Rappers Waraba, the ‘lion’ from Mauritania and, rapping in Wolof as well, Master Nomila from Senegal

When: Wednesday 8 JuneWhere: Melkweg (Oude Zaal)Entrance fee: € 5,-Start programme: 20.30 hrs

Within the International Art Programme in Amsterdam the Prince Claus Fund and the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts collaborated with the African Hip Hop Foundation in organizing an evening on African Hip Hop on Wednesday 8 June in the Melkweg in Amsterdam. Rappers Waraba and Master Nomila, coming from Mauritania and Senegal,  for the first time in Amsterdam, gave a spectacular performance both rapping in Wolof. They also united their musical forces together with Thoro Borough Symphony, a group of eight mc’s, singers and spoken word artists from Amsterdam.

The Prince Claus Fund previously gave both rappers a small career boost by supporting the production of their albums. And they spent several weeks in the Netherlands for the VERS Mundial program in which they, together with an Iranian singer songwriter and bass player and a South African jazz pianist, among other have gotten workshops from musicians such as pianist Jeroen van Vliet and composer Martin Fondse. They followed an intensive program that aims to develop all the talents needed to become and stay even more successful as a musician.

Programme background information

Does African youth still believe in African politics? What is the impact of youth on politics in Africa? What is the power of youth and their language, Hip Hop? Is there a role for Hip Hop to play in this? The bigger part of the continent has an age under the 30 years, the belief in government and politics in this group is hardly present. Hip Hop is therefore an important way to express and discuss dissatisfaction, social issues and everyday issues. On June 8 in the Melkweg this particular sound was heard. Part of the program were the performance of an African DJ and a short film on African Hip Hop that was shown. At the end of May Thoro Borough Symphony collaborated with the rappers and recorded a song with Waraba and Nomila in Amsterdam. Waraba (Mauritania)

Alioune Fall Brahim (aka Waraba, which means "lion" in Bambara) is one of the most talented rappers in Mauritania. He is known for his fast rapping and freestyle raps in Wolof on hip hop, dancehall and reggae music. At twelve, he began rapping under the pseudonym Big Power. In 2006 he released his first album, "Youmbou. This came out in Africa and Europe and was enthusiastically received in Mauritania. In 2009, Waraba was supported by the Prince Claus Fund to produce "Muzik Education". On this CD he draws attention to the importance of education for children in Mauritania without however losing his groove. Besides several international collaborations and new work, Waraba is also setting up the music label Zion home. http://www.myspace.com/warababigpower

Master Nomila (Senegal)

Before Lamine Gueye (aka Master Nomila) started his solo career, he was part of a number of rap groups in Senegal, as Klan Saba, Pee Froiss, Daraj and Da Brains. Master Nomila raps in Wolof, while other Senegalese rappers often rap in French to reach a wider audience. Though Master Nomila has some difficulty reading and writing he produces many texts. Because of his exceptional memory, he can create text in his head and remember it. In one of his songs he criticized the coarse and