Hawa Boussim (born c. 1971 in Kipoura, Boulgou Province, Burkina Faso) is a Burkinabé singer.

Biography

Hawa Boussim was born around 1971 in Kipoura, in the province of Boulgou, Burkina Faso, just a few kilometres from the border with

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. From the age of 14, she sang for her community for various occasions like baptisms, weddings and funerals but she wasn't given an opportunity of a complete education. She expresses herself and sings in the

Bissa language Bissa (or Bisa (singular), Bisan, Bissanno (plural)), is a Mande ethnic group of south-central Burkina Faso, northeastern Ghana and the northernmost tip of Togo. Their language, Bissa, is a Mande language that is related to, but not the same ...

. She became the third wife of a household with four wives.Bertrand Lavaine, "Hawa Boussim, le son du village remixé", ''

Radio France internationale Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of France. With 37.2 million listeners in 2014, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world, along with ...

'', 20 December 2017 (in French). In 2009, she took part in a contest organised by a local cultural association and won. Thanks to a member of her family, Jean-Pierre Boussim, director of a radio station in

Zabré Zabré is a town in the Zabré Department of Boulgou Province in south-eastern Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by ...

, the opportunity arose to record her first self-produced album, ''Môbidoré'', in 2011. She then agreed to associate her singing, with ancestral roots, with

Afropop African popular music (also styled Afropop, Afro-pop or Afro pop), like African traditional music, is vast and varied. Most contemporary genres of African popular music build on cross-pollination with western popular music. Many genres of po ...

instruments like those fashionable in neighbouring

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. She appeared on television as well as Festival MASA. She has performed in stages in

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

, from Burkina Faso to the

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

, in Europe and in the United States. In 2017, she released a second album, ''Mingoureza''. The album met success and notoriety for its cultural associations and its discussion of a social problem, food waste and waste in general. She was, meanwhile, spotted by

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

, especially by José da Silva. In April 2018, she won the Kundé d'Or.

References

Burkinabé women singers 1971 births Living people 21st-century Burkinabé people 20th-century women singers 21st-century women singers 20th-century Burkinabé people People from Centre-Est Region {{BurkinaFaso-bio-stub