Last Tuesday, five-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo made history by becoming the first African musician to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Let me repeat that: the first African musician to be honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Africa is the cradle of humanity and the birthplace of music, so it is both surprising and shocking that this recognition took so long.

We congratulate Angélique Kidjo, who told the BBC that she wanted to dedicate the accolade to the continent of her birth. The Franco Beninese icon stated: “This star is for all the continent of Africa. Because if I was not African, would I be here?”

With a career spanning four decades, she reminded the world of the essential role Africans have played in shaping global music: “Without the blues brought by the slaves in America, there is no R&B, there is no rock and roll, there is no soul music, there is no jazz. All of it comes from Africa.”

She told BBC Focus on Africa that Africans must appreciate what they have given the world and invest in nurturing talent at home: “Let us celebrate our artists in their own right on the continent. Let us give them visibility and strength, because music creates economy.” Kidjo also urged African artists and governments to find ways to ensure that artists are paid royalties for their work and that their intellectual property is respected.

During the celebration, she remembered her roots and her late parents. She shared that she wished they could have been present to witness her success.

Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, praised Kidjo’s impact: “She has connected cultures, she has crossed borders, she has reminded audiences everywhere that while we may come from different backgrounds, her music unites in a way that few other things can.”

Congratulations to Angélique Kidjo, whose four-decade career has carried her across the world, sharing her voice and enriching countless lives. I am grateful that I once had the chance to see her perform, at a time when she was not yet widely known on this side of the Atlantic, and witness greatness.