AJAK KWAI: GOOD ON YOU
Contemporary South Sudanese musician Ajak Kwai has led a life as inspiring as her music. After immigrating to Australia 24 years ago Ajak has spent her time wearing many titles. She is an activist, an educator, and an ambassador for both Refugee Awareness and the Arts. She is also a musician and radio DJ with a career of diverse and inspiring projects including collaborations with some of Australia’s most well known artists and a discography stretching back to 2004. Her music is sung in her native language Dinka, as well as Arabic and English, and it is as exciting and heartfelt as she is, provoking people to think about love and peace through an unpacking of the issues surrounding them.
Of her latest ‘Good On You’ tour Ajak wrote: “This tour is about being open minded. I’m all about doing the opposite - if people treat you low, if people do you harm, instead of getting angry, do the opposite! Share peace through music. I want Australian people to be open-minded. Don’t agree with what you hear about other people in the media. I’m inspired by the work of Booker T. Washington. He taught love. Don’t let people drive you down, to a place where you hate them. Take your revenge on them by giving love.”
Your music has been described as deeply feminine, and a lot of your collaborative work has been with women, is this intentional?
Not at all, I haven’t had an opportunity to collaborate with males. I’d love to in future. But what I do with my band members is we have collaborated on the last EP and we have another one this year. I support all genders because we need one another. No point to attack one party, it doesn’t help any women or men. Men and women must have an inclusive dialogue otherwise we cannot solve the issues between us. I have been singing about love and peace for a long time. I don’t think there is one person who can tell us one thing hatred does that is good for us as people. It does the opposite, it harms us. So, what I would say for men and women is to be kind to one another.
The roles of women in Sudanese music were traditionally known for their oral poetry, meaningful text, wittiness in praise and ridicule, and spiritual performances. How close is your own storytelling to these traditional elements of female orators and singers?
Yes, there are elements in my story of traditional music, it has influenced my style of music, but also I created some unique ones, something that is my own and with my band too. Both sides of Sudanese women are cheeky and they can sing anything they feel like. Wedding songs that praise the groom and girls who are getting married, lullabies, witty love songs, and funny daily life songs. I come from a nomadic tribe, and they sing shepherd songs.
When I listened to modern Sudanese musicians the women are singing about moving on from the model of women having no education and having to marry and be a housewife. Do you find this move away from traditional stereotypes mirrored for Sudanese women in Australia?
There is a movement in Sudan now to push girls education. Before the conflict women’s education wasn’t something taken seriously, your husband’s education was more important than women. But it is changing slowly now and there are more girls educated. Here in Australia, we have many South Sudanese and East African young women who are educated. Things are changing.
Where do you get the capacity and empathy to do all the community work you are committed to?
I‘m passionate about the community and want to help in any way I can. Also, to connect the communities through music and radio. It all comes with a personal cost, but I do it because I want to help.
Have you seen a change in inclusion and cultural diversity in Australia since you moved here 20+ years ago?
I have been in Australia for 24 years. I don’t think there is a change. I was so naïve when I first arrived, and I couldn’t see any negatives. I was so excited and wanted to do many things at once. Until I saw Peter Costello came on Current Affairs and said to the Lebanese “if you don’t like it your bags are at the door”. I was shocked to see a leader talk like that; someone was supposed to be uniting. He nearly killed my Australian dreams.
What is important about change being a group effort, rather than change being led by just a few people?
Many hands do many things rather than individualism. Our Culture is all about people and collectives. There is no such thing as “mine”. I had to learn this word in Australia; it does not exist in our vocabulary because of our life style where everyone depends on each other.
What is the role of music as a tool for cultural change?
Music has no enemies, it unites strangers and it softens stone hearts.
Do you think positive music does inspire change?
Positive music does make people feel good, in fact any kind of music that comes from the heart makes a change and can inspire people. Music or arts, in general, is the only thing you can rely on in your difficult time. The sad thing is many adults don’t listen to love songs because we have become so cynical.
How do you handle controlling anger and frustration to make positive messages of peace and unity?
I have had my moments, particularly in the last 4 years I have been very angry, but I realised that anger doesn’t do any good. I could see the change in my physical appearance because of stress.
Your last album ‘Let Me Grow My Wings’ was your 5th studio album. It came out in 2021, and you’ve had time to reflect on it since then, how has that extra time influenced how you play your live shows?
There is always a reflection and learning in anything you do, I carry these experiences through performances and creations. There is always room for improvement and we artists are very critical of ourselves.
On your radio show you’ve said you like to play “all music that has changed the world”, what are some elements that must be in a song to make that happen?
I am not a big artist but if I influence a young person then I sew the seed. I am trying to write songs that will make them think. As you might be aware the history of African Americans in the 50s and 60s and how they were treated continues to be the case today, but their music is carrying them all the way. The same thing with the First Australians who used their arts and music to survive.
Ajak Kwai is part of Music in Exile, a not-for-profit record label and artist services company supporting Australian musicians from culturally and linguistically diverse background. They support these musicians to create viable, sustainable careers for themselves in Australia, and in doing so hope to create a more equitable and accessible music scene that actively reflects the many voices in our community. Check out Ajak and their other artists here.
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