A blog and podcast on hip hop in Africa
Wachata Crew is the biggest, and oldest graffiti crew in Tanzania. With more than a decade of experience, the members of Wachata Crew are established and respected members of the hip hop scene in Tanzania. The members of Wachata are Local Fanatics, Kala Singa, Medi, and Mejah.
We met up at their studios at Nafasi Art Space (nafasiartspace.org) in Dar es Salaam and talked about graffiti culture in Tanzania. We discussed the origins of Wachata Crew with WAPI (Words and Pictures) at the British Council in Dar es Salaam back in 2007. Wachata Crew sheds light on how many Tanzanians see graffiti culture in Tanzania and the connections between graffiti and hip-hop culture in Tanzania.
Graffiti culture differs all over the world, the members of Wachata Crew talk about the cost and qualities of spray paint cans in Tanzania, v. other places. The artists also discuss their connections with graffiti beyond Tanzania, and the participation of women in graffiti culture in Tanzania.
You can find Wachata Crew on Instagram @wachata07 and each member at @muabaka, @kalasinga24, @mejahmbuya, @localfanatics
March 29-31, 2019 | Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut
For more information: Facebook.com/trinityhiphop
The form can be downloaded from Dropbox
Presented in partnership with Trinity College, the City of Hartford, Nomadic Wax and Notable Productions.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
The Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival and Conference is seeking submissions for performers and presenters for their 14th annual event to be held at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut on March 29-31, 2019. This year’s theme is “Hip Hop: Transcend the Norm”. How can you be unique in a culture where anyone can record and video themselves and post it online? Fame can come quickly, but how does one transcend fame to build a career and deliver a message? How does hip hop allow you to transcend?
Submissions focused on these topics are preferred, although anyone is able to apply with presentations/performances centered on social or political change, hip hop education, hip hop history or similar.
Submissions will be accepted in the following categories: Performers (hip hop artists, MCs and/or DJs), presenters (lecture or workshop), panel discussions, film screenings, dance groups/judges (b-boy/b-girl and all styles), graffiti artists, spoken word artists, music producers, and hip hop photographers.
About the Festival
The festival was started by students as a way to unite disparate communities – academic, racial and economic – using hip hop culture in all of its forms and drawing from the international hip hop community. The festival has grown to become an annual meeting place for champions of social change: professors and students, artists and activists, educators and event promoters, and people from all manner of hip hop related grassroots and non-profit organizations descend on Hartford for several days of connecting, learning, sharing and inspiring each other.
In the last thirteen years, we have hosted artists and presenters from over 50 countries. Although many of the people did not know each other coming in, as one first time attendee put it, “It felt like a family reunion!” A strong tie exists between attendees from shared beliefs in hip hop culture and social awareness. Everyone leaves feeling energized, inspired and more connected to fellow practitioners from around the world.
Each festival also runs concurrently with a one-day youth conference, sponsored by the City of Hartford. Hartford-area teens meet in their own “youth only” events, and also sit in on some of the open panels and performances. Hip hop artists – who would perform later that night – teach groups of students about beatboxing, freestyling, a variety of dance forms and more. This youth outreach continues to grow and strengthen the college-community bond.
PRESENTERS:
Please submit up to 300-word proposal for a presentation of scholarly work, lecture, panel discussion, workshop, or a film screening at the festival. Please include the type of presentation you are proposing, any technical requirements plus name and contact information. Film proposals should include film length and a link to the trailer (if possible). Submit your proposal to trinityinternationalhiphop@gmail.com Due Wednesday November 21st, 2018.
PERFORMERS: Please submit artist/group information, EPK, links to web site and live performance videos (if possible). We are only able to book 7-8 groups each year and seek to balance by countries of origin, languages and gender with a mix of live bands and MC/DJ combos. Artists who can also provide a presentation (see above) is a plus, but not required.
Submit your proposal to trinityinternationalhiphop@gmail.com Due Wednesday November 21st, 2018.
Notices indicating the acceptance of your submission will be sent by Friday December 21st, 2018
This semester students in the Hip Hop and Social Change in Africa course did either podcasts and art pieces. This is some of the artwork submitted from this semester’s students.
Color: the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way the object reflects or emits light.
From my knowledge and experience, colors captivate not only the eye, but evoke specific emotional and psychological responses in human beings physically. For decades, the urban youth have utilized blends of hues to express sentiments, awareness and inner passions in the form of graffiti. On Saturday, April 7th at in front of Trinity College’s Mather Hall, I visited a beautiful graffiti exhibition which showcased gifted artists from all over the world as part of the 13th Trinity International Hip Hop Festival.
