“Freedom means I should take responsibility for myself and do things that I believe are good.” - Wiyaala (Ghana) 4/4

photo source: wiyaala.com

This is the final part of our conversation with Wiyaala, the Lionness of Africa. Wiyaala is from Funsi in the Upper West Region of Ghana. A global icon, she stands out with her distinct voice, her unique style and her dedicated engagement to support girls in her community to achieve their dreams.

In our conversation, she opens up about her childhood and her earliest influences (Part 1), and her journey as an artist, including bold choices about her music and stage persona (Part 2). She also talks about feminism and the work she does to combat child marriage and support girls and women in her community (Part 3). In this fourth part, Wiyaala shares her insights on life, freedom, and the impact she is influencing.

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You’re involved in social justice work, and one of the areas that stands out is the issue of child marriages. What inspired you to focus on child marriage as one of the causes you champion through your platform, your music, and your messages?

Well, I have seen child marriage so many times in my community, and in different parts of Africa. And as an African woman, when you go out there sometimes - maybe even all the time - you are like a walking gallery of all the problems and things that have happened. Many people are probably wondering if you have also been through it. Then, you are automatically turned into a mouthpiece. I believe that there are so many young girls who probably have even more talent than me. I have been lucky to have opportunities that they may not have had. So, if I find myself in a position to give a helping hand to a sister, a daughter, to make life better for them, I will do it. 

In my community, I can't be the only girl that can sing. I'm sure there are other girls, but they probably don't even know because there's no platform. There's nobody coming back to this community to even give them the time of day. Everything is done elsewhere, maybe in the big cities. I used to watch TV in the village, and they would be airing some children's shows. One day, I asked my mother when they would come to my village to do the show so that we could also perform. My mother would just laugh. Now I understand why she was laughing. The road to my village is not very good. Nobody even knows about Funsi. Even as I got very famous in Ghana, people didn't know where Funsi was until I started singing.

And what does giving a helping hand look like for you?

When I look back and think about all the girls who didn't get a chance, I do what I can to create those opportunities. 

When I was a child, I saw girls being taken from the market to be wives almost every market day. One day, it was supposed to be somebody who didn’t live far, and I was actually called to see if I could help, and I did. Then I decided that since nobody was coming to my community, and none of us had been able to do something, I'm going to create that platform that I wanted when I was a kid and I didn't get it. We all care but we can't all be at different places at the same time. So wherever I find myself, maybe I should also add my small contribution. So I decided to build these platforms, starting with an art center in the community to encourage the girls to come on that stage. I created a platform and we have beauty pageants. We have dance competitions. We have a drama club to encourage young girls in particular and also boys to use this platform to gain some self-confidence, show their talent to their parents, show the world, see themselves doing it and see the words of encouragement they are getting from around the world. I believe it will change a lot of things that some of them didn't know about. If I had this platform as a kid, only God knows, I would have cried. That is how I got involved in community and advocacy for the girl child. 

Have you seen an impact in your community, especially in terms of child marriage and its prevalence? 

For me, the impact has been great. I have seen it ever since we started the Girls’ Club. Actually, I wasn't the one who started this group. When I started going back home, one day about seven girls between the ages of eleven and thirteen came to my house and said, “sister Wiyaala, we are also dancers. We would like you to be our leader and teach us to dance. And when you're doing your shows, we want to come and dance for you.” 

I said okay, and each time we danced, they wanted to dance some more. So we formed the Girls’ Club. It was just the girls, and we started performing whenever we could. Their parents were happy, and other parents were like, “but my daughter can dance too, she must join.” Then during one of our performances, we had a talk with the whole community and I gave an example of myself and how all my talents would have been hidden if my parents had married me off.  I challenged them to think about how many girls’ dreams they’ve killed with child marriage. I encouraged them to allow the girls to go to school and gain knowledge, so that they would know what to do as they grow up. They will have enough knowledge to choose wisely. 

And did that make a difference?

The Club changed a lot of perceptions, because I also told them that their children need to be enrolled in school to join the club. So every child there has gone back to school. Some have become teachers, some are going to become nurses, and it's amazing. I didn’t even get involved financially. Some of the parents have seen what I'm doing, and they believe their daughters matter as much as their sons. They even asked us to also include boys, so we now call the group ‘Girls and Boys Club’.  And it's been really good because if you're teaching the girls, the boys should also join so that we teach one another, and change the mentality that girls must do things because they are girls, and boys must do things because they are boys. We get to know how we can all grow in a community and respect one another. We also have people always coming to give us advice and sending things to encourage the children and this helps them to become even more serious. So, that’s the impact for me. 

photo source: wiyaala.com

That’s very inspiring. I know you've touched a bit on the commodification of the bodies of female musicians and the timelines they give you within which you bloom. You're putting out your art and expressing yourself, and sometimes people describe it as provocative for a woman of your cultural background. What is your usual reaction to this? And how do you deal with some of those comments? 

