“African Women Arise“, AWA KHIWE’s long-awaited debut, is out now. Its opening track Zizobuya challenges the misuse of Lobola by telling the story of a woman who reclaims her freedom by sending the cows back. The album continues with songs about child marriage, domestic violence, labor migration and economic survival rooted in real experiences.
The sound blends Southern African influences with contemporary hip hop. AWA’s flow is fast and direct, marked by the distinctive clicks of her Ndebele mother tongue. Produced by Ghanaian Stallion, featuring driving guitars, vocal harmonies by Zimbabwe’s Mokoomba and brass sections from Ghana’s Kwashibu Area Band. It’s a sonic journey that honors where she comes from and points towards a bright future.
The cows will be sent back!
Awa Khiwe
“My debut album, African Women Arise, is named after my name, A.W.A. Every track tells a story, drawn from my own experiences as a woman, but speaking to many, men included. The sound is unique: it blends Zimbabwe, Ghana, and beyond. Even if you don’t understand the language, you can still feel it.”
AWA KHIWE calls herself “the village girl who decided to go for it”. She grew up in Nkayi, a rural district in southwestern Zimbabwe, and began shaping her voice in the creative scene of Bulawayo. She later continued her journey in Bremen, Germany.
Today she moves fluidly between words. One moment she’s directing a music video on a village road, the next she’s dropping Ndebele bars in a Berlin studio on a remix of Peter Fox’s Amapiano hit “Zukunft Pink.” Back home in Zimbabwe, fans closely follow her journey. Many see her as someone who speaks from her global experience about the challenges they face.
The village girl has now seen the world and puts her experience into sound focusing on the realities of women in Zimbabwe that she cares for: where girls can be pushed into marriage, mothers raising children alone and young women face social pressures and economic challenges. AWA warns girls about men in flashy cars who offer empty promises, and she stands up for love that is built on choice rather than obligation.
I am the village girl, because I grew up in the village, and it’s important for me to say that so other girls from the village can see themselves through me.
Awa Khiwe
About the album:
We have been part of AWA’s inspiring journey since 2015, when we first met through Simbiz (KitschKrieg and Kyong Sono) and In Place of War. That same year, we invited AWA to perform at the Urban Africa Festival in Cologne. From there, we recorded early demos in Munich and set up her first sessions with Ghanaian Stallion, a renowned producer who has worked with Megaloh, Black Sherif, and Burna Boy. This collaboration turned out to be very productive, leading up to this great album. We are proud and happy to celebrate the realization of this special project, with the album finally seeing the light of day.
