On Amie Dibba’s last trip to her home country of The Gambia she stumbled across a familiar land and a familiar tune. Dibba frequently heard the polyphonic version of her favorite song “African King” – the song that she wrote for her Child of Africa album had morphed into a popular cell phone ringtone. Those bobbing their heads to the catchy R & B/Reggae beat did not recognize Dibba’s face, but that was temporary. A couple years and awards later, Amie Dibba’s voice and face are recognizable to her fans in The Gambia, the United States, and everywhere in between.
Dibba got her start in music at an early age. As a kindergartner in Minneapolis, Dibba was introduced to music through the MacPhail Center for Music. That’s all she needed to get the ball rolling – in first grade she joined choir then started playing the violin – and she’s been entertaining ever since. In 2006 Dibba won the first ever Miss Gambia USA pageant and over the years she has shown her Gambian pride by creatively working for the African Broadcasting Network-America and writing for the Gambian Talents Web site. Right now, Dibba takes great pride in her most recent achievements.
Dibba recently won two awards through the First Annual Gambian Talents Awards: Most Outstanding Overseas Female Artist and The People’s Choice Award. And it was truly a decision of the people: judges counted for 50 percent of the vote while online votes and text messages from The Gambia counted for 25 percent each. Saying that Dibba is pleased is an understatement.
It was exciting to see how many people came out and voted online Dibba says.
And receiving support from all over the world only enforces Dibba’s goal of representing the African side of me as well as the side of me that was born and raised in America. She may be Texan-born and Minnesota-raised, but Dibba celebrates The Gambia 100 percent.
Dibba’s passion rests in music, but she also has a vested interested flexing her education. As a senior majoring in Marketing Communications at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, she’s keeping her mind open to other career options.
I want to sing but I also want to make sure that I utilize my education as well, she says.
And regardless of what she gets her hands on she ultimately hopes to become an international musician and bring the Gambian entertainment industry to the next level. And by the looks of it, she and the talented people of The Gambia are well on their way.
For more on Amie Dibba and her music, visit her myspace profile and this website.
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About Anna Otieno
Anna Otieno is a Special Correspondent for Mshale and reports on Faith, Politics, Health, Entertainment, and more. She enjoys various areas of media from print and television to research and analysis. She has a BA in Political Science with a focus on International Relations and an MA in Media Studies, Communication, both from Stanford University. She is also the founder and director of The Akinyi Foundation, an organization that focuses on humanitarian action by tying individual and group volunteers to domestic and international areas of need. Anna strives to disclose the most unique perspectives in life by utilizing the most creative styles. She’s always in search of answers…“Always the beautiful answer who asks a more beautiful question.” - e.e. cummings
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