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 Benin-born Kidjo and groups Y’en a marre from Senegal, le
Balai Citoyen from Burkina Faso and Lutte pour le Changement (LUCHA)
from the Democratic Republic of Congo have shown "exceptional
courage," Amnesty said.
"(They) have all proved themselves to be bold advocates for
human rights, using their talents to inspire others," Salil
Shetty, Amnesty’s secretary general, said in a statement.
Previous winners of the Ambassador of Conscience Award include
the late South African leader Nelson Mandela, Myanmar politician
Aung San Suu Kyi, the rock band U2, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and
American singer-songwriter Joan Baez.
Kidjo fled her homeland in the 1980s after being pressured to
perform for the country’s repressive regime.
In a 30-year career spawning 12 albums, she has been a prominent
campaigner for freedom of expression and against female genital
mutilation.
Y’en a marre (Fed Up) is a group of Senegalese rappers and
journalists who joined forces in 2011 to encourage young people
to register to vote in the country's election and exercise their
right to freedom of expression.
Y'en a marre has remained active since the election, hosting
meetings and urging the new government to implement promised
changes such as land reform, a key issue affecting Senegal's
rural poor.
Le Balai Citoyen (The Citizen's Broom) is a political grassroots
movement committed to peaceful protest. It was founded in 2013
by two musicians, reggae artist Sams’K Le Jah and rapper Smockey
(Serge Bambara).
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Le Balai Citoyen has voiced concerns about a range of issues from
corruption and land grabs to power cuts, and it has mobilized people
to claim their rights and fight impunity.
LUCHA is another community-based youth movement committed to
peaceful protest. It was created in Goma, eastern DRC, in 2012.
Its activism focuses on social issues, human rights and the
protection of civilians from armed groups. LUCHA advocates for
social justice and democratic governance through non-partisan and
non-violent actions.
Kidjo and her fellow awardees will be honored at a ceremony in
Dakar, Senegal, on May 28.
(Reporting by Astrid Zweynert, Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst. Please
credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson
Reuters, which covers humanitarian news, women's rights,
trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit
news.trust.org to see more stories)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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