I accept criticism, because even before I put out a video, I know it's not everybody that is going to like it. I always get people saying, “Oh, you're exposing your body. You're dancing too sexually” and all that. I am aware and it's my art. It’s part of my art. My dance moves, my dressing. What some people term as exposing my body has been done before. I'm not the first to do this. That is how I present my art. When I'm offstage, I'm in my normal clothes. But when I'm going on stage to portray my music and art, which is related to my African culture, all my costumes are inspired by traditional dancers. I enhance the traditional costume to fit my art and my body, because my body is different from any other person’s. So when people say I'm exposing myself, my dressing is not good, they're just hypocrites. And I refuse to agree with them that it’s raunchy. 

We have traditional sexy moves, we have traditional sexy songs that we sing so well. I have taken the same thing to the platform, and I'm singing about our culture. So sometimes I just don't let it get to me. It's art, and art can be crazy. I always pray that everybody would look at the beautiful side, but at the end of the day, I've psyched myself not to be angry because it’s not always going to be everybody that agrees with you. I concentrate on the people that see the art for what it is, and I just put my energy there. I don't have time for negativity because it takes me backwards and it’s a place I don't want to go to. I've locked that door. [Laughs]

[Laughs] It was interesting to learn that you design and sew your own stage outfits. How does that make you feel, using your hands and your many talents to create exactly what you want and present yourself that way?

Every time I'm making a costume and I go to pick the fabric, there's this excitement in my heart. I see the design in my head, the colour I want and how it's going to sit on my body. I always want everybody to know I decided to make my own costume by default. Initially, I couldn't make a dress. Well, maybe I could, but I just didn't know. And in those days, I'd go to a tailor or seamstress and they knew I didn't have money so they would have me going back and forth. I could only afford the material and I would ask them to help with making the costumes. If they agreed and I shared what I wanted, they would refuse because they thought I didn’t have money and so, I couldn’t tell them to make me short dresses.  They would just make the dress they wanted and tell me to take it. I would then take it home and cut it up into what I wanted. But when the tailor saw that I had cut the dress, they got really mad. This happened twice, and then I realized that I won't get the costumes I wanted from the shops. So I decided to make my own costumes. For the first few ones, I really destroyed the material. I wore it; it was in your face, but it made me stand out immediately. Some people were insulting it and I had to keep explaining until I said you know what, I'm not going to explain myself to anybody. If you don't like it, that's your problem. 

I kept doing it and getting better. Today, I have a very clear idea of what I want, and I know the body type I have, so I create what fits me. Now, I use traditional costumes more because it really makes the meaning of the dance and the music go together very well. It's like the music is talking to the dress and the dress is also talking to the music, and that is the power of African music. I design according to the dancing. I do a lot of African dances and I dance with my legs a lot so I cannot wear anything that will restrict my legs from jumping. That is how I make my costumes and I enjoy doing it.

That's wonderful! I know that you make a very intentional choice to honor African traditions and culture - specifically your own culture and tradition - while also pushing against certain things like child marriage that people have seen as part of our culture for a long time. How do you navigate that and create a balance between these two things that are clearly important to you? 

I’m able to do that, first with the help of social media, and then the messages in my songs. Yes, this is Africa, and this is who we are. But the world has moved and we have also moved. Yes, we are educated, but that doesn't mean that I will dump my traditional wear and wear only suits. Africa has changed. We have our troubles, but I will also show the positive side of Africa because the negative side has been shown almost every day. There are great Africans doing things; there are beautiful cities, towns, and countries around Africa.

There are some problems that I'm not waiting for anyone to come and help me solve because I know I can solve them myself. Every time I find the opportunity to solve a problem, I solve it. So that the rest of the world knows that we can do our thing. We are not perfect, just like any other place, but don't only project our bad side. That image will haunt us in different ways. So I will not allow that to happen. But at the same time, I do my best to still stay grounded because I'm from a home that will be embarrassed or a bit sad if I do some things that are inappropriate. Staying in my community has also kept me grounded, to always remind me where I came from, how lucky I am to be where I am and how I shouldn’t mess up this opportunity. For some of us, opportunities like this come every once in a while. 

So, keeping myself grounded has really helped me balance it all. I’m a human being, and I'm not perfect but I'm trying my best. It's not easy. That's why I can't wait to be able to also mentor one or a few singers, so that when they take on some of the work. I can’t do it alone. I need to involve more young women and even young men to join me in spreading these messages. I hope and I'm praying that I get the strength and the energy to get this done before the Lord calls me one day. [Laughs]

We hope there’s so many more years before that call. You touched on something very important, which is helping other young people, and I had a question about your connection to your community. We've seen videos of you walking in the morning to go get your Waakye and enjoying it. How has your community supported you with your music and also the causes you champion? 

