Awakhiwe' s story of the village girl who went for it is simply amazing and beautifully told. Because I have lived in Africa all my life, I can visualise the lack, the feelings of despair and the desire to be more than the life you were born into. It's a familiar story of a humble girl, whose hardworking parents did everything they could to give her an education and a better life, only to cry when she told them that she wants to be a rapper and do music as a career.
In the follow up to making her mother cry, she has not dropped the ball as yet and it seems like all her childhood experiences have shaped her into becoming the rapper she is and the woman she always desired to be. It is easy to tell that in her rhymes, the word play and writing that it is coming from a place of goodness. A well exposed childhood with a myriad of experiences, her love for the land she was born in and intelligence that can only be achieved by someone who loves to learn and continues to do so.
Rap desires that you have content to talk about. And because of how she never could have imagined being signed by a German label, much of what she has had to share with her fans has been largely "self-praise" rap. This braggadocio stems from the feelings she had growing up with, the feeling of inadequacy. Her thinking that she will fail a local examination, that her parents wont approve and trying hard not to become a disgrace to the family considering the way in which careers within the music world tend to go in Zimbabwe.
I sought to have an interview with the rapper after her song Ngekebangimele was trending online. At first glance I thought she was not Zimbabwean, it felt too good to be our sound. Largely because our history has made us to believe that we cant be as good as we want to be. But that is quickly changing. All over the world, the footprint of this great nation is visible and fresh. New individuals armed with the passion and drive to succeed are climbing out of the pit of oppression and past colonial imbalances and proving to be good examples of hard work and perseverance.
There is no doubt that in a list of the top most influential young woman in Zimbabwe right now, Awakhiwe is among them because of her contribution to the culture of Ndebele people and her stance in guarding the very same culture that brought her to this place. She takes pride in her culture, wearing the traditional colours and dress whenever she performs. For our interview, she even wanted to put it on. I insisted she can be free because I wanted to have a laid back conversation with her on all the things that matter to her and needed her more relaxed than ever.
In a short space of time, she has managed to disrupt the ever growing rap landscape in Zimbabwe and be crowned, the Queen of Ndebele Rap proving once again that the landlocked state has what it takes to be as progressive as it can be. Hers is just another story amongst the many other names which have illuminated the nation. Danai Gurira, Shingai, Sha Sha are the closest that come into mind and for the little space we occupy in the continent geographically, we are proud with what we have accomplished individually and collectively within the arts and creative space. One wishes we could do the same in areas such as politics and humanitarian but maybe that too will change in the days to come, fingers crossed.
Listen to us speak on the death of Dancehall King, Soul Musaka, her growing up in rural Nkayi, her picking up rapping as a career and her move to Hamburg and how the world of music bows down to the Queen in spectacular fashion.
Click the picture below to listen to our #AthomewithAwakhiwe conversation.
