Monika Njava
Musical family Growing up on the island of Madagascar in the southwest port of Morondava, Monika Njava was one of fifteen siblings in a very musical family. She began performing with her older brothers as lead vocalist at fourteen. Influenced by the traditional music of the local Bara and Antandroy cultures, Monika was also listening to Miriam Makeba and American soul. Makeba, Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner made a lasting impression on Monika. “They are the three great voices that have marked my life,” she says. National fame Heading south to the larger city of Toliara at eighteen she started her own group, performing in town and the surrounding villages. At the same time she opened a small snack bar featuring live music. This eventually grew into a real club, Galeha Dance, which is remembered in Toliara to this day. With the release of the hit song “Mausole”, Monika became a national celebrity. An attack on the money and power of elites, it was banned from the radio by the government. But this didn’t stop her from touring the entire island and becoming known as Madagascar’s greatest singer – with a reputation for exploding on stage. “The song had a big effect on people,” recounts Monika. “It’s from that time that I really started to transmit emotion to the audience.” Njava Moving to Europe in 1991 she and four siblings formed the group Njava with Monika on lead vocals. “We were creating our own musical style,” she says, “and I developed a special identity with a vocal timbre based on the Antandroy and Bara traditions.” A big break came in 1992 when Njava won the “Prix media” from Radio France Internationale. This led to a world tour of major festivals (Womad, Transmusicale, Africa Festival and others) and a contract with EMI records. Two superlative albums were released, Vetse and Source. Monika recounts, “I met great artists and had the immense pleasure of sharing the stage with one of my idols, Miriam Makeba.” Platinum album Meanwhile, Monika began working with the group [a5116] on the platinum album [r80510] (Sony Music) and joined the band on its subsequent world tour. She also added her voice to soundtracks for documentaries and ads (“Toumaii”, “Skoda”). In 2003 Monika and her sister Lala established a foundation to help poor women in their ancestral village of Vohipeno. To raise funds they created the a capella group Dames D’amour. An album, “Partages”, was recorded and released in 2005.
