Team – World Wide Women

A Fo!

A Fo! is a Nordic-Malian band operating from Denmark since 2018. Their music is influenced by Nordic and West African music. Band members: Clara Aaholm (DK), Autio Maarika (FIN), Eliza Boye Mouritsen (DK), Salomé Dembélé (ML), Jenni Hanikka (FIN), Mette Marie Jensen Ørnstrup (DK), Kirsi Tilk (EE/DK). A Fo! takes part in the All Female Orchestra subproject.

Ying Hsien Chen

Ying Hsien Chen is a music researcher from Taiwan currently based in Helsinki. Her doctoral research concerns the transculturation of the Finnish kantele in global contexts, with special attention on Japanese women’s adoption and adaptation of the instrument – a reinterpretation of and interaction with the kantele.

Salome Dembélé

Salome Dembele is a Malian musician and the singer of A Fo! band. In 2017 she won the Talent de la Cité competition and has been touring in Mali and neighbouring countries ever since. She is one of the few women musicians in Mali who have been able to continue their career after having children.

Read more: Facebook, Salomé Mali yera wafi music video

Jenni Hanikka

Jenni Hanikka is a flutist and a singer, and the founder of A Fo! band. She has collaborated with Malian musicians during the past few years. In WWW, she participates in the All Female Orchestra subproject, which focuses on Malian female musicians.

Antti Nordin

Antti Nordin is a visual artist, composer and film and video producer. In WWW he takes part in the subproject focusing on the Bolivian cholita artists, in which he produces a documentary film.

Cholita music videos filmed by Nordin: Las Florecitas de Mizque, Las Traicioneras del Amor

Siboné Oroza

Siboné Oroza is a doctoral candidate in the Doctoral Programme in Gender, Culture and Society at the University of Helsinki. She is also a singer performing Latin American music. In WWW she takes part in the subproject focusing on the Bolivian cholita artists.

Awa Sané

Awa Sané, aka Eve Crazy, started her hiphop career in 2012 in her hometown Bignona, Casamance (Southern Senegal). Many of her songs deal with everyday experiences of Senegalese women. Sané has also been a member of Genji Hip Hop Collective since it’s founding.

Music: Eve Crazy / ReverbNation, Moussou Kendo Music / YouTube

Elina Seye

Elina Seye is an ethnomusicologist and dance researcher. She works as a postdoctoral researcher in musicology at University of Helsinki. Her postdoctoral research project is funded by the Academy of Finland. Elina is the leader of the WWW project and takes part in the All Female Orchestra subproject as a researcher.

Marjo Smolander

Marjo Smolander is a kantele artist and singer-songwriter, who specializes in transcultural work with a focus on Senegal and Mali. In WWW she works in the duo Eve Crazy & Mar Yo and takes part in the All Female Orchestra subproject.

Nina Öhman

Nina Öhman is an ethnomusicologist and researcher of popular music, whose current research focuses on the women of the Finnish jazz music scene. She works as a university lecturer (ma.) in the musicology programme at University of Helsinki. In WWW she contributes as a research expert.