15:47 | Abuja, Nigeria, Dec. 26 (ANDINA).
Prominent Afro-Peruvian singer Susana Baca performed for the first time in Nigeria during the 6th OperAbuja concert early this month.
Baca, a former Culture Minister in Peru, was accompanied by the Abuja Metropolitan Music Society (AMEMUSO) choir members and performed ten songs, including one in English.
Although her rendition was of Latin America idiom, there were lots of similarities with African music. The most prominent was the ‘call and response’ pattern.
The closeness in this rhythm and style provided a soft landing for AMEMUSO choir members, who sang and danced alongside Baca and her musical team. Meanwhile, modern instrumentals complemented local drums and gongs to present a perfect ensemble.
Before her performance at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Dec. 1, Baca met with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, in his office in Nigeria's capital Abuja.
Mohammed described Baca as "mother of Africa who dedicated her life to the struggle for the emancipation of Africa and Latin America that have suffered slavery and racial discrimination," and said her visit "is a home coming because Africa remains the continent of the black race across the globe."
Moreover, Mohammed ordered the naming of a street in Abuja after the two-time Grammy Award winner.
Speaking earlier, Baca said that she was proud to be in Nigeria, being the largest country of black people in the World.
Maria Cecilia Toledo, wife of the German Ambassador to Peru, accompanied Baca to the FCT Minister’s office. Cecilia, as she is popularly called, is the founder of the Abuja Metropolitan Music Society and Artistic Director of OperAbuja.
Since the inception of the annual opera concert six years ago, AMEMUSO has entertained guests with classical opera and featured artists from several countries.
(END) DOP/RES/MOC/EEP
Published: 12/26/2012