The 40 Most Powerful Celebrities In Africa - FORBES

Guess who are the most influential icons in contemporary African pop culture? 

In September, FORBES put out a request for nominations for a list of the 40 most powerful celebrities in contemporary Africa. Within three weeks, over 7,500 entries flooded in. This is the result of your choices. The debut list of The 40 Most Powerful Celebrities In Africa includes actors, cerebral authors, musicians, movie producers, supermodels, TV personalities and athletes, drawn from all across Africa and traverses the generational divide..

1. Chinua Achebe, 80, Novelist (Nigeria)

2. Youssou N'dour, 51, Musician (Senegal)

3. Didier Drogba, 33, Footballer (Cote D'Voire)

4. Angelique Kidjoe, 51, Musician (Benin Republic)

5. Akon, 38, Musician (Senegal)

6. Wole Soyinka, 77, Playwright (Nigeria)

7. Salif Keita, 62, Musician (Mali)

8. Yvonne Chaka Chaka, 46, (South African)

9. Oumou Sang, 43, Musician (Mali)

10. Femi Kuti, 49, Musician (Nigerian)

11. Toumani Diabaté, Malian, Musician

12. Oliver Mtukudzi, 59, Zimbabwean, Musician

13. Haile Gebrselassie, 38, Ethiopian, Athlete

14. Khaled Hadj Ibrahim, 51, Algerian, Musician

15. Samuel Eto'o, 30, Cameroonian, Soccer Player

16. Alek Wek, 34, Sudanese, Supermodel

17. Liya Kebede, 33, Ethiopian, Supermodel

18. Dobet Gnahoré, 29, Ivorian, Musician

19. Genevieve Nnaji, 32, Nigerian, Actress

20. Koffi Olomidé, 55, Congolese, Musician

21. Neill Blomkamp, 32, South African, Movie Director

22. Souad Massi, 39, Algerian, Musician

23. Baaba Maal, 58, Senegalese, Musician

24. Hugh Masekela, 72, South African, Musician

25. K'Naan, 33, Somali, Rapper

26. Amadou and Mariam, Malian, Musicians

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