AMI YEREWOLO – Maaya

Ami Yerewolo is the most important female hip-hop voice in Mali, indeed in all of West Africa. Against all social prejudices, this rapper, producer and organiser of her own women’s rap festival has established herself. Her lyrics inspire a generation of young African women to find their own voice and to live their femininity on their own terms. Yerewolo means „wild child“ in Bambara. And when Ami Yerewolo raps biting cascades over traditional African instruments and declares that she „will never submit“, she radiates not only a joy for life and resilience — but also provokes the guardians of conservative, patriarchal values. Jonathan Fischer