Musow Danse

LES AMAZONES D’AFRIQUE began in 2017 as a sisterly supergroup of singers from the West African region of Mali. Founded by Mamani Keïta, Mariam Doumbia (of Amadou and Mariam), and Oumou Sangare, and convened by French music-industry veteran Valerie Malot, the collective came together through a shared musical vision, as well as the goal of championing gender equality and bringing attention to the pressing issue of violence against women. The group takes their name from the Dahomey Amazons, an army of female warriors who solely protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey (in present-day Benin) for 200 years, beginning in the 17th century. They also drew inspiration from the Guinean all-female group, Les Amazones de Guinèe, who once fought as their country’s militia before becoming state-sponsored songbirds. Throughout Les Amazones d’Afrique’s short history, a number of members have rotated in and out of the group, including Beninoise Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo, Sangare, Rokia Koné, and Kandia Kouyaté, among others. In its current iteration, Keïta is the only member of the original trio who is still involved. For their new album, Musow Danse, Keïta is joined by Beninoise singer Fafa Ruffino, Ivorian songbirds Kandy Guira and Dobet Gnahoré, Nigerian singer Nneka, as well as Congolese star Alvie Bitemo. But even as their lineup has shifted, their ideals remain ironclad. “The name ‘Amazon,’ you see, comes from female warriors who were from the Benin empire,” Ruffino told the radio program Afropop Worldwide in 2019. “They had an army of females. And that’s why we call ourselves that, because we’re going on a war. It’s a war to defend women’s rights.”