Jembaa Groove, Fatoumata Diawara and The Cavemen. Link Ghana, Mali and Nigeria on "Waka"

Jembaa Groove, the Berlin-based highlife group led by Ghanaian singer Eric Owusu, has released "Waka", a collaboration with Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara and Nigerian highlife revivalists The Cavemen. The track appears on the four-song EP Be A Lover, released via Agogo Records, and brings together three West African musical traditions and Fatoumata Diawara's Malian roots in one recording. OkayAfrica included the song in its weekly African music roundup this month, framing it as a shift toward the Pan-African ideals espoused by leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah.

What "Waka" Sounds Like

OkayAfrica describes Eric Owusu singing "Everyday waka, waka under the sun" with the voices of ancestors clear in his delivery, intonation and intention, calling it highlife delivered with love and care by people who grew up embracing it. The outlet writes that bringing in Fatoumata Diawara expands the dimensions of what the music can achieve, and singles the song out as one of the standout tracks of the week.

What the Be A Lover EP Contains

Be A Lover is a four-track EP released through Agogo Records, following two acclaimed studio albums and extensive touring across the US and Europe that has included a SXSW showcase and a KEXP session, according to a release description carried by Israbox. Alongside "Waka", the EP includes "No Pain No Gain" with London-based soul artist Azekel, "Be A Lover" with Nigerian vocalist Tim Lyre and The Cavemen., and "Obi" with The Cavemen. The label describes the record's direction as a contemporary approach to Afrofusion, built on traditional West African highlife and integrating Afro-jazz, Afrobeats and global soul.

Cover art for Jembaa Groove's EP Be A Lover, featuring Waka. Source: Agogo Records

Who Jembaa Groove Are

Jembaa Groove is a Berlin-based, multicultural highlife group founded in late 2020 by bass player and composer Yannick Nolting and singer-percussionist Eric Owusu, who met while collecting their sons from kindergarten in Berlin, according to the band's Bandcamp profile. The seven-piece live band combines sounds from Berlin's underground music scene with traditional West African influences from Ghana and Mali, and its sound draws on highlife artists such as Ebo Taylor and Pat Thomas alongside American soul acts like Lee Fields.

Their releases include the 2022 debut album Susuma and the 2024 follow-up Ye Ankasa | We Ourselves, which featured guest vocalists K.O.G and veteran highlife singer Gyedu-Blay Ambolley and a spoken excerpt from Ghanaian president Kwame Nkrumah, according to World Music Central. The band's own biography says their newer material deepens a connection with Lagos's Afro-fusion scene, built through collaborations with The Cavemen., Fatoumata Diawara and Tim Lyre that began taking shape around their 2026 touring cycle.

Who Fatoumata Diawara and The Cavemen. Bring to the Track

Fatoumata Diawara is a Grammy-nominated Malian singer, songwriter and guitarist whose music draws on her Wassoulou heritage while incorporating Afro-pop, desert blues and other styles, according to Apple Music's artist profile. She has previously recorded with Disclosure and Gorillaz, and released her album Massa through Nø Førmat! in June 2026.

Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara. Source: Jembaa Groove on Instagram

The Cavemen., the Nigerian duo of Kingsley and Benjamin James, are known for reviving highlife within a contemporary Afrobeats-adjacent sound, and their presence on three of the EP's four tracks makes them as central to Be A Lover as Jembaa Groove itself.

Nigerian duo The Cavemen.. Source: Jembaa Groove on Instagram

A Pattern Across West African Music This Month

"Waka" is one of several cross-border collaborations to surface in West and Southern African music this month. PINCHED covered a similar pairing this week in Fireboy DML's "Imali", made with South African 3-Step artists JAZZWRLD and Thukuthela, and in Ajebo Hustlers and Gyakie's "365 Days", a Nigeria-Ghana pairing. "Waka" extends that pattern further west, into Mali, and roots it explicitly in highlife rather than Afrobeats.

What to Watch Next

The next signals will be how "Waka" and the rest of Be A Lover perform on streaming platforms and whether Jembaa Groove's growing Lagos connections, through The Cavemen. and Tim Lyre, lead to further joint releases or tour dates in Nigeria.

This article is a release update, and PINCHED has not rated the song.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Is on Jembaa Groove's Waka?

"Waka" features Jembaa Groove, Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara and Nigerian highlife duo The Cavemen.

What EP Is Waka From?

"Waka" appears on Be A Lover, a four-track EP by Jembaa Groove released via Agogo Records.

Who Is in Jembaa Groove?

Jembaa Groove is a Berlin-based, seven-piece highlife group founded in 2020 by bassist Yannick Nolting and singer-percussionist Eric Owusu.

What Genre Is Waka?

"Waka" is highlife, a West African genre, blended with Afro-jazz and Afrofusion elements characteristic of Jembaa Groove's sound.

Has Jembaa Groove Worked With The Cavemen. Before?

Yes. The Cavemen. appear on three of the four tracks on Be A Lover, following earlier collaborations as part of Jembaa Groove's touring cycle with Lagos-based artists.