VIDEOS // Your weekly dose of empowerment from Saudi Arabia + South Africa

 
Mondays are always tough. Mondays in a nation on the brink of fascism are particularly hard to get out of bed for. Two things made this one a little better, and they were both these empowering AF videos from international badasses.
 

Leska feat. Batuk – I Got You

 
This song is an unapologetic ode to the strength of femininity. Featuring vocalist Batuk and bodybuilding champions Regina Mathanthi and Dudu Dlangalala, the stunning video must be watched by every woman who from time to time forgets her power.
Our bodies are stronger than anyone gives them credit for.
We carry the indignities we were born with. Every day that they do not get lighter, they get heavier.
While the boundaries of arbitrary borders are policed with all the militarized strength of a world power, we have to fight to have ours recognized. Every night we go to sleep with them intact is a small triumph.
Grace is strength. Dignity is strength. Muscle definition is strength. Sisterhood is strength. Empathy is strength.
And looking into the eyes of women across the world and seeing the familiar battle of pain and pride, this gives me strength.

 
Leska is Les Gordon and Douchka, a French super duo whose lilting instrumental-electronic hybrid sound puts them at the top of our ones-to-watch list. On “I Got You” they teamed up with Batuk, a pan-African creative collective, and shot the video in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Majedalesa – Hwages

 
The video for Hwages has become a viral sensation in Saudi Arabia. The lyrics begin:
“May men disappear, they give us psychological illnesses / None of them are sane, each one has an illness.”
While this surely has a special resonance for women living in Saudi Arabia, I think there are a lot of us who can relate.
Watch the video. It’s like Pussy Riot riding bumper cars in Burkas. Like Spring Breakers set in Saudi Arabia (but regrettably not featuring James Franco). Also it has a cardboard cutout of Donald Trump.