A.W.A. (African Women Arise)

Biography

Awakhiwe Sibanda is also known by her stage name A.W.A. (African Women Arise). In 2012 the singer, who hails from Bulawayo, Zimbawe, began to rap, publishing songs in the Ndebele language about teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence. She has appeared on stage with artists such as Hip Hop Pantsula (South Africa), Symbiz (Germany) and the Digital Rebels (Zimbabwe). In addition she was a co-organizer of the music congress and festival “Urban Africa – My Future in 2020”, which took place in September 2016 at Bahnhof Ehrenfeld Club in Cologne. A.W.A. is considered one of the most interesting female voices in African hip hop. With unparalleled speed she uses the clicking sounds of her native language as rhythmic elements, lifting hip hop to a previously unknown level. Her debut album was both recorded and produced by the producer Ghanaian Stallion, who has made a name both for his artistic work with avant-garde hip hop jams in which he introduces African sounds and for appearing with revered Ghanaian musicians.