The support I'm getting from the community has been good for the past three to four years. It wasn't like that when I moved back home. My community members were not ready to believe that I came home and still mingled with them. They would say things like, “You went to the white man's land. You went to heaven and you're coming back to this hell. This girl is not serious”. When I started with the girls that were dancing, some parents were not very happy. They thought I had failed and came to use the village children for my own gain. They wanted to see me in Europe living the “good life”, so they can believe that they can also go there. When I came back, it was not inspiring for them. 

I decided that I was not going to say anything. Just like my name, the doer knows what they're doing. I got my sisters and we started our own thing. We renovated some old buildings by ourselves, and within a few months, people started seeing something. They were like, “Wait a minute. We think this girl is doing something good. We shouldn't be like this. Let's help.” When we were building the Art Center and I explained to them what the center was for, they agreed that we didn't even have a place to meet for entertainment. So they came out and contributed free labor. Women fetched water, and men did the building. Everything changed. 

Now if I have a programme with the kids, I always have young boys come in to ask; “what do you need?” And before they realized, people were traveling from different parts of the world to Funsi to come and see the children play. Funsi is on the map. This is just something we all decided to come together to do. I can confidently say that people in Funsi have been very supportive. Ghana has become very supportive. And things are going well. My community members have been very supportive and protective. If you need anything, you just have to say it and they are around to help you. And they've seen the results of whatever impact that we have on the community. So it's become positive.

I’m glad it’s turned towards a positive direction. In a past interview you said, “I want to highlight the freedom to be free. To do things as a young woman.” This resonated, because my feminism is about freedom, liberation. It's about being able to do what I want to do, and achieve my dreams without all the limitations around me simply because I am a woman. What does freedom look like to you?

Oh wow! For me, freedom is… first of all, I'm happy. I'm comfortable and confident. I don't have to fight anybody for anything because I'm a woman. Things should be accessible to me, to exploit without being questioned just because I'm a woman. I should be listened to and taken very seriously, because I also have good ideas. And people should be willing to support me because they know I have something good, and not just because I am a woman. 

I should be able to speak my mind confidently without somebody coming to say, “You’re a woman, you can’t say that.” But more importantly, whatever a man can do, I am also going to do the same without being judged. I always say men and women are different. There are certain things that one can do and the other can’t do, and this is because of how we were born… nature. You can't fight the hand of God. But at the end of the day, we are all people and we should be free, given equal opportunities and allowed to try. 

Freedom is all of the things that I have mentioned: happiness, freedom to think, freedom to speak, freedom to choose who I want to marry, freedom to have a baby when I want to have it,.. free. Freedom also means I should take responsibility for myself and do things that I believe are good. 

And if you had all the freedom in the world today, what is one thing that you would do?

[Laughs] I don’t even know what I would do if I had all the freedom in the world. I would spread as much love as possible. Love will bring peace, joy, and work. It will stop egos, looking down on people, and fighting. When there is love, everybody is calm. With love, they say everything is possible. Everybody will be doing something positive. I will spread a lot of love.

That’s beautiful. And it reminds me; you mentioned that you love motorbikes. Tell us some more about that love.

I grew up riding motorbikes and running errands. I think one of the first things a lot of young people - both young women and men - in my region use is a motorbike. Everybody rides, and you don't even need a teacher. You teach yourself how to ride. Many of us start riding even before we get a license. So some of us really love motorbikes. In fact, we adore motorbikes. They are like number one, before even cars.

In my community, if you really want to impress someone, you buy them a motorbike, and you see the joy in their face. Our roads are such that a bike is faster than a car, so everybody loves it. I have another level of love for motorbikes, because when you ride a bike, it's like you're on top of the world. You're free, you’re flying, and you can feel the air. Motorbikes give me this feeling of freedom. I'm controlling the driver’s seat and I go where I want to go.

It's such a beautiful way to close out our conversation, taking that motorbike as a symbol of freedom. But before that, I’ll ask our Eyala closing question. What is your feminist life motto?

I would say: dare to be different. And I got this from people's words. They used to say, “You're so daring and different.” You don't care what people say. You are doing it in a different way. Don't be afraid to be different when you are doing it. Don't ask for permission. A lot of the time, we do that and we are held back. Just do it. When you are different, it’s good. So dare to be different. Go for it. That's me.

Thank you so much Wiyaala. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you enjoyed it as well. Is there something that you came into this interview thinking, “I'm going to talk about this” but our questions haven't led to that answer? This is your moment to share.

What can I say? I think I've said almost everything. Yes, I know sometimes people want to ask whether I’m married or not. That's another freedom part of my mind that I always say: as for that one, I like to keep it private.

[Laughs] And that’s a question we intentionally don’t ask. So we'll agree to keep that one private. 

Thank you Jama!

Thank you for the work you do to impact lives, and change communities and mindsets. Thank you so much, Wiyaala.

Enjoy the music!

