Category: Wolof
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Matador: From Thiaroye To the world, Civil society in Hip-Hop
Senegalese hip-hop has historically been on the front line of the civil society of the country’s political struggle against government corruption and repression. These artists have the capability to mobilize masses of people into action and to become icons for political movements; they are a key piece of the cultural…
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Abdoulaye Faux Pas FORCÉ!
In January 2011, a group of Senegalese rappers and journalist created a group called “Y’en a Marre”, which tranlastate to ” we are fed up” in french, to protest against ineffective government and register youth to vote. This movement originated as a reaction on Dakar’s frequent power crisis which later…
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Positive Black Soul- Je ne sais pas
Positive Black Soul (PBS) is one of the first hip-hop groups based in Dakar, Senegal founded in 1989. Didier Sourou Awadi also known as DJ Awadi and Amadou Barry is also known as Doug E. Tee are members of Positive Black Soul. The group integrates elements of traditional music into…
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Rap duo Daara J’s “Bayi Yoon” or the “Anthem for Africans”
Senegalese rap duo Daara J are most known for their rap style and thought provoking lyricism. The group consists of N’Dongo D and Faada Freddy and the name “Daara” refers to the traditional Islamic school where children learn the Qu’ran and “how to become men.” According to Faada Freddy, the…
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Senegalese Hip Hop Star: Dip Doundou Guiss
Dominique Preira, better known as Dip Doundou Guiss, is a well known Senegalese rapper. His inspiration mainly came from Positive Black Soul at a young age. As his love for music grew, he began composing his own songs and collaborated with his friend Swazi ultimately founding the group Doundou Guiss,…
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Borders: What are they good for? Senegalese and Gambian Hip Hop
In this episode two students discuss hip hop in The Gambia and in Senegal. The two discuss the unique situation of The Gambia and Senegal and how the imposition of a border across the wolof culture has affected the music scene there. In the podcast, three artists are discussed: Y’en…
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Feminine ideals in Toussa Senerap’s work
Toussa Senerap—who’s name is a play on the French “Tous ça,” or “everything,” and an agglomeration of Senegal and Rap—plays an interesting consciousness in her work surrounding the idea of femininity. Senerap both embraces womanhood and shies away from traditional conceptualizations of femininity from both hip-hop and Senegalese contexts. For…
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Faux! Pas Forcé: still an anthem
Just a day or two after the vote which kept Macky Sall in power in Senegal, it’s worth revisiting one of the anthems of the movement Y’en a Marre, Faux! Pas Forcé. Y’en a Marre, which translates to “we’re fed up” in French, was a democratic civil society movement that…