NewAfricanWoman Issue 35 - Flipbook - Page 28
Spotlight on Nigeria
#AFRICANWOMAN
Waje
‘Words aren’t just enough’ to define the woman Waje has become. From the rising
vocalist on P Square’s ‘Do Me’ record to one of the leading stars in the Nigerian music
industry, to now a philanthropist keen to be remembered for more than her music,
Aituaje Iruobe, popularly know as Waje, shares her journey as an ‘African woman’ as she
launches her #AfricanWoman project under her foundation Waje Safe House.
waje tells naw about her plans for 2016, the
need to educate boys and girls to have mutual respect
and how she wants her legacy to go beyond music.
What do you have in store for 2016 musicwise and in other areas of your life?
I am seriously working towards releasing the album.
At the beginning of the year I decided that I wanted
to solidify the brand with regards to what I feel,
as an African woman, as I really believe that every
woman should be more than just her job. I am more
than just my sound, I am more than just my music
which is one of the reasons why #AfricanWoman is
one of the projects I am working on this year.
It seems this rebranding started some 12-18
months ago. You went through a transformation before our eyes. What triggered
the change?
If you say you want to be able to impact on lives,
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you need to have that look people can aspire to,
because if you’re not taking care of yourself or
you don’t brand in a way that another woman may
see you and say, “Wow, this is nice, I want to be
a part of this,” how do you then get people to
believe what you’re saying? You should be able
to defend your work and the way your brand is
perceived.
Tell us about #AfricanWoman and what’s
been happening so far?
#AfricanWoman is a worldwide campaign which
aims to help African women and girls to have
a qualitative education. Kicking off in Nigeria,
the goal for the campaign is to send five girls per
region to university and pay for their tuition.
Already we have kicked off preliminary activities
with an announcement and call to action in Liberia, Ghana, Atlanta (US) and in Abuja and Lagos
in Nigeria.