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Flashmag March 2020 www.flashmag.net
we have to be very careful about what we put out there. Records, last forever, it cannot be deleted easily. For example, has a journalist I would like you to ask Kanye West, how he feels about all the records he has done, now that he is in different state of mind? Talking a certain way about his now wife, and now that he has children with, how does he deal with?
You have been a goodwill ambassador of UNICEF, if I’m not mistaking. What is your take on this issue? Some say it’s better to focus on what type of children we are going to leave this world with, in spite of always focusing on what world we are going to leave for the next generations, because the world hasn’t failed humans, but humans have failed the world because they weren’t educated properly?
I believe, it’s important to think about now, to ensure a better tomorrow. What do we do now? if today things are not right, how can they be better tomorrow? They have to be taught real value. I think today school is overrated. People send their kids to school every day, and they don’t even know with whom their kids spend time with. It’s good to have knowledge, but it’s always better to have human value first. For example, they should teach history in America so that what happened won’t happen again.
Don’t you think it’s time for people and African descents specially, to investigate their own history?
Yes and no; because you have to be careful, not to use all your energy on what has been done before, and keep less, for what has to be done by you today, for a better tomorrow. It’s important to know our history, but, it’s also important to let go, sometimes, to grow. It’s important to talk about injustice. we have been victimized and still are, as I speak, I hold a smart phone in my hand, and we all know how all these gadgets we use every day are produced; using resources taken from Africa mainly unfairly. It’s important to know all that, so that we can challenge ourselves for a better future. We cannot always expect others to fight our fight. You don’t sometimes need to go to history book, to know your history. By the way they treat you, the way they look at you, when you go to certain places, today in America or in Europe as black, always remind you of what happened to you as people. In the western world, we pride ourselves into democracy, but what is democracy if there is no equality? We talk about Malcolm X, Patrice Lumumba, Martin Luther King, they all had different approaches, but they all had one thing in common. It’s that, they all had hope for a better future for their people. I think now, we have to reeducate people there is an information war that is going on, and you don’t have to believe no more everything you read. In that point I understand when you said people have to do their own researches.
You are an African artist, even if you have spent most of your career in the western world. How your African side, has affected your art and the person you are?
You know, where I come from never really mattered to me. But when I was in Germany people where coming to me, to ask where I was from. Just because I was a black girl, living in a white country. They never thought I was German. They never approached me like one of them. But I was proud of my roots. My father gave me most of my musical knowledge. At home he was playing records from Myriam Makeba Bob Marley, King Sunny Ade, Fela Kuti, and many others James Brown, Jimmy Cliff… he had eclectic musical taste. At 26, He came to Germany to study engineering, he was very proud of his African heritage, that he passed to me.
What means Ogun Makin in Yoruba?
Ogun is the god of war it’s an Orisha deity. The god of war… not in negative way.
Anyway, life is a battle and you better have the god of war in your side, isn’t it?
(laughs) didn’t want to give up that name like some people in my family. They are christian and they thought this name was going to be a curse for them. I disagree with that. I believe that name is a blessing.
I carry that name very well, there have been a lot of war in my life. (Laughs)
Royal your new album has 12 songs, and one of them is in French an interpretation of “etre ne quelque part” (born somewhere) from Maxime le Forestier, plus other remixes from Lhasa and the Jazz singer Abbey Lincoln. Why did you choose to add these songs in your album?
They are very important songs that I chose for a reason. Lhasa, is an artist that should have dominated my generation and even the next one. unfortunately, she passed away when she was just 37, that is 10 years ago. I discovered her music through the producer of my record. She was a very good friend of his, and he used to work with her. He wanted to pay tribute to her, and have people rediscover her. I was confused, embarrassed;