Love Wiyaala’s music or looking for a chance to discover her incredible talents? Explore some of her songs on her website.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this fconversation. Let us know in the comments below, or let’s chat on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram @EyalaBlog.

“My feminism is to empower myself and empower the next generation of young women” - Wiyaala (Ghana) 3/4

photo source: wiyaala.com

Our conversation with the iconic Wiyaala continues. In the previous parts, she shared memories from her childhood and her earliest influences (Part 1), as well as her choice to sing in her language, the reception to her music in different parts of Ghana and the rest of the world, and some of the challenges she has faced (Part 2).

In this third part, we dive deeper into her experiences as a female artist in a male-dominated field, and she shares ideas on what women can do to resist and thrive against the misogyny in the music industry. We also explore her thoughts on feminism, and how she shows up as a feminist in the spaces she creates and has access to.

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I’m curious about what your experience has been in a male dominated industry. Have you faced challenges that happen specifically because you are a woman thriving in an industry controlled by male gatekeepers?

Oh, yes! It was right in my face as soon as I got into the industry. In fact, it was so in my face that you could almost touch it. That feeling… you could almost touch it. 

In what ways did you experience this?

In the songs you are about to sing; you would even have engineers trying to tweak your songs to sexualise you so that you can sell. They are only looking at your pretty face and how they can use your sexuality to make you a sex symbol. Many women were also just seeing us as people who were out there for the highest bidder. They saw us musicians as people who were looking for the guy with money to come and marry us, and then we would disappear. There was just this belief - and I think it is still there - that a woman can't handle the industry. That we are too fragile and won't be strong enough. So when you get into spaces and it's all men, they will try to undermine you. But we are all here to do business. If I can carry a baby in my stomach and push out a life, why would you think that I can’t handle the music business? There's nothing that a woman cannot handle. 

It wasn't easy. They tried to sexualise you and influence how you dress. You do the shows and it’s mostly the men or young boys that will show up to watch. And you start “making it”, people begin to harass you about having a baby. They would tell you things like, “your clock is ticking.” I'm always saying: this womb is my womb. I decide what is going to live there. Maybe I'm not ready yet. Maybe I can't have a kid. Maybe I already have a kid, or maybe I have adopted.  We are all from different backgrounds and we have things that we might place ahead of certain things. 

Another thing I was hearing was, “you are too dark, you should lighten your skin.” I haven’t had anybody try that with me now. It has changed and I'm very happy. But in the past, I was encouraged to bleach my skin and I said no. I'm not touching my expensive skin. This is me. If you don't like me, I'm sure some people will like me. 

It’s wild the things that female artists deal with, both within the industry and the wider public. 

Yes! I was even told that I needed to increase my buttocks. If I had a big bum, then I could shake it. But then, I'm here to sing and I'm not singing with my buttocks. Someone also told me to slow down and take my time because the things people were advising me to do were like bubble gum and would disappear quickly. That I would be replaceable. The industry would give me a short period of time and then lift someone else up.  

I also think that the reason the industry is male-dominated and has become a challenge is because almost every corner is taken by men. I don't know whether it's because women are not interested in these roles, or that we have our own ways of handling these roles, but we are not stepping forward. For example, I used to pick ideas from the guys that I started with. Almost all of them had at least a laptop in their bedrooms where they could make their own beats before they brought it to the studio. But many of the female artists would rely on the engineers for help. The guys were buying laptops and other instruments to learn how to make basic things. And this really motivated me and I started to reinvest in myself. I decided to get a laptop and a guitar so that I could also write my own songs. I’ve become really good at the guitar, and some of those guys are also great sound engineers now. 

What can be done to have more women in the industry investing in learning and growth in similar ways?

I just believe there's a way we women can do things on our own terms, in our own way, with our own energy and just create the right environment. We need women engineers and producers. There are not many. I don't know how many women own record labels, but we need women in all these roles. We can learn a lot of these things online. We can invest in the equipment. We can beat the narrative of just being a “pretty woman” in the industry. 

And when we get some experience and have made it to the top, set up the space to help another woman. So that when a sister comes to you, we help each other and cut out certain things that a man may have tried to do that has nothing to do with music. If many of us do this, we can also dominate in our own way. Men can do their thing, we can also do our thing and we'll all meet in the middle. 

I think it can be challenging, especially hearing some of the experiences you have shared. But it may very well be the challenge that’s needed to change the current reality.

It’s not just a one-day job. When you stay true to yourself and you take things step by step, you build and you grow. When you love something, enjoy it. It will grow with you and the older you get, the better you can get. And it's going to be forever.

In the end, I can also help somebody. I can help a sister. Because the journey is not easy. It wasn't easy, but all in all, I survived. I survived.

You have, and in such a beautiful and powerful way too. Some people have to do the hard work so other people don't have to suffer through the same things… Let's talk about feminism. Do you identify as a feminist? 

