North Africa makes voice heard with a bass, drum beat
Leslie Philp
In 2009, a group of Libyan exiles created an organization called Khalas, which means “enough” in Arabic, in response to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s speech to the United Nations. The group’s goal is to not only bring awareness to the struggles of the dictatorial regime in Libya, but to the rest of the world as well. The MCC Legend spoke with two rappers from Lybia and Egypt. Their quotes have been translated.
“Now is the voice of revolution,” said, Ramy Donjewan, a North African hip-hop artist on a mix tape by Khalas. “The right sound, the voice of freedom . Hip-hop imposed itself strongly on the Arab street and the African one and the reason for this is to be bolder.”
“Hip-hop and rap have a huge role all over the revolution that happened in Tunisia. I’m a young man who makes rap music, particularly committed rap music. Rap is the voice of the people and also the spokes person of the people,” said El General, a Tunisian rapper.
“Protest music usually comes from chants and emotion during demonstrations and times of social unrest,” said MCC student Andrew Kuhn. “This music (hip hop) still invokes the same emotions in those that were not present or even alive at the time they were written.”
With the revolution in Egypt, Tunisia, the Middle East and other areas in North Africa, the common thread for protest has been rap music.
“We are close to more people and we can express who they are, which is our situation as well … We became the rappers in North Africa, the real voice of the people … If you want to know what is happening within the real state of the countries of North Africa . listen to rap music’s own,” Donjewan said.
Though music has the freedom of speech in the United States, North Africa has restricted certain lyrics from being broadcast.
“Words that I say in my songs are not accepted by the broadcast anywhere, only the Internet allows me to . disseminate my work . I hope to view my work at a big party but I cannot find the right place,” Donjewan said.
Khalas’ new mix tape features artists such as El General, Mr. Shooma, Mohamed Ali Ben Jemaa (Tunisia) Ramy Donjewan, Ahmed Rock, Revolution Recordz (Egypt) Lotfi Double Kanon (Algeria) and Ibn Thabit (Libya).
Though Donjewan could be arrested for his accusations against the government, he has taken a stand.
“I’m not afraid because people do not remember the cowardly . people remember the courageous person only, and I want people to remember me.
“The proof of my words (is in) my song against the government, that song was released on Jan. 5, 20 days before the Egyptian revolution.
“Although Mubarak was in a period where the summit of his power and his regime was completely dominant on the country, this is the period before the revolution.” Donjewan said.
Donjewan believes North Africa is moving “toward freedom and true democracy” of which hip hop will remain a powerful voice.
