Music is a universal form of entertainment, but in the world of DJing, women remain disproportionately underrepresented behind the decks.

Juba, a British-Nigerian DJ and Berlin resident, has spent years engaged in the ongoing and contentious debate around gender imbalances in the music industry. As a co-founder of Boko! Boko!, a DJ collective formed to encourage women to take up space behind London’s DJ booths, striving for increased female representation has been a constant priority for Juba. However her domain has been very much been restricted to Europe’s music spaces; and the topic in general is overwhelmingly dominated by voices from the Global North.

The documentary Assurance was birthed out of the DJ’s pursuit for new perspectives in the gender debate. This curiosity led her to Nigeria, where she connected with three DJs: Sensei Lo, DJ Yin and DJ Ayizan in order to get an insight into their experiences in the context of Lagos. Despite already being familiar with the impact of gender roles and patriarchy in Nigeria, immersing herself in the worlds of the three Lagosian women, enabled Juba to explore the ramifications of societal expectations and judgements in greater depth. Assurance reveals the obstacles that female DJs face, both on and beyond the dancefloor, but also elucidates their defiant navigation of these issues as they pursue their career ambitions and right to fulfilment. At times frustrating, other times uplifting and everything in between, the stories in Assurance present a different set of intersections related to the discourse on gender inequality in the music industry. They challenge, widen and enrich the current conversation that Juba has been privy to, one in which African voices have been conspicuously silent, or more accurately—silenced.

Juba will be screening and discussing/exploring the content of the documentary.

Please note: 17:20 is the updated time for the event.