We didn’t invent Ebola – Kidjo

On the international broadcaster’s programme, ‘Talk to Al Jazeera,’  which was anchored by Phillips last Saturday, the Beninese star, speaking on reports circulated in the Western media about Africa, particularly since the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease, described them as “totally inaccurate.”She queried: “Do you think everybody in Africa has Ebola? That is the […]

On the international broadcaster’s programme, ‘Talk to Al Jazeera,’  which was anchored by Phillips last Saturday, the Beninese star, speaking on reports circulated in the Western media about Africa, particularly since the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease, described them as “totally inaccurate.”
She queried: “Do you think everybody in Africa has Ebola? That is the image you give to people. We didn’t invent Ebola.”
She added that: “It’s just a disease that exists there. Like, are we going to be blamed for inventing malaria too? If there is an Ebola outbreak in the Western world, will the media in the West treat it the same way?”
The music icon further expressed her disappointment with the way Western media portrays Africa “as a continent steeped in violence, victimhood and corruption.”
Kidjo noted that: “A success story in Africa doesn’t interest any media. They are so eager and hungry for horrible stories from Africa. Why?”
She added: “It looks like the West is the hyena, feeding on the misery of the African people. They should be ashamed doing this.”
Kidjo, who recently released a new album, ‘Eve,’ also just wrote her life story, ‘Spirit Rising,’ while still remaining a formidable presence on the world’s music stage.