Bella Bellow
Bella Bellow, born Georgette Nafiatou Adjoavi Bellow (1 January 1945 – 10 December 1973), was a Togolese singer-songwriter. Born in Tsévié, she died in a road accident in Lilikopé, a village between Tsévié and Agbélouvé, at the age of 28.
From childhood, her talent for music and her voice were noticed at home and at school, where she performed at festivities. Her musical career began at the French Cultural Centre in Lomé before she was invited to perform at the Dahomey independence celebrations in 1965. The following year, her participation in the first World Festival of Black Arts in Dakar, representing Togo, brought her to international attention.
In 1968, her former teacher Paul Ahyi introduced her to Togolese singer Gérard Akueson, who became her producer. He put her in contact with Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango, with whom she built her repertoire and recorded her first and only album, Rockia, released in 1969. Dibango also accompanied her in her early stage appearances and during the promotion of her album in France.
She performed on international stages, including the Olympia in Paris and the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Always dressed in wax print fabric, she sang mainly in her mother tongue, Mina (or Gen). With her husky voice, she helped spread Togolese and African music in the early 1970s. Returning to Togo in December 1973, she died the day after her arrival in a road accident at the age of 28. Although her career was brief, she influenced many artists, including Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo, who has covered Bella Bellow's songs such as Zelie and Blewu, performing the latter at the centenary of the 1918 Armistice. After her death, the BCEAO honoured her by printing her image on the 10,000 CFA franc banknote. She also appears on several Togolese stamps, and the anniversary of her death is commemorated each year in the country.
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