by Howard Campbell
Seattle, Washington – Last November when Oltanie Charles won Best Female Afro Caribbean Artist at the African Lifetime Awards in Seattle, Washington, the Haitian singer said staying true to her culture made the victory even more special.
Her song, Kale Kow, is done in her native Creole. It features fellow Haitian artist Toby Anbake.
“I have the opportunity to only sing in English but I don’t wanna do that ‘cause I have to remember where I’m coming from and everything I do is for my roots, my culture,” said Oltanie, who lives in Indiana.
The Haitian singer was born on Lagonave, an island in Haiti. It is 84 miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince. Oltanie spent most of her childhood there. Even after moving to Miami in 2010, staying true to her Haitian roots was important.
Ale Ale Net and Kondane, songs released in 2023 and 2021, respectively, also show Oltanie’s uncompromising dedication to the Haitian dialect and sound.
Being recognized by the African Lifetime Awards is also a personal triumph.
“This award means a lot to me because 2024 was a year of learning and experience. I started the year doubting myself and wanted to quit ‘cause it was really hard and I met a lot of disappointment in 2023, but it turned out to be the best year of my music career so far,” said Oltanie.
African Lifetime Awards
The African Lifetime Awards started in 2019. It was created by Davies Chirwa, a businessman from Zambia. He is also the head of Channel A TV and DC Productions. These companies focus on the latest trends in Africa. He has directed and produced documentaries for elite athletes including Richard Sherman, Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin.
Awards were handed out in over 30 categories at last November’s show.
