“Christy Essien-Igbokwe”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

Christy Uduak Essien-Igbokwe MFR (11 November 1960 – 30 June 2011) was a Nigerian musician and actress. In her life time, she was sometimes called Nigeria's Lady of Songs and was known for her song "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDrApu9APBk Seun Rere]". She was the first female president of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN). She was also the chairwoman and managing director of Soul Train entertainment limited.

Essien-Igbokwe sang her songs in Igbo, Ibibio, Efik, Hausa, Yoruba as well as in English. Essien's fluency in Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, English and her native Ibibio earned her an appeal which cut across tribal lines. She died in an undisclosed hospital in Lagos.^[1]

Early life

Essien-Igbokwe was born in Okat, Onna Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. She lost her mother at the age of 12 and her father in 2005. Growing up she lived in Aba, Abia State with her late mother's friend who encouraged her singing career and bought her a fairly used cassette player to record her songs.

Career

Essien-Igbokwe began her musical career in Secondary School singing at various clubs such as Uka Onu's Club and Unikoko in Aba, Abia State. She featured on a programme called 'Now Sound' on the Nigerian Television Authority Channel 6, Aba . During that time, a show called 'The New Masquerade' was also airing on the same station . During a taping of one of the show's episodes, she corrected a cast member who rehearsed his lines incorrectly, thereafter she was offered a role in the series. In 1976 she joined the cast of 'The New Masquerade'and played the role of Akpenor, the wife of the cantankerous character, Jegede Sokoya (played by Claude Eke).Her role on that popular show put her in the limelight and in 1977 she launched a professional music career by releasing her debut album called 'Freedom'. Many of her albums became hit records, but none came close to the success of her 1981 hit album 'Ever Liked My Person' produced by Lemmy Jackson.

Always at the forefront of issues affecting women and children, she played roles in some of the early Nollywood flicks such as 'Flesh and Blood' and 'Scars of Womanhood', both of which addressed issues of child abuse and female circumcision. With a desire to make life better for Nigerian artists,she is credited as having initiated the first meeting that brought about the formation of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria in 1981. A year later, the association was founded and King Sunny Adé became the president with the late Sonny Okosun serving as his vice, while she was the national treasurer. Between 1996 and 1999, she became the first female president of the association. The Akwa Ibom born performer featured in many national and international shows and also had the honour of composing and performing what would later be known as her state's informal anthem, "Akwa Ibom Mmi (My Akwa Ibom)" in 1987, its year of creation. She operated a shop in Etinan, her native town in Akwa Ibom State where she sold industrial printing machines.

Family

She got married in October 1979 to Chief Edwin Chukwunenye Igbokwe the then managing director of Punch Newspapers, till her time of death she remained married with four male children. They are Mr Obiora Chukwuemeka Igbokwe, Mr Chinwuba Kenechukwu [https://www.facebook.com/KAKA.IGBOKWE Kaka] Igbokwe, Mr Solomon Chukwukadibia Olubunmi Igbokwe and Mr Lucky Samuel Azubueze Igbokwe. Her grand Children are Miss Elizabeth Uduak Igbokwe, Miss Christiana Chizaramekpeleamaka Ijeoma Igboke and Master David Igbokwe

International Awards

Local Awards

Posthumous Honours and Awards

Matronship/Extra Curricula Positions

Charity Programmes

Her Charity programmes dated back to 1980 when she started championing the cause of the less privileged in our society especially the Nigerian Child. This is also evidenced in her works such as:

In fact Royalty from the sales of her past albums remains directed towards charity projects and the needy in our society.

Charity And Tourism Projects

Some Of Her Other Outstanding Achievements

Later life and Death

Close to the time of her death, she was involved in private business, running the non-governmental organisation "Essential Child Care Foundation" involved in child welfare needs and rights as well. Her recent public outings include the Inspire Africa Benefit Concert in January 2009, where she performed alongside her son Kaka and the MTN Musical Festival, a musical show of old and new-breed musicians in 2009.

Her second son, Kaka is also towing the music line. He is a hip hop artiste and producer. One of her earliest albums 'Ever Liked my Person' sold above platinum till date. So popular was one of its hit songs '[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDrApu9APBk Seun Rere]', that a number of African countries have sung their own version. The singer intended to spend the day with the less-privileged children as she has always done over the years.^[3]

Awards and honours

Essien-Igbokwe won several awards throughout her career including Nigerian lady of songs award which she received in 1984, Africa music mother award 1984, International special achievement award in Mexico in 1983, world song festival award, Los Angeles, queen of music international award association of theatre arts practitioners in Lagos in 1996 and outstanding achievement in female uplifting. She also contributed enormously to nation building, peace and tolerance – which, alongside moral uprightness, remain constant themes of her songs.

Discography

References

1. ^{{Cite news|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/07/how-christy-essien-died-50/|title=How Christy Essien died @ 50 - Vanguard News|date=2011-07-01|work=Vanguard News|access-date=2018-05-24|language=en-US}}
2. ^{{cite news|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/11/google-doodle-celebrates-christy-essien-igbokwes-58th-posthumous-birthday/|title=Google Doodle celebrates Christy Essien-Igbokwe’s 58th posthumous birthday|date=November 11, 2018|accessdate=November 11, 2018|publisher=The Vanguard}}
3. ^{{cite web|url=http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5640824-146/christy_essien_igbokwe_turns_50_today.csp|title=Christy Essien turns 50 Today - Next.com}}
4. ^{{cite web|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201107011094.html|date=July 1, 2011|title=Nigeria: Music Diva, Christy Essien-Igbokwe, Dies At 50|website=AllAfrica|author1=Dave Oludare Oso|author2=Abimbola Adebayo}}
5. ^{{cite news|url=http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/07/life-and-times-of-christy-essien-igbokwe/|title=Life and times of Christy Essien-Igbokwe|author1=Ogbonna Amadi|author2=Kate Obodo|date=July 3, 2011|publisher=The Vanguard}}
6. ^{{Cite web | url = https://www.google.com/doodles/christy-essien-igbokwes-58th-birthday | title= Christy Essien Igbokwe’s 58th Birthday | website = google.com | language=en | access-date=2018-11-11}}
7. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.konga.com/all-of-a-sudden-the-greatest-hits-1066130|title=Buy All of a Sudden (The Greatest Hits) in Music CDs from Books & Media Library - Konga Online Shopping|website=www.konga.com}}

External links