titles.