Blue Ribbon Panel
Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, Wayne Coyne from The Flaming Lips, Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine fame and Beth Ditto lead singer for the indie rock band Gossip signed on to help us pick the Fulbright mtvU fellows below.
Karima Daoudi
School: Knox College
Major: Anthropology and Sociology
Country Visiting: Senegal
Email Karima Daoudi
Karima Daoudi, who graduated from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois with a B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology in June 2009, will travel to Dakar, Senegal to explore the relationship between the thriving Dakar hip-hop scene and traditional Senegalese griot (musical storyteller) culture. In addition to working with both hip-hop artists and griots, she will collaborate with Africulturban, a hip-hop based youth community center, to gain insight into how people are using music to navigate tradition, modernity, and globalization to craft a contemporary, urban, African identity.
Yessica Hernandez
School: Stanford University
Major: Sociology and Film and Media Studies
Country Visiting: Peru
Email Yessica Hernandez
Yessica Hernandez, who graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Sociology and Film and Media Studies, will travel to Peru to film a documentary on Afro-Peruvian music. With the help of Universidad Catolica, Yesica is documenting the role Afro-Peruvian music has had in ameliorating race relations and explore ways to introduce this musical genre to young people.
Akesha Horton
School: Michigan State University
Major: Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy
Country Visiting: Australia
Email Akisha Horton
Akesha Horton, a doctoral student at Michigan State University in Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy, will travel to Sydney, Australia to conduct research in hip-hop and new media. She will explore how hip-hop is being used to help Australian youth become socially conscious, global and digital citizens at the University of Technology, Sydney, and community outreach centers in Western Sydney.
Lynne Stillings
School: Connecticut College
Major: Music and French
Country Visiting: Indonesia
Email Lynne Stillings
Lynne Stillings, who graduated from Connecticut College with a B.A. in Music and French in May 2009, will travel to Indonesia to examine the relationship between children’s music and cultural identity. Affiliated with the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Yogyakarta, Lynne will create an after-school music program that will encourage students to express their ideals, values, and social positions through music.
