Why Hip Hop???
Hip Hop Hut. ©Melissa Adams 2005
• What do you like about Hip Hop?
• What do you dislike about Hip Hop?
• How did you first hear about Hip Hop?
• Who is your favorite Hip Hop artist and why?
• What influence do you think Hip Hop has on young people in northern Uganda?
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The Gender Dimension
One of the things that has fascinated me the most while working on my Fulbright project is the role that breakdancing can play as a tool for girls’ empowerment.
In northern Uganda, like in many parts of the world, traditional gender norms dictate that women and girls be quiet, respectful and subservient to men. Girls participating in the Hip Hop Therapy Project adhere to these social norms. They are very quiet and shy.When they come to greet me (and anyone older than them), they kneel or curtsey. They speak very softly and rarely look you in the eye.
When it’s time to hit the dance floor however, they become transformed. When it comes to breakdancing, these same girls dance with as muchconfidence and attitude as the boys. I’m still amazed every time I
see one of the b-girls enter a “cypha” (freestyle dance session). Although the cyphas are largely dominated by boys, the girls jump into the middle of the circle and dance fearlessly! It’s as though the dance floor serves as a sort of equalizer. On the dance floor, girls and boys are equally respected based on their skill and talent as dancers and not on their gender.
It’s a beautiful thing to witness and I hope that some of the confidence and self-esteem the B-girls gain from their breakdance experience will translate in other aspects of their lives.
The Grand Land
I have been conducting interviews with young people participating in the Hip Hop Therapy Project on their views about American Hip Hop music and culture (a report on that to come shortly!). During one of these interviews, a young man named Ojok Thomas told me he was a rapper so I asked him to rap for me.
He rapped a song he wrote about “returning to the Grand Land”. I wanted to share it with you because it is a wonderful illustration of how Hip Hop is used throughout the world (including Gulu!) to express social concerns and frustrations.
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Makin’ Beats and Breakin’ it Down!
Youth participating in the “Back to School Breakdance Challenge"
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The King Is Dead
The King is Dead. That was the headline of the one of the major Ugandan papers today. The front pages of all of the other daily Ugandan papers were also dedicated to the story of Michael Jackson’s death. Many radio stations here are playing his music all day and local Ugandan politicians and celebrities are speaking out about his death.
Although, my Fulbright is not directly related to pop music or Michael Jackson, I wanted to briefly comment on this. Like many people, I grew up listening to Michael and was very saddened to hear about his death. He was truly an amazing entertainer. While watching and reading about the worldwide reaction to his death, what fascinates me the most is that he was genuinely a global “household name.” I can’t think of any other artist of my generation that is as well known as Michael Jackson. Just a month ago, I was speaking to the guardian of one of the young people in the Hip Hop Therapy Project and I asked him how he felt about his nephew winning the popping competition at the Breakdance Challenge I recently organized and he responded “I’m so happy and proud of him and I hope that one day he will be able to dance like Michael Jackson. Yes, one day he will dance like Michael Jackson.” I remember thinking at the time how interesting it was that I was sitting in front of a mud hut in a very rural part of Uganda and someone was talking to me about Michael Jackson. I see kids in Gulu doing the moonwalk and trying to dance like him and am again amazed at how far-reaching his influence was. I think that despite the controversies and eccentricities that often dominated news coverage about him, he has obviously left an imprint on the world and will be missed. RIP MJ.
