Meklit's 'Kemekem' Video Is An Ethiopian Love Ode To The Afro

An office courtship develops through dance in Meklit's music video for "Kemekem (I Love Your Afro)," featuring pianist Samuel Yirga.

Meklit's 'Kemekem' Video Is An Ethiopian Love Ode To The Afro


Ethiopian-American songstress Meklit Hadero reinterprets a traditional Ethiopian love song in "Kemekem (I Like Your Afro)," her Amharic-sang single alongside pianist Samuel Yirga. Following a successful crowdsourcing campaign which called for "Afro coiffed folks of all ages,” Meklit is sharing the elegant and beautifully-choreographed music video for her standout tune from last year's We Are Alive LP (Six Degrees Records). In it, an office courtship develops through a series of call-and-response dances backed by Meklit's blend of traditional azmari soundscapes, soul, jazz and R&B. Watch the Pete Lee-directed music video for "Kemekem (I Like Your Afro)" featuring Samuel Yirga below.

​Photo illustration by Kaushik Kalidindi, Okayplayer.
Poetry

The 10 Best African Poems of All Time

These are the lines that have woken imaginations and stirred souls across the continent and beyond.

A still of Tamy Moyo in the visualizer for her latest single. She is in a garden of roses, gazing straight at the camera while wearing an orange dress.
Music

The Best Southern African Songs Right Now: July 2025 Edition

For the music highlights from Southern Africa in July, we dig into alternative genres from Eswatini, South Africa, Mozambique, and beyond.