Emmanuel Jal In the mid-1980s, when Jal was around seven years old, members of Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) coerced him into joining their ranks. However, after being brutally beaten and imprisoned as punishment for a minor offense, the 10-year-old Jal befriended a fellow prisoner who, in his words, taught him that “music puts courage into the hearts and soothes them when they are defeated.” Shortly thereafter Jal escaped the war in Sudan, returned to school with the help of British aid worker Emma McCune, and cultivated his abilities as a rapper. He is now one of Africa’s top hip-hop artists, a widely read author, and a devoted humanitarian activist. Through music, Jal has made peace with the tormenting memories of his past and, like other artists in the Cultures of Resistance feature film, uses his craft to fight for peace, equality, and justice. Visit his official site or his myspace page to listen to some of his hit tracks.
Hich Kas Hich Kas, sometimes referred to as the “President of Iranian hiphop,” dominates the scene not only as the pioneer of the latest generation of rap artists, but also as a singular voice speaking out about contemporary social issues facing youth in Tehran. Cultures of Resistance teamed up with Hich Kas to produce a track and video to expose some of the diversity of Iranian culture not shown in western media, and to invite people to take another look at Iran and its people. Check out his Facebook page or click here to watch our music video collaboration.
Kayhan Kalhor Kayhan Kalhor is a virtuosic performer who favors the Persian violin among the many other instruments he plays. He collaborated on the soundtrack of Francis Ford Coppola’s film Youth Without Youth and has twice been nominated for Grammy awards. He has also lent his music to the memory of those who were murdered during the horrific massacre in Halabja, in which over 3,000 people died from a chemical weapons attack in the Kurdish town, ordered by Saddam Hussein. Kalhor produced the piece Silent City as a memorial for all those who died unjustly. He says, “Of course there is nothing we can do about it, but remembering Halabja can make you think how to prevent that. What can you do to stop making it happen again, as humans, not as Kurds, not as Iranians, not as Iraqis, not as citizens of any country, but as humans.” Click here to visit his official website.
Katibe 5 Palestinian hip-hop group Katibe 5 carries on a tradition of socially conscious rap, even as the genre becomes increasingly commercialized in the U.S. The group is made up of five members who came of age together inside the walls of a refugee camp in Beirut where over 16,000 people reside in less than a square mile. While the plight of the Palestinian people is a central focus of their work, they rap in solidarity with other struggles around the world. As one member put it, “We’re not just Palestinian refugees speaking about our problems, or our lives in the camps, because the problems we face are not only a Palestinian problem. All over the world there are people who are oppressed, people who are incarcerated, people who are suffering.” Check out their myspace page or click here to watch a short film adaptation of their segment in the feature.
MV Bill MV Bill, a hip hop artist from Brazil’s notorious favela City of God, has been combating drug violence in urban slums for years. Since hid debut in 1993 he founded the Popular Party Power to the Majority, which represents Afro-Brazilians who have long been the victims of racism in his country. In 2000 he toured many of Brazil’s shantytowns, talking to teenagers about their frustrations of living in the slums and the value of getting an education. Later, along with female rapper Nega Gizza, he founded the Central Unica das Favelas (CUFA), a network of community organizations in shantytowns across all 26 Brazilian states that promotes education and the arts in the effort to minimize urban violence. Check out his official website or his myspace page to listen to some of his hard-hitting tracks.
César López César López, a Colombian musician, artist, and peace activist, is the maker of the escopetarra, or “gun-guitar.” These creations are rifles that have been converted into instruments, a symbol of Lopez’s musical mission. Some of the international recording artists that have used the escopetarra include Colombian guitarist Juanes, Argentine musician Fito Páez, and Kenyan singer Eric Wainaina—all of whom serve as UN Messengers of Nonviolence. López is also active with the Battalion of Immediate Artistic Action, an activist group that provides aid to victims of political violence. Click here to visit his myspace page.