Fulbright-mtvU Fellows

Why Hip Hop???

In addition to my focus on strengthening the Hip Hop Therapy Project, I was also interested in learning more about why young people in northern Uganda were drawn to Hip Hop music and culture. I informally interviewed approximately 20-25 youth participating in the Hip Hop Therapy Project. Most of the young people I spoke to were young men between the ages of 14 and 18. I asked each of them the following questions:

• 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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Tags: 50 Cent, Akon, Breakdance Project Uganda!, Chris Brown, Fabulous, Fat Joe, Hip Hop Therapy Project, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Michael Jackson, Ne-Yo, P-Square, R. Kelly, Rick Ross, Snoop Dog, Tupac, Uganda, Usher

I Never Thought I Would

In a further attempt to share more about my daily life here in Uganda, here is another installation of “I Never Thought I Would”. Enjoy!

I never thought I would…

Enjoy a cold shower: I’m one of those people who always take scalding hot showers. I’m talking about the kind of hot showers that leave the air in the bathroom heavy with steam and leave you unable to see anything in the bathroom mirror. In Uganda, there is no hot water where I live. When I first arrived, I would diligently boil water in a kettle and use it to bathe. As the weather began to change however, so did I. I arrived here in November during the rainy season and the temperatures were relatively cool (low- to mid- 70s). January, however, is the beginning of the dry season and one of the hottest months of the year. One sweltering afternoon, the idea of bathing with hot water was unfathomable so I decided to try a cold shower. I felt so much better and refreshed after that cold shower that it has now become standard practice. Before coming to Uganda, the very thought of taking a cold shower would fill me with dread. I now enjoy and look forward to cold showers and that is something I never thought I would do!

Buy an empty water bottle: When I first arrived in Gulu I noticed that a lot of people, particularly children, were collecting and selling empty water bottles. I knew from previous travels to developing countries that empty water bottles can be very valuable to poorer families as they allow for the storage of various liquids and can also serve as cups. So, while I could understand why someone would collect empty water bottles, I didn’t understand why someone would buy one…until the day I did. There is no electricity where I live so I frequently rely on kerosene lamps to make my way around the house at night. One day, I went to the gas station to purchase kerosene and realized that I needed a container to carry the kerosene once I bought it. I looked around and saw that everyone else in line had an empty water bottle to put their kerosene in. I looked around some more and noticed that several children were hanging around the gas station selling empty water bottles. I purchased one for about 10 American cents, got my kerosene, and left. I frequently buy bottled water in Uganda and give the empty bottles away to children who sell them…buying an empty water bottle however, is something I never thought I would do!

Tags: Uganda

Why Clothes are More Important than Food

I strongly believe that any time you enter a community with the goal of “helping”, you should work closely with that community in determining what issues need to be addressed and how to address them.
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Tags: Gulu, HEALS, Hip Hop Therapy Project, Uganda

WE CAN ALL BE HIP HOP

The war in northern Uganda is the longest running war in Africa. It is characterized by brutality, mass suffering, and apathy. Despite the scale and horrific nature of this conflict, you rarely hear about it in the international media. Even in Uganda, there is a certain level of unawareness and apathy about what is happening in the northern part of the country. While the north has suffered massive displacement, violence, and extreme poverty, the south has enjoyed relative peace, prosperity, and development.
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Tags: Acholi, Africa, Buganda, Hip Hop Therapy Project, Kampala, Uganda