'And never will I take it slow,
I'll give it more and more
I won't give up…
Cause I'm a womxn on a roll."
“WOLF AT NIGHT” was recorded in June 2019 and the release
scheduled for September 10th. Early in
September, wide-spread anger over violence against women and children erupted
into a movement across South Africa. Next thing, van Tonder found herself to be
part of a mass demonstration outside of Parliament in Cape Town on September
5th. Van Tonder says: “The energy was incredible. I felt our song come to life,
less than a week before its release. We wanted the song to speak about the
determination, drive, and power of the female life force through the woes and
reality of women’s plight throughout history, and this was so powerfully
expressed at the march as the womxn of South Africa came together.”
“I like this song because it talks about real issues that we're
facing as womxn, physically and emotionally, but it also has this groovy beat.”
says Tatenda wekwaTenzi. “Even if it's just 3 minutes, it's 3 minutes of
healing where you can move freely to the sound of womxn who acknowledge your
pain and uplift you at the same time.”
“Though the state of affairs in our city has us shaken to
the core, the fear we feel every day is not something unique to the women of
South Africa. The momentum of #metoo, and now the accountability and action we
are demanding with #enoughisenough will be the legacy and of our female
generation. We will not give up on changing our culture until our story,
womxn's story, as victims of gender violence has been thrust into the annals of
history and our sisters and daughters can live on more prosperous than we could
have ever dreamed of as young womxn. With our song Wolf at Night, we hope to
join countless other women in reclaiming our narrative as part of this
movement." said Van Tonder.
Shona lyrics were written by Tatenda wekwaTenzi, and the
English lyrics were written by Hannes Muller (Slow Jack) and Andrew McDermott
(Various Roots) as an ode to the power & unstoppable life-force of their
female partners-being fierce and assertive like a “a wolf at night”, with the
unrelenting determination of being “a womxn on a roll.”
The writing and recording of “WOLF AT NIGHT” was made
possible by Various Roots, an organization that funds projects by artists who
create socially conscious works that encourage and inspire openness. They
believe that diverse media helps more people to see themselves in other people
and everything around them.
In the effort to replace bigotry with empathy, to live in
Ubuntu, Various Roots operates charity-first fashion, publishes written
content, activates artists and musicians, and hosts events to introduce people
to ideas from people and places they least expect.
Various Roots met Malawian illustrator, Lambi Chibambo, at
their Creatives Mashup Party in Cape Town. Inspired by her beautiful soul, and
unique captivating, feminist artwork, they commissioned her to create a piece
that exudes divine feminine energy.
To spread the power of this image, they installed it as a
20ft mural in the middle of New York City with the help of seasoned artist Lexi
Bella. The mural was unveiled on 8 March, International Womxn’s Day.
They shared the image with two talented recording artists in
Cape Town; Jayme van Tonder and Tatenda wekwaTenzi and asked if they would team
up and create a song together, inspired by the illustration. The track exhibits
the diverse range and electricity, yet organic vibration that could only hail
from South Africa’s Rainbow Nation.
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