Rokia Traoré – alumni

Rokia Traore was an active supporter of UNHCR between 2014 and 2018 and was appointed a Regional Goodwill Ambassador in 2016.

I want to try to bring the voices of refugees to decision-makers who can change their lives. As the world continues to witness record numbers forcibly displaced by wars and conflicts, I am grateful to be able to play a part in spotlighting this unprecedented refugee crisis.

Malian singer-songwriter Rokia Traoré was appointed a UNHCR Regional Goodwill Ambassador for West and Central Africa in 2016.

The award-winning musician has worked with UNHCR to raise awareness about the forcibly displaced, particularly in Africa, since 2014. She visited Malian refugees in Burkina Faso in 2014, performed at UNHCR’s annual Nansen Refugee Award ceremony in Geneva in 2014, and Glastonbury Festival in 2016.

To mark her appointment as Goodwill Ambassador, Rokia released a special video of the title track from her album “Ne So” which means “Home” in her native Bambara language and dedicated it to refugees displaced by the conflict that erupted in 2012 in northern Mali, as well as those displaced around the world.

UNHCR is grateful for the work Rokia has done to highlight the plight of forcibly displaced, especially in the Sahel region.