Liberia: Providence Baptist, MLMA to Honor Miatta Fahnbulleh
Liberian singer and advocate, Miatta Fahnbulleh.
Liberian singer and advocate, Miatta Fahnbulleh, will on separate occasions receive the Medallion Award from the Providence Baptist Church and the Lifetime Achievement award from MTN Liberia music awards.
Madam Fahnbulleh, who is recognized as one of Africa's finest voices, has over decades championed Liberian music arts and culture on the international scene, while at the same time advocating for women and girls.
“Every year we honor 1 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. For the 2021 Awards year, we have chosen Miatta Fahnbulleh as our Honoree,” MTN said in a statement. MTN described the singer as a pillar and inspiration to Liberian arts, music, and culture. “Miatta has been a pillar and inspiration to Liberian music, arts, and culture for generations,” MTN said.
The Church notes with thanks and appreciation to Madam Fahnbulleh for her countless contributions towards the body of Christ, the church, the Liberia Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention, Inc, and Liberians for which the anniversary committee of the Bicentennial celebration have decided to honor her on Sunday, December 26, 2021, at the conclusion of the event.
The Bicentennial is the annual celebration of the settlement of ex-slaves from the United States of America that resulted in the founding of the Republic in 1822. Liberia was established in 1822 by the American Colonization Society (ACS) to return ex-slaves from the United States of America to Africa, and concurrently, in 2022, will mark 200 years since the nation was established.
The final leg of this year’s celebration, under the theme, ‘Bridge to Providence: The Church That Built A Nation’, commenced on October 3, 2021, and will end on Sunday, December 26, 2021.
“This letter is also to formally inform you that the Bicentennial Committee has recommended that we honor you (for your numerous and dedicated services rendered the Kingdom of God, Providence Baptist Church, The Liberia Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention, Inc., and the people of Liberia.”
Her new song, titled ‘You Pray For Me’, is dedicated to the many lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview with the BBC, Madam Fahnbulleh said many people lost their loved ones due to the pandemic, and the song was recorded to give comfort to those who will listen to it.
“Everyday people were losing loved ones. Since it started in 2020, it has not stopped. Every week you hear about the sudden demise of loved ones,” she said.
According to her the song is an old-school song she remembered from the settlements in Monrovia during her childhood days, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought it back to her remembrance. “It's been in the back of my memories and what brought it back was the COVID-19,” she said.
She explained that, during the heat of the virus, she could talk to her family, friends, and relatives, both in the Diaspora and around Africa and each conversation ended spontaneously because everybody was facing an uncertain tomorrow.