Amaka Jaji’s ‘32’ Reflects on the Realities Faced in Libyan City Ghat

Since 2024, the music of Cairo-based Libyan artist Amaka Jaji has swept across the music scene like a cool desert breeze, bringing the soul and sound of Tuareg music and his Sufi upbringing into a contemporary landscape. While his releases stretch back to 2023, it was his 2024 album, ‘Tidet’, that made music fans stand up and take notice. This was followed by a number of singles in 2025 alongside a new EP, ‘Nghani Norqos w Nqatel’, which cemented his position as a unique and distinct artist bridging the past and present.

Amaka has hit the ground running in 2026 with a new single, ‘32’, taking his sound into a new realm that steps away from obvious Sufi and Tuareg influences while still retaining his signature light, soulful, and almost spiritual essence.

This latest offering pivots toward a sound vaguely informed by hip-hop, R&B and maybe even trap, without fully committing to them. Instead, the track uses a slow tempo and deep bass that evoke a heavy, late-night street atmosphere. Amaka adopts a melodic, rhythmic chant style that leans into the specific cadence of the Libyan dialect, creating a soundscape that is as much a social commentary as it is a musical evolution. The song shines a light on the stark reality of youth in the city of Ghat in Southern Libya - a region currently grappling with a severe lack of basic services and a total absence of job opportunities. Through his lyrics, Amaka explores how these harsh conditions have pushed a significant number of young people toward smuggling, portraying the trade not as an inherent criminal inclination, but as a desperate choice forced upon them by the weight of hardship and a total lack of alternatives.