I always say this. I tell somebody that I'm a woman. I have my rights and I also have my responsibilities. I will do what I can do. I will do what I love. You will not stop me or look down on me because I'm a woman. I will respect you but you will respect me, too. I will dare to dream and sometimes stand out and be different. And you will not shut me up. 

If this and so many other positive things might come out strong and intimidate any man to call me a feminist, then yes, I am a feminist.

When did you come to that realization? Was it something that happened in your life or things that you observed around you? 

I didn't even know the word “feminist” meant all these things that a woman stands for. I think that I have been feminist from the word “go”, because I didn't do the ordinary. I played my football. I am muscular. I loved it. I didn't hide it. If you are a guy and you are rude to me, I would reply with the same energy to the extent that I got physical with some people. When I was growing up, I didn't do the usual, especially just because I am a woman. And these were just things I was doing out of passion and love. 

I look back now, and even at what I'm still doing now, and realise how difficult it has been. People would call me stubborn and say no one would marry me because I didn’t listen and I showed my muscles. I was told that I was too independent and that I should allow room for men to help me because I needed them. I was also told that I am “too know”, which is an expression for people who think they are too smart. And that was how some people related to me, and I always resisted it. 

When I finally got to hear the word “feminist” and I got to understand what it means, I was like, “Well, I guess I am a feminist.” And if anybody doesn’t understand that, that's their problem. I am a feminist. My feminism is to empower myself and empower the next generation of young women who want to also go out there and do something for themselves, because it's possible. I know it's difficult, but it's not as difficult as some people try to make it seem. So that's why I know and I always say, yes I am a feminist. 

I think that's a story that many feminists actually share. We believed this for a long time. We just did not know there was a name for it. Talking about names, you are known as “the lioness of Africa” and it’s how you introduced yourself at the start of this conversation. Did you choose this name, or was it given to you?

Well, two things. First of all, I chose the name because of Africa. Lions are found in Africa, and are considered the kings of the jungle. And since I'm the lioness, I am the queen. I’m very, very proud. And I chose that because when I step out there, yes, I am an African and I'm out here, but don't think I can be manipulated. You're not going to look down on me and try to be racist. I am the lioness of Africa, the queen of Africa, and I'm here to tell you about my continent. I will roar and you will hear my name. I am not against you. I'm just here to make friends and make music and go. I'm not coming to intimidate you. Don't be afraid of me. I'm not taking anything from you. Let's be friends and go on. 

When some people call me, they expect me to come as an African with a calabash. To fit their image of an African who is not educated, and just something to come and look at. So it was an opportunity for me to embrace my African-ness with pride and show them. I am African! I will teach you about Africa. But I'm not doing that with hate and racism or through being full of myself. I will take my time and teach you about my continent. I'm in a position to make a change, and the change must start with me. My attitude. My mentality. I am not mentally enslaved to anybody and I wasn't born a slave. And nobody's going to do that to me. 

“I am the lioness of Africa, the queen of Africa, and I’m here to tell you about my continent. I will roar and you will hear my name. ”

You realise that you are like a gallery, and an opportunity to showcase Africa in a good light. And I don't joke with these moments. I actually let people know this is who we are. I am proud of being an African woman and going out there to sing in my own language. And I also appreciate that there's so many people out there who listen, support, buy and really want to know about Africa. In the end, we are friends. And you know, the lioness is strong, it’s independent, it's a very majestic, very intelligent animal. It can hunt for itself. It doesn't need the lion to do that. It has babies and takes care of them. For me, every African woman is like that. We are all lionesses in our own right.

In the final part of this conversation, we chat with Wiyaala about the work she does in her community to uplift girls. She tells us about the impact of her actions, the support she receives from the community, and her vision of freedom for herself and for all girls and women. Click here to read this part.

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We’d love to hear your thoughts on this part. Let us know in the comments below, or let’s chat on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram @EyalaBlog.

Learn more about Wiyaala on her website, and follow her on social media @Wiyaala.

“I learned that I have to sing in my language to get to my people.” - Wiyaala (Ghana) 2/4

photo source: galahala.com

We are in conversation with Wiyaala, the Lionness of Africa and global music icon from Funsi in the Upper West Region of Ghana. In the first part, she shared memories from her childhood, as well as the people and spaces that inspired her journey. 

In this second part, she tells us about launching her career, making bold choices about language and appearance, and the challenges she faced as she carved out a place for herself in Ghana and globally. 

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You are described as the only woman in the world singing in Sissala. What inspired this decision, and is this tied to the concept of home that you talked about earlier?

The concept of home, yes. It was an intentional decision, and I think I was inspired by Madonna, but not really influenced by her real life, the way she dressed, or the way she talked. I don't think I've ever really been that influenced to copy somebody so much that I became them. She inspired me through her music and her dancing, but when I started singing, I was nothing like her. My voice was different. And I was singing in my language. 

