Tag: rhyme

Those who followed the campaigns leading up to Senegal's presidential election late last month would have been struck by one of the defining features of Senegalese politics - hip-hop artists and the pivotal roles they can play in elections. A major reason for that: demographics. The average age of citizens there is exceptionally low - just 19. Rappers were among the founders of the country's largest social movement, credited with swaying the previous election back in 2012. But the power of hip-hop as a gateway to Senegal's youth goes beyond politics. Journal Rappe is a newscast rapped to a beat. Its founders Xuman and Keyti rhyme their take on the news in French and Wolof. "Journal Rappe is a way of simplifying political news, and making it accessible to citizens who might not want to watch news broadcasts. Back in 2011, they helped found the social movement Y'en a Marre - French for "Fed up". We went to the Republic of Congo, to Equatorial Guinea, to Mali, to Gambia, Madagascar, to meet young activists and musicians from various movements, and last year we hosted a gathering with all of them here in Dakar," says Thiat, Keur Gui rapper and cofounder of Y'en a Marre.