Quote

I had a very peripatetic childhood, so I bounced around. Lived in Ethiopia until I was, like, three or four and then lived between Ireland and London.

I did a long concert tour in England and Denmark and Sweden, and I also sang for the Soviet people, one of the finest musical audiences in the world.

I remember a tour where we played 50 cities in 56 days. We also went to Europe a couple of times.

I always traveled. I left Cameroon when I was 11 years old. I lived in the USA, in Switzerland.

I spent about a year traveling overland from Egypt through Sudan and Ethiopia, and eventually into East Africa.

In my town, and especially in my area, there were people from everywhere: Algerians, Senegalese, French people, Asians, all kinds of immigrants and natives, and everyone circulated.

Me and my brothers started a musical group early on, and we were playing in places where we really weren't supposed to be.

There's a similarity between European and North African folk musics.

From 'Embracing the Wide Sky', I went to the States, to Canada and to different parts of Europe as well. I gave interviews in several languages.

As a youngster, my parents made me aware that all that was from the African Diaspora belonged to me. So I came in with Caribbean music, African music, Latin music, gospel music and blues.