I already spoke English and I could write in English. So when I wrote these songs from Madonna, I had to sing them in English. I later started singing only English songs because unfortunately, I didn’t have access to the videos of any African musician that sang in their own language. I didn't even know the likes of Angélique Kidjo and Brenda Fassie. I had never heard of them. I never saw them. All I saw was African Americans or white Americans singing. So it took me a long time before I saw African women also singing with more power. There was no internet available at the time, and so I could not access any videos. The only time I heard African women singing was with the Shaka Bundu Girls. Those were the tunes that we danced to in the village. 

So I started singing in English, and it was good. There were really some nice people who encouraged me, but they only started with giving me compliments. They would say, “Wow! You have something good. Keep going. You can sing in English but you sound so much like Celine Dion and the pop singers around the world. I don't think anybody can help you in this part of our world. If only you were born in America, you would be like Celine Dion.” That’s what I was always hearing. I think they meant well when they said that, but part of me was like “no, I don't have to go to America to make it. You guys must also appreciate what I'm doing.”

Was that when you made the decision to sing in Sissala?

At some point, I decided to go to the studio and record my songs. I didn't have any money, so I told the sound engineer that I would sing if they needed a backup singer. In return, they would record my songs. He and a producer that was there told me that my voice was really good. He also said the same thing about being in America. But then, he also asked me to sing in my language so that they could get a feel of that, too. I listened to his advice and I sounded even better. And that was it!

I learned that I have to sing in my language to get to my people. If I don't sing in the language that they understand, they'll probably not even realize the talent that I have. So when I started singing in my language, people from the villages and towns around were so happy. And they would talk about the message in my music, too. That was when the magic happened within my community, and I just blew up locally. Of course not with money, but I was popular. And everybody was like, “Wiyaala, you can sing!” 

What were the messages in your song at the time? It seems there was a strong connection there. 

For some reason, I just chose to sing about good things… education. I even did some songs about when I was asked to take my education seriously. So I ended up becoming the “goody-goody singer”. The first time I tried to sing about sexy songs, I got a bit of backlash, but gradually people just got used to me and said “she's an entertainer.” 

So, some of the decisions were deliberate. It got to a point where I just knew that I had to sing in my language if I really wanted to let my people feel my talent and support me. Then when I got the chance, I started adding the English which I was already doing. And then they knew, “she's not going anywhere. She's here with us”.

What was it like moving from becoming popular in your community and having your people appreciate your music, to becoming the global icon you are now? 

Well, it became the opposite. When I left my community and I kept singing in my language, the sounds and rhythms were amazing. I was lucky to meet my manager John, who decided to invest in the sound because it was great. But after we played for a while, the production needed to step up. And he said, “your voice is as good as any other artists around the world. You need some investment in the sound. If it's a local production that you are doing, we will follow that same production and rhythms from your country, but we'll bring it up to international standards.”

With that, I got to the bigger cities, even within Ghana. However, a new problem came up. People told me, “we don't understand you. The songs are nice, but we don't have a clue what you're talking about, so we can’t play them for you.” Now when you go abroad, they don't care if they don't understand the language. They can just feel the beauty of the art through my voice, the emotion, and the instrumentation. And to top it off, I just came out as an African woman who wasn't even trying to be anybody. I was not imitating anybody. I'm just here to be happy and make music, make friends. I'm just a simple Sissala girl who is following her dreams and I'm hoping I'll meet nice people like me. So, the people abroad got it quickly. 

And that wasn’t the same in Ghana?

In some parts of my country, people said no unless I sang in their languages as well, not just English. I realized that it’s the usual “okay, you're not from this area or from the same ethnic group”. And this is something they do amongst each other… We all do it in Ghana. It’s only recently that people are giving up the idea, and thinking “if we are all saying let's stop the tribalism, it starts now. We have to stop and just enjoy the music.” So it wasn't really a problem on the international platform. In my region, I was also very popular. But it was not the same in the bigger city of my country. 

And then gradually, the people realised that I was out there singing, and perhaps started feeling embarrassed that people from outside Ghana were singing and dancing to the rhythms of our own country when they weren’t. I think that helped to change the perception of many people in Ghana. At the end of the day, everybody just accepted me for who I am. And thanks to the education I was encouraged to take seriously, I was able to communicate these songs on the stage and explain them to the crowd in English, which is widely spoken around the world. 

This helped me and today, I can choose to sing in English or sing in my language. I can still express myself. This is why I always tell every young girl: no matter the talent you have, get as much information and education as you can. It may not only come from the classroom, but get it and add it to your craft. It will take you far.

You talk about the initial reception in the bigger city in Ghana, and how this may have been because of where you come from: Northern Ghana. Do you think that the shift in relation to your music has also influenced a change in perceptions? Would you say that your music is helping to bridge the divide?

