West Papua freedom song features on new album Keleketla!

July 8, 2020

A song featuring West Papua independence leader Benny Wenda has been released on a new album. Keleketla! is an expansive collaborative project, reaching outward from Johannesburg to London, Lagos, Los Angeles and West Papua.

“Keleketla!” started as a musical meeting ground between Ninja Tune co-founders Coldcut and a cadre of South African musicians, including the South African-accented jazz styles of Sibusile Xaba, and rapper Yugen Blakrok (Black Panther OST). From those initial sessions, the record grew to encompass a wider web of musical luminaries, including Afrobeat architects, the late pioneer Tony Allen and Dele Sosimi, legendary L.A. spoken word pioneers The Watts Prophets, and West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda.

The song ‘Papua Merdeka’ features the vocals of The Lani Singers (Benny Wenda, Maria Wenda and Koteka Wenda) alongside Tamar Osborn and Afrobeat legends Tony Allen and Dele Sosimi.

Listen to the song below and get a copy of the album here.