Yvonne raised to top job at global composers body
SA songbird appointed vice-president of Cisac
South African songbird and humanitarian Yvonne Chaka Chaka has replaced her fellow African music star Angelique Kidjo as a vice-president of international Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (Cisac), a position Kidjo held since 2014.
Meanwhile, Swedish songwriter and producer Björn Kristian Ulvaeus, on the other hand, has been appointed Cisac president.
Chaka Chaka was appointed on May 28 and announced yesterday as one of the two new vice-presidents of Cisac, the body which has members in 120 countries that includes Africa and has been in existence since 1926.
Chaka Chaka, who has been in the music industry for 27 years, was appointed as a vice-president alongside Arturo Márquez, one of Mexico’s leading composers.
Cisac director-general, Gadi Oron, said: “Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Arturo Márquez are outstanding, inspirational creators, and I’m delighted Cisac will be able to benefit from their energy and authority in campaigning for creators worldwide.
They join us as vice-presidents at a critical moment for Cisac’s work, with millions of creators facing loss of their livelihoods and the challenge of rebuilding their careers. We are looking forward to our collaboration and their support.”
“She [Chaka Chaka] has become a champion for the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria, the United Nations MDG envoy for Africa, and the goodwill ambassador for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership. Nelson Mandela chose her as the first ambassador for his children’s fund.”
Cisac’s purpose is to protect the rights and promote the interests of creators across all regions of the world and artistic fields; music, audiovisual, drama, literature and visual arts. Its aim is to secure fair remuneration for creators for the use of their works anywhere in the world.
“In our work on global policy and legal affairs, we advocate in favour of the protection of authors’ rights/copyright, bringing the voice of creators to the heart of international legislative decision-making. We aim to foster a legislative environment that supports the cultural and creative industries, thereby contributing to both cultural diversity and economic growth worldwide,” the federation said in its statement.
Chaka Chaka could not immedaitley respond to questions sent to her.