Northern Ghana has always been seen to be the poorest among all the regions of the country. In fact, it was - and is still - considered the youngest region. So it's like the youngest always gets the last of everything. Unless you are the parents’ favorite, which means somebody who is part of making the decisions is from your region, so you’re prioritized. Unfortunately, the North always seems to get the last of everything that has to do with development. 

Things have changed quite a lot now, but during the time I came out as an artist, that really affected me. Unfortunately, for the few northerners that started singing, many of them didn't go to school and could not speak English very well to express themselves. It was very obvious during the interviews, especially on TV, when they would speak and you could immediately tell that they did not have a good formal education. But when they express themselves in their own languages, the messages in their music are full of wisdom. You know that they are intelligent, but they didn't get the chance to go to school. And there was a lot of poverty. 

So when I was coming out, people expected me to be the same. Unfortunately, I was not the northerner that they had in mind. When I started talking, everybody was quiet. So, I used the opportunity to also educate people about the North. It will shock you that there were people in Ghana who didn't think I was a Ghanaian. People in the entertainment industry thought I was born in Nigeria, South Africa, Togo, or Burkina Faso because they didn't even know there was a place called Funsi in the first place. All they know is the North, and when they say “North” it means one town or one region; that’s Tamale and we all spoke Dagbani. They had no clue that we have four northern regions, and we all speak different languages. The cultures are similar, but so different. But they almost boxed me into one: “You’re a northerner, so you must speak indigenous Hausa.” I realized that this was my opportunity to educate many Ghanaians who don't know anything about where I'm from. 

And have you seen any changes?

I started projecting the North a lot. We are getting better. And I also realized that every time I went back home, I should let people know where I came from. There's nothing embarrassing about it. Let everybody know your roots so that at the end of the day, we know that we are all the same and we all start from somewhere. I'm just an ordinary girl that decided to go for it.

Initially, I took it for granted. I'd go home and just live my life, and when it was time to go out and perform, I would do it. Then one day I got back home and I showed my house; everybody was shocked. It was my opportunity to show the rest of the world and Ghana that this is Wa, it's not Tamale. Tamale is different; the Upper East is different. But I always want to show it in a good light. Because if I'm preaching peace and I'm not peaceful myself, what am I doing?

In the third part of our conversation, Wiyaala shares her experience as a female artist shining in a male-dominated industry, her ideas for the growth and development of women in music, and her definitions of her feminism. Click here to continue reading.

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We’d love to hear your thoughts on this second part. Let us know in the comments below, or let’s chat on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram @EyalaBlog.

Learn more about Wiyaala on her website, and follow her on social media @Wiyaala.

“I'm just a simple Sissala girl who is following her dreams.” - Wiyaala (Ghana) 1/4

Photo source: wiyaala.com

For centuries, African women have used their voices and talents to lead and influence change in their communities. Art remains a powerful tool for social justice, and across the African continent and the diaspora, artists continue to contribute to our movements for justice and liberation. 

Wiyaala, the Lionness of Africa, is from Funsi in the Upper West Region of Ghana. A global icon, she stands out with her distinct voice, her unique style and her dedicated engagement to support girls in her community to achieve their dreams. 

In this conversation with Jama Jack, she opens up about her childhood and her earliest influences, and her journey as an artist, including bold choices about her music and stage persona (Part 2). She also talks about feminism and the work she does to combat child marriage and support girls and women in her community (Part 3). In the final part, Wiyaala shares her insights on life, freedom, and the impact she is influencing (Part 4).

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Wiyaala, it's almost surreal that we are on a group call with a global icon like yourself. Let’s start by having you tell us who you are. How do you like to introduce yourself?

My name is Wiyaala, the lioness of Africa. Because wherever I go, we roar! I'm a singer, songwriter, and dancer. And I do a little bit of acting.

Let’s get into the world of Wiyaala the lion cub. Where did you grow up and what was that experience like? What did you remember from your childhood?

I'm from a typical African home. My father is married to more than one wife. More than two, even. So you can imagine what the family system will be like. It's an extended family, where your father is also still responsible for his brother's children. And his brother is also kind of responsible for his children, in case he’s not around. That’s the system I grew up in: where a sister looks out for the sister’s children, and a neighbor looks out for the neighbor’s children. So, sometimes you are left with your neighbors when your parents go to work. 

As a child, I was running wild, playing, doing the usual things a typical African child will do. Sometimes we would go out and get into fun wrestling. You come back home and you are scolded a bit. I was in an environment where almost every parent took their child to school. It was like a competition on whose child was doing better. No one wanted their child to not be intelligent in the classroom. We would come home with our results, and if you did well, you would get treats. However, some of us were doing well, but not on the academic side. So childhood was a bit troublesome for me. 

In what ways?

I was seen to be a bit troublesome because I didn't want to write. I would rather be singing or dancing, which was good for me. However, they would tell me it was too much, and if I really wanted to go forward, I would have to like books and learn how to read and write. So that's childhood for me. I am the second born. We are eight girls and my mother is the first wife. And life has been up and down, up and down. I've lived in the village for a good amount of time to know how village life is. It’s either tough or fun, or very traditional. And I've also lived in a small town where life got much better. It also had a tough side, and then a really good side. Yes, I've grown in the village and in the town. But I still keep the balance. But now I'm back in the village.

You mentioned school and trying to find a balance between doing well with academics but also doing the things that you loved - the singing, the dancing. Where did the singing come from? What do you remember as the first time you started singing and thought: this is what I want to do?

Church! The first place was the church. Even though I had started singing, I didn't know it was a talent. I thought everybody was singing and so, I was also just singing. At the funerals in the village they would sing, and we all sang along. During wedding ceremonies, they would sing and then we all sang along. We used to have Jazz Night, too. 

But when I started singing, it just seemed to a lot of people that I was singing with a style that stood out. I was singing, dancing and drumming, and the excitement on my face made people laugh. For example, they could tell all of us, “okay, you're all going to move like this.” Everybody would move that way, but I’d put a bit of style into my movement. At that time, I didn't know it was even a talent until people started saying “she always does it extra. She's really good. You are very good at singing”. So that encouraged me. 

When I got the chance, I would go into the church, where they actually had a place just for singing after you pray. I just went straight to that section. That was also because my mother is a Catholic. And she used to take us to the church. And as she sang in the choir, I would babysit my sister. So every time they sang songs, I loved it. And I loved the piano they used to play. As time went on, I joined the choir. That was when I realised that I really liked to sing. And this was the only fun part of the church for me. Any other thing they are saying, I would always wait for the priest to turn around and say “now we're going to have something from the choir.” You would see me excited… then my voice would be there. So church was the first place. 

photo source: wiyaala.com

So you started nurturing it from childhood, then? At what point did you say, “I can make something bigger out of this?” Beyond just enjoying it as a child singing with everyone else in church, what was the click?

I saw people singing on TV and they were extra special for me, because they were wearing different costumes. They were singing, and there was one person singing and almost doing things I only do in my head. However, I was in an environment where nobody was telling me these other things that you can do when you are a good singer. Or teaching me things like “this is a stage and this person singing is a musician, a star, and then they dress up.” So in my head, I'm like “I've always been thinking about something like this.” But I was a bit worried that if I did that, they might not like it. 

Once I saw somebody singing, especially if it was a woman, I didn't care whether that was the best singer in the world. I saw someone singing for the first time and the music was so nice to my ears. People played musical instruments, and my brain went “poof”. This was what I wanted to be like when I grew up. I started imitating the singer, and the costumes were just amazing. She was almost everything I wanted to be, but I was just a kid growing up. When I tried to do that in real life, it was a challenge. People were like, “Are you crazy?”

How old were you at the time? 

I was just becoming a teenager. I think between thirteen and fifteen years. That's the age where you sometimes think you’ve conquered the world, and dominated it.

And this singer who you connected to so much… Do you remember who it was? 

It was Madonna! I remember it because it was the only tape that I found in my father's house in the next town. They had electricity, so whenever we went to spend holidays with him and my stepmom, his second wife, we got to watch television. So I just stumbled upon this tape, and it had “Madonna” written on it. I thought it was an action movie, and maybe the woman was the hero there. Then I saw this lady singing, and that was it. 

I can remember all the people around me at the time and what they said to me. I had just come from the village. I saw these things on the TV and as a teenager, still discovering myself, I would come out and reproduce the costumes in my own style. Then, I would start singing and some people would say, “you're making noise. Keep quiet! Seriously, this will not go anywhere.” Others would say “don’t mind her. You know she’s a bush girl, a village girl. She came here and she saw a TV for the first time. She’ll grow out of it. You know she's young, she doesn't know what she's doing.” 

How did that make you feel?

I don't know how, but there are some things that happen to you, and it doesn't matter how old you get, those words get to you. They stay with you. For me, I think they motivated me even though some of the words were very horrible. For some reason, I didn't get angry. I just used the anger in a positive light and I said, “I will show you that you are wrong about me.” It's like I was really trying to impress Madonna so much.

These were supposed to be bullying words, insults, or just innocent jokes they would laugh at me for. And I say they are bullies because nobody even said to me, “okay, this thing you like, maybe we should pay attention to it.” Nobody saw anything in music. All they saw was that music was only done in Europe. And it was done by women who were half naked and didn't wear clothes. So those people felt that they knew the distraction I was about to get myself involved in. 

In the next part of our conversation, Wiyaala talks about her choice to sing in her language, the reception to her music in different parts of Ghana and the rest of the world, and some of the challenges she has faced. Click here to read the second part.

Join the conversation

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this first part. Let us know in the comments below, or let’s chat on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram @EyalaBlog.

Learn more about Wiyaala on her website, and follow her on social media @Wiyaala.