By Taiwo Okanlawon
Ivorian American, Kassianah Aya Joint (Kassy), has urged Nigerian artistes to collaborate more with their African brothers, particularly from the Francophone countries, rather than doing more international collaborations.
She was all praise for African artists in general and Nigeria music in particular and its success on the world stage.
“African artists have come very very far in the music entertainment industry in recent years. To hear a Davido or Burna Boy playing on the radio in New York or London now is a normal thing.
“Non-Africans are even starting to have their eyes more on Africa due to this. Tourism & visa requests have skyrocketed. I think we are where we need to be. At this moment in time, and we should keep moving forward and keep capitalizing on it. Where the improvement lies is on the continent itself.
“I think more collaborations are needed to push the momentum. Francophone, Lusophone even the East African & South African artists can continue to collaborate and get the music out there. It can’t all be just Nigerian artists on the airwaves in other countries,” she said.
She added that “Many Anglophone artists have requested to come to Francophone cities to perform. And we have assisted with that. In the past year artists such as Rema, Burna Boy, Wande Coal, Wizkid and many other artists have come in to Abidjan and a few other cities to perform as well as having collaborations with both communities in various aspects.
“We are around and bringing the latest news to the public. Personally, my work in the diaspora through the UN has always been to assist the African and Caribbean communities.
Kassianah Aya Joint (Kassy) who is passionate about oneness and unity of Africa, majored in Finance & International (Foreign) Affairs. Living in New York, the stock exchange and being financially empowered intrigued her.
She started working on Wall Street as an analyst. It gave her experience and skills with understanding money, the economy and business.
She registered her business in 2014 and started her entrepreneurial journey. As she grew, so did her passion for empowering her people back home. An opportunity at the UN presented itself after many organizing many protest rallies throughout America and she took it.
“I believe in young leaders in government, politics and diplomacy, especially within the African Diaspora for our people. I vow to continue to be a voice for us. Its my passion,” she had cheekily voiced her mind
Her company, Joint Venture Group LLC, was registered in the State of NY, USA. They have different subsidiaries which includes FrancoSuite & Kuziva Foundation as well as other business ventures
After relocating from her home country of Cote d’ Ivoire, Kassy as she’s fondly called, settled in New York, New York, USA upon completion of her undergraduate education in Foreign Affairs and Finance at Pace University.
Along the line she noticed a gap in media companies that represent Francophone artists, interests, companies and culture. There are numerous outlets that publicize what’s happening in pop culture in the United States and many Anglophone countries, offering platforms to celebrities as well as up and coming artists, influencers and creatives in general.
This type of platform was lacking in her home country and Francophone countries in general, and she decided to do something about it.
Kassianah is also a humanitarian with passion to work for the betterment of the black race. She has a plan to run an NGO to be called called Kuziva By Kassy to help young ladies finish their education and start their careers. Her primary passion is advocating for Africans living in the Diaspora for years.
She was the recipient of the 2018 Peace Ambassador Award by her peers at the United Peace Federation at the UN. She served that year very much at the best of her ability. But the work always continues.
