The ITK Q&A - NNEKA

We had a ‘virtual’ sit down with Nneka Egbuna, award winning musician (and something of a musical social commentator), before she set off on tour with Nas and Damien Marley and asked her a few questions about her travels and her West African experience:

- Where do you consider home and why? Where I feel comfortable and happy.

- What's the furthest you've been from home?  The furthest..when I am not myself, when I drift away from reality, lie to myself , lie to the music..this has happened many a times.

- Have you experienced culture shock? Where and when? In Germany, this was when I went there for the first time ever, the cold, the mentality, the people, the language, the food, and the style and standard of living..and of course the different things one experiences, both the good and the bad, meeting people and how they embrace something or someone who is different..

- You've just been on tour (in the States and Europe), what are your 3 travel essentials? Sweater, Bible, bag.

- Where have you visited in West Africa and where would you like to explore next? Benin, Ivory Coast ..like to explore; Ghana, Sierra Leone, Guinea

- Any travel tips/advice/suggestions for visitors to West Africa/Nigeria? Be open, not all of Africa is just negative, corrupt and full of aids and HIV, it might be part of reality, but there is more than that..culture, tradition, good people and talent.

- Hidden treasure - what's your favourite discovery so far? Your go-to place to eat/shop/hang out/escape to? It’s hidden it has to remain hidden, I am sorry can’t share?  And your favourite city in Nigeria/West Africa? My favourite city, for now, is Warri, because it is where I used to live and still is my hometown..place to visit is Abeokuta and Ife the origin of mankind.

- What are the last couple souvenirs you've picked up on your travels? A piece of cloth in Ivory Coast and a chain in Mauritius.

- Who/what is your favourite West African artist/group/track and why? Don't really have one, but I like Keziah Jones and Fela Kuti.

- Inspiration - what have you drawn from your experiences of West Africa/Nigeria? We evolve, change is constant.. it is up to us what we make of it.

- What are your hopes for West Africa/Nigeria? There is hope in the youth and the conscious ones, Africa will stand for itself. What would you like to see more of? (and less of?) In Nigeria, definitely more light and better roads, less cocaine addicts and happy children.

- What's your favourite comfort food? When food is cooked with love and passion you taste it..when it is done well with dedication it always is good no matter where you eat it..one of the places where I had really good food was in Kokodi in Ivory Coast.

- Where has been your favourite place to perform so far? My favourite place to perform was Port Harcourt where my crew and I almost got arrested for performing a song that had to do with the oil exploitation and present plight of the people living in the Niger Delta, and the corruption practised by our governing leaders and high class elites. You could feel and see the people singing their heart desire.

- Any upcoming things we should look out for? I'm on tour with Damian Marley and Nas on the Distant Relatives tour and will be touring Africa soon..coming to Ghana as well this year.

Watch Damien Marley and Nas talk about Africa, the Distant Relatives project and about working with Nneka at questionmarkmag.com

Pictures are from  www.jaguda.com (top) and www.nigeriamusicmovement.com (bottom).