Ethiopian-Kenyan producer duo JUA have released ‘Hadandawa’, a single that draws on the music and cultural resilience of the Hadandawa people, the largest subgroup of the Beja community across Sudan, Eritrea and Egypt. The track is the second offering from their forthcoming album CHIKKA, following debut single ‘Mass High’.
Produced by JUA members ISAT IRAT (Guta Wakuma Chimsa) and MR. LU*, the album has been in development for two and a half years. It explores East Africa’s interconnected musical roots through contemporary electronic production.
‘Hadandawa’ pays tribute to a pastoralist nomadic group with a long history in the deserts and Red Sea Hills. Their cultural identity is expressed through distinctive swordsmanship, craftsmanship and expressive shoulder, chest and neck movements.
“‘Hadandawa’ is dedicated to our brothers and sisters of the Hadandawa and the wider Beja community, whose culture spans Sudan, Eritrea and Egypt. Their unwavering pride in their identity continues to inspire the rest of East Africa,” the duo said in a statement.
JUA also addressed the people of Sudan displaced by conflict: “To our brothers and sisters from Sudan, scattered across the world during these difficult times, we hope this rhythm reminds you of home. Like the wind that carries no footprints but never forgets the way, a people’s spirit can travel far while always remembering where it comes from. May the day come when every path leads you back home.”
The single follows ‘Mass High’, which traced musical connections between the Amhara people of the Ethiopian highlands and the Maasai communities of Kenya and Tanzania. With CHIKKA, JUA aims to spotlight lesser-known East African musical traditions and present them to wider audiences.
The duo formed in Nairobi, where Ethiopian producer and researcher ISAT IRAT and Kenyan producer MR. LU* began investigating rhythmic links across the region’s music. Their work evolved into CHIKKA, the first flagship release from Misrak Studio, an East African music innovation hub established in Nairobi in 2024.
Central to Misrak Studio’s mission is DARAJA, a platform whose name means “bridge” in Swahili. It convenes artists, producers and researchers to examine shared East African musical heritage and develop new creative approaches.
CHIKKA is planned as a 10-track album featuring more than 30 artists from seven countries. The project seeks to connect the region’s common 6/8 rhythmic traditions and shape them into a contemporary East African sound.
