Yacko will represent Indonesia in the annual music event, which is fully dedicated to women in the international hip hop scene.

Starting on International Women’s Day, the festival runs from March 8 to 15, bringing together female artists from eight countries, including Dynasty from the United States, Shadia Mansour from the United Kingdom and Cleo from Belgium.

This year, La Belle carries the theme of  “Soeur Yes Soeur” – Soeur being the French word for sister, a play on the phrase Sir Yes Sir.

“Their mission is to reiterate that women can be whatever they want to be, including leaders, without discrimination,” Yacko told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview.

The rapper of “Thang” and “FYBV” said she planned to incorporate several issues concerning Indonesian women into her performance at the Botanique venue on March 8.

“I want to show to the world what is happening in Indonesia, especially in women’s issues, because what happens in Indonesia is also happening in other parts of the world,” Yacko said.   

“One example is sexual violence, which can happen anywhere. In Indonesia, I think we’re in a state of emergency, not to mention that we’re still fighting to pass the RUU-PKS (sexual violence bill) into law,” she said.

Yacko, who also works as a university lecturer, initiated the Hands Off campaign to raise awareness of sexual harassment in public spaces. She released a single titled “Hands Off” to support the campaign. 

The rapper also plans to touch on the issues of women’s rights in the workplace, reproductive health and education.

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