Enzo Ikah

EARTH ARTIST AWARD:2024

Enzo Ikah was honoured for his outstanding artistic contribution that Heals and Unites Humanity, Preserves and Renews Culture and Regenerates our One Home, Earth.

GIFTS TO HOME FOR HUMANITY AND THE WORLD:

Songs specially composed for One Home Journey and other Home for Humanity Films:

• Pioneering Pathways

• Agents of Transformation

BIO:

Enzo İkah, artist, reggae musician, composer, songwriter, author, and film actor, was born and raised in the DR of Congo, sings in French, English, Lingala, Turkish, Italian, Spanish, German and other languages.

He is an educational psychologist, graduated from Sorbonne University, Paris, with a Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies from Hacettepe University, Turkey.

Enzo is the winner of the 2015 “Humanitarian World Star of Peace’’ Award, based on a music documentary about his life called ''Refugee here I am'' (directed by Eda Elif Tibet).

Enzo began as a chorus member in church at the age of 11, and learned accordion, piano, electronic and bass guitar. With 19, he became a songwriter. Enzo made his debut with Koffi Olomide, Alpha Blondy, Tiken Jah and performed with many international artists.

After his studies in Paris, he returned 2006 to his home country. Yet the struggle he expressed through his music forced him to flee. After singing a song named “Brutal Soldier”, which tried to raise awareness about the soldiers’ rape and exploitation of children in the field of coltan in the east of Congo Democratic, Enzo was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison. At that point, the corrupt system that he had been criticizing worked to his advantage, as he was able to bribe the soldiers and flee. Intending to return to Paris, he was stopped, without visa, in Istanbul which later granted him exile. Later he was officially recognized by UNHCR as a “Political refugee”.

Enzo had to deal with a lot of hardship, like sleeping 3 days in Istanbul’s Gezi Park after 78 days in detention. He managed to sleep in a train station for one month where he wrote his first song in Turkey: No Home. He then worked as a porter to earn money, and came across a music store. The store owner gifted Enzo a guitar which allowed him to return to his music career. Determined to make his way, two years later, he released his first solo maxi single album “Red, Black & White” (2010). One year later, Enzo launched the full album "Rainbow". Later followed “Welcome to İstanbul” (2013), “Evolution _Revolution” (2014), “Love is Love” (2016) and “Radio Gun Machine” (2017).

Enzo, who has a beautiful son of six years, called Afa, wrote six children's fables (2016). In 2023 he published his autobiographic account “İnvisible Chains”.