Les Amazones d'Afrique - Flaws

'Wa Jo' features Nigerian singer Jemiriye —the newest addition of the ever-evolving collective— on lead vocals alongside founding member Mamani Keïta. The feisty, high-tempo track commands women of all shapes and sizes to unite on the dancefloor, ‘without fear or worry’. “In writing our new song ‘Wa Jo’, we wanted to create an anthem with a message that can make every woman feel great in their own skin. Women inflict an internal violence on themselves by the way that they view their bodies. We torment ourselves everyday by chasing certain body shapes and try to alter our physical appearance. But there is no such thing as the perfect body, so in this song we are simply saying: ‘Don’t hide, you are perfect as you are / Beautiful lady, come out and dance.’”

Ahead of their performance in Belfast, with the help of the Belfast International Arts Festival team, the band convened a meeting of women from across the city who represent a range of generations and different backgrounds, to engage in an open discussion about the themes of the song, and participate in the music video, which encapsulates the spirit of the song’s message.

Credits

• Director: Kennedy Junior Muntanga

• Executive Producer: Valérie Malot, 3D Family

• Producer/Editor: Odhrán Mullan

• Movement direction: Kennedy Junior Muntanga, Martina Mancini

• Cinematographer/visual direction: Manoel Akure

• Colourist: Cam Sander

• Make-up artist: Amy Dyas

• Location: ACE Space

Dancers

• ACE Dance and Music Youth and Fused: Elieth Davis, T’Chae Wilson, Neveah Beckford, Zachary Turner-Powell, Mei Shan Allen, Saffron McIntosh, Jesca Newman, Ethan Spence, Lleyla Wallace, Maya Suttenwood, Tahara Rowe, Jonella, Louise Seraton, Ashley Powell and Alesha Williams.