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Ivory Coast’s traditional music legend Allah Thérèse dies at 70

by Novieku Babatunde Adeola, 8:00am January 21, 2020,
Photo: Afrique Sur 7

Ivory Coast is mourning the passing of one of its iconic singers, Thérèse Allah, better known as Allah Thérèse.

The singer known for her unique style of music died at the Djekanou General Hospital after a short illness at age 70.

Following her death, President Alassane Ouattara, Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, and the Ivorian arts fraternity thronged social media to share their condolences. 

A revered music pioneer of traditional Ivorian music, she was made a Knight of the Ivorian Order of Merit in 2014. Her signature hairstyle, “Akôrou Koffié”, meaning “the wife of the spider” in Baoule) made her a known figure in Francophone Africa.

“It is with great sadness that I learned of the death of our dear Allah Thérèse, icon of traditional Ivorian music. Ivory Coast has just lost a great Lady, an artist admired by all, who will have marked many generations of Ivorians,” the president wrote in a social media post.

“I offer my sincere condolences to the family of our dear Allah Thérèse, to his relatives, as well as to the entire Ivorian Nation,” he added in another post.

Thérèse Allah formed a musical duet with her husband who died of natural causes on May 20, 2018. His death caused her to retire from music stating: “I can not go on anymore, we make a team, we make a pair, without him I can not continue to play”.

No official communication has been made with respect to funeral arrangements. 

Last Edited by:Kent Mensah Updated: January 21, 2020

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