South African rapper, writer and poet Sho Madjozi premiered the long-awaited video for her song Kona a few days after the one year anniversary of her debut album Limpopo Champions.
'Kona' means "we belong everywhere" in her native Xitsonga language. The music video is directed by Garth von Glehn and Sho Madjozi, and shot in Limpopo and USA.
The video opens with a captivating significant scene of Sho Madjozi in her village of Shirley, Limpopo, gathered around a group of people in the village whom I presume are her family. She tells them "I'm ready to leave now" and they ask her, "Are you ready to leave like that?" An older lady adds, "Going to Joburg looking like that.. Take those clothes off, people will laugh at you." One of the boys in the village chants: In Joburg people speak English. Young girl chants: Or Zulu. Sho Madjozi replies: I can go to Joburg like this! A lady chants while laughing: "With that Xibelani?!" Sho Madjozi replies: "I can even get to Hollywood dressed as I am." Then the whole group of people / family laugh at her sarcastically.
It has been a year since the release of Limpopo Champion's League which consists of 13 tracks, 5 features and 7 languages. Furthermore, the album has produced one platinum single (Huku), one gold single (Wakanda), two SAMA Awards and a BET Award.
Dispelling narratives and disrupting the status quo is synonymous with Sho Madjozi's brand. She dispels the notion that as Africans we have to dim our lights and shrink ourselves in order to fit in with the rest of the world. We often forget that the very same things we try to hide and frown upon are indeed what make us unique. Sho Madjozi has instead leveraged what makes her different- reminding us that we belong everywhere just the way we are. Her authenticity and how she embraces who she is have played a pivotal role of reminding us why representation matters, but this is no surprise as she once said in an interview her style is a representation of how a Black girl would have lived her life if colonialism and apartheid had not interrupted her. And this mindset is so powerful hence why little Black girls gravitate to her with admiration because they see themselves in her - she's showing them how to live like Care Free Black Girls in a world that's constantly hellbent on putting them in a box and looking down on their culture.
From home ground and international recognition to performing on stages across the globe while consistently cementing herself not only as an artist but also as an influential cultural icon; it has been a groundbreaking year for the Huku hitmaker, we cannot wait to see what she has in store in 2020.
In a world full of conformism; being a Sho Madjozi is a breath of fresh air.
Watch Kona musi video below: