Be yourself. Embrace all aspects of your identity. And represent!
Those are some of the values embodied and shared by Maluca, Nina Sky and Princess Nokia in a new video from mitú that explores the music artists’ intersecting feminist and cultural identities.
“I totally consider myself a feminist,” Princess Nokia shares with mitú after her set at the 4th Annual Afro-Latino Festival in New York City where the video was filmed earlier this month. “And feminism is all about the solidarity, protection and empowerment of women.”
Maluca also explains in the video the importance of encouraging and fostering female agency.
“What they don’t tell a lot of women is you’re allowed to have a vision and you’re allowed to have a dream,” Maluca says. “And actually, you’re allowed to manifest it. You’re allowed to be femme and you’re allowed to be butch. And you’re allowed to be fun and you’re allowed to be stank. Basically, like, you’re allowed.”
Both performers also discuss Afro-Latino identity and pride, as well as the importance of representation.
“I am as proud and as culturally stimulated by my African side, by my Nigerian side, as I am by my Taino and Native-American side,” shares Princess Nokia. “It’s easy for women like me to pass and not say that I’m black ― to negate my blackness or to just claim that I’m Taino or claim that I’m India.” But she won’t. And it’s important that she doesn’t, especially as someone who is currently in the spotlight.
Take it from Maluca, who tells mitú it’s important for Afro-Latino artists to “blow the fuck up” because young men and women, and everyone in between, need to see themselves in the media. “They need to see us, everywhere,” she explains.
Word! Because representation matters. So keep representin’, ladies.
Watch the video above to see what else these fierce, fly ladies had to say.
Before You Go