The installation included two large cubes which featured graffiti paintings on each of the four visible sides of each cube (eight paintings). Each piece showcased bright color combinations which told a story. For example, Marcelo Ment from Brazil did a piece which showed a woman with colorless parts of her face while her hair was made of a variety of bright and warm color combinations. Another side of the block showcased the turquoise, green and blue mixture of a girl’s French braids, with pink accents. The colors complimented each other and flowed like mystical water. In addition, Artists Lindaluz Carrillo, Kamil Kucharek, and Poptart from Hartford, and Yuanjie K-Ching Qian from Montreal all composed their pieces within minutes, leaving their mark for all to marvel. Their work represented a culture of conscious art which I personally revere especially at a time in which Graffiti is going extinct due to gentrification. During the exhibition, another viewer mentioned that with less spaces left unoccupied by cameras, there are less opportunities for graffiti artists to tag areas with messages. The conversation led me to further appreciate the art, not only for its authenticity, and cultural impact, but also for its endangered state.
This year’s past Trinity International Hip Hop Festival also featured a live Graffiti Exhibition at the Gates Quad, an area in front of Mather Hall. The two-cube installation was created that Saturday morning with works by Marcelo Ment from Brazil, Hartford natives Lindaluz Carrillo, Poptart, and Kamil Kucharek, Yuanije K-Ching Qian from Montreal, Canada.
The first piece that I really liked was the freestyle graffiti piece by Brazilian artist Marcelo Ment. The intricate graffiti piece features a clever combination of lines and color to create depth and emphasis of the blend of both a bookcase and cityscape setting. The use of both warm and cool colors with blue, yellow, red, green and purple hues creates further contrast. There is movement in the center of the piece with a spiral shape connecting two silhouettes facing opposite of one another surrounded by terms such as “I am one because we are one”, “life”, and “respect”. “Trinity His Hop” is written in bold white letters in the bottom corner to pay homage to the festival. The graffiti piece highlights empowerment, unity and education through its’ bold lettering and style.
Another piece I really liked was the abstract Tetris-like piece which I believe is by Lindaluz Carrillo, an artist and graduate from the University of Hartford. The piece is a 3D abstract Tetris-like shape with landscape details inside the shape. The cool blue tones go the mountains and waves inside the shape contrast with the warm pink surrounding it. The use of black inside the shape also gives it an illusion of a face. I would consider this to be quite an urban piece as abstract shapes that both makes you think and strikes emotion are very common in graffiti art.
The graffiti exhibition was an effective visual art piece for the festival. The main piece “Trinity Hip Hop” in front of the first cube was a great backdrop for some Trinity Festival photos! The bold graffiti letters against a dark background creates contrast and attracts attention to the words on the piece. The graffiti overall surrounds us around urban themes, including empowerment, courage and unity.
This year, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Trinity College’s International Hip Hop Festival. I visited the festival with a couple of classmates and my teacher, and it was an experience that I’ll never forget. Continue reading “A Fulfilling Festival”
Student project looks at street art in Washington, DC
Artist Profile: Graffiti Writer Behulum (Ethiopia) at the 12th Annual Trinity International Hip Hop Festival. This is a special podcast episode recorded at the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival, by guest host Seth Markle and guest producer by Kalalea
Artist Profile: Graffiti Writer Behulum (Ethiopia) at the 12th Annual Trinity International Hip Hop Festival
Photo: Seth Markle
Producer: Kalalea (www.kalalea.com)
*Special podcast episode recorded at the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival, by guest host Seth Markle and guest producer Kalalea
Always wanted to hear the classic Blahzay Blahzay song “Danger” in a hip-hop track from East Africa. This is a video of images and footage of East African hip hop artists (Tanzania, Uganda, & Kenya) with “Danger” playing in the background.
30 days of Tanzanian hip hop: Day 20 – Graffiti in Block 41. In 2010. This was taken in Block 41, on the road behind Best Bite in Dar es Salaam. These graffiti tags are no longer there. Like in many cities, graffiti does not stay up for long unless the artist had permission. But an element of hip hop is graffiti, especially street graffiti. The purists say street graffiti is about doing a piece or a tag illegally, often using stolen supplies. This tradition is found all over the world where street graffiti artists often do pieces on buildings, trains, or other public places in the middle of the night. Many steal the spray to do the piece, reflecting the fact that in the inner city most young artists can’t afford to buy spray paint cans.
*30 days of TZ hip hop is to show some of what I experienced the past year in Tanzania.
