Yo‑Yo Ma joins Kakuma refugee collective Exile Key for ‘Yelele Mama’

In honour of World Refugee Day on 19 June, Exile Key, the artist collective based in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp, and renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma share their collaboration through the song Yelele Mama.

Ma first connected with Exile Key in 2020, when he invited the collective to join Songs of Comfort, the series of recorded-at-home musical offerings that Ma began sharing in the first days of the Covid-19 lockdown in the US.

Exile Key, launched in 2018, aims to express the unique perspective of youth in Kakuma through film and music. The members’ talents originate across Africa, from Burundi to Congo and South Sudan. This multinational collaboration led to Yelele Mama, which began in June 2023, when Ma traveled to northwestern Kenya to work with Exile Key in person.

’Kakuma Refugee Camp is one of the most creative and inspiring places I’ve ever visited,’ said Ma. ’Making music with Exile Key gives me hope for humanity. This collaboration is a joyful reminder that we can always choose connection and creation, that our ability to come together to create new meaning in new communities has always been central to who we are.’

’For us, sharing Yelele Mama with the world is about more than music,’ said Exile Key. ’It’s a way to tell the true story of who we are and what refugees can do when given a chance. Talent and creativity are everywhere.

’Working with Yo-Yo Ma is not just an opportunity for us, it can pave the way for more inclusion and opportunity for all who suffer from circumstances they did not cause or create.’