Tag: keur-gui
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Hip-Hop and Human Rights in Africa
Hip-Hop and Human Rights in Africa By Msia Kibona Clark February 2019 | Georgetown Journal of International Affairs “The presence of social commentary on human rights in music is not new, it is not unique to Africa, and it is not limited to hip hop. Musicians have often engaged in social commentary around human rights, which has
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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 was one of the key
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HHAP Episode 22: Thiat of Keur Gui on Hip Hop and Activism Beyond Senegal
In a time when hip hop culture has been under heavy criticism for the lack of political content in commercial hip hop, Keur Gui reminds us of what hip hop culture is capable of, in terms of both social commentary and political action. As founding members of the social and political movement Y’en A Marre (Enough is Enough), Keur Gui has provided heavy social commentary in their music for over 20 years. Coming out of Senegal, which is perhaps one of the most political hip hop scenes in the world, Keur Gui has used hip hop culture to engage with their audiences and to confront the state. Y’en A Marre is one of the only social movements deeply rooted in hip hop culture to effect political change. In Senegal, Y’en A Marre was involvement in mass mobilization campaigns, helped register voters, engaged in social protest, and promoted an ideology known as New Type of Senegalese (NTS). The idea behind NTS is that calls for social change go beyond requests for government action, but also rests in responsible citizenship. While the people may call for government-led development, the people also need to take responsibility for their contributions to environmental and social problems.Y’en A Marre is an ongoing movement, which has focused on Senegalese helping Senegalese. One of the projects Keur Gui is currently working on is a fundraiser to build a recording studio in their hometown Kaolack. The fundraiser can be found at http://projects.keurgui.net. Follow Up with Keur Gui Facebook: /KEUR-GUI-53925096450/ Twitter: @KEURGUIOFFICIEL SoundCloud: /keurguicrewofficiel Keur Gui on iTunes: /keur-gui/275586170 In this interview we speak with Thiat, one of the MCs in Keur Gui. Thiat discusses Keur Gui’s involvement in Y’en A Marre, the spread of the movement outside of Senegal, revised perspectives on Pan Africanism, the role of MCs in civil society, and more. Episode Breakdown 6:33: “Nothing to Prove”, f/Kokayi (https://twitter.com/kokayi) 9:50: History of Keur Gui & their involvement in politics 20:49: Hip hop in Senegal 23:46: The rise of Y’en a Marre 27:57: New Type of Senegalese (NTS) 31:10: The spread of activism outside of Senegal 36:28: A new type of Pan Africanism 41:22: Hip Hop in East Africa 43:33: MCs as politicians and MCs as part of civil society 45:13: Upcoming music projects 47:28: Their fundraiser for the Kaolack studio 49:43: “Marginaux” Scholarship on Y’en A Marre and Keur Gui Berktay, Aligul. (2014). Pikine’s Hip Hop Youth Say “Enough is Enough” and Pave the Way for Continuous Social Change. Hip Hop and Social Change in Africa: Ni Wakati. Fredericks, Rosalind. (2014). “The old man is dead”: hip hop and the arts of citizenship of Senegalese youth. Antipode, 46(1), 130-148. Gueye, Marame. (2013). Urban guerrilla poetry: The movement Y’en a Marre and the socio-political influences of hip hop in Senegal. Journal of Pan African Studies, 8 (3), 22-42. Lo, Sheba. (2014). Building our nation: Hip hop artists as agents of social and political change. Hip Hop and Social Change in Africa: Ni Wakati. Prause, Lousia. (2013). Mit Rap zur Revolte: Die Bewegung Y’en a marre. Prokla, 43(1), 23-41. Senghor, Fatou Kande. (2015). Wala Bok: Une histoire orale du hip hop au Senegal. Amalion Publishing.
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Senegalese and Ghanaian Hip Hop Artists
Keur Gui Senegal and Kokayi “Nothing to Prove” is an example of the social reform in Senegal, and how Hip Hop artists used their platforms to bring attention to this reform. In the first verse of the song he says ” Straight out the ghetto, our raps are nor for the sons of the upper
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Rebel Music
Rebel Music is described as music used by the youth activist in Senegal to express their feeling and views on society, mostly politically. The beginning of “Rebel Music” was in the late 1980s when their economy collapsed and when the government invalidated the 1988 school year, due to the youths’ protest of the government officials
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Trinity Hip Hop Festival
Images taken during performances at the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival 2013. The festival was held in April and the images includes photos of Cuban hip hop group Las Krudas, Kenyan emcee Kama of Kalamashaka, Senegalese hip hop group KEUR-GUI, and Dead Prez. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.470224553055577.1073741825.355865547824812&type=1
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Conscious Senegalese rap is not dead
Under President Wade, the political and economical situation has continued to deteriorate in Senegal for the past ten years. While many have suffered under the rule, rappers, Thiat and Kilifeu from the central Senegalese town of Kaolack stood up and denounced acts of corruption and served jail time as a result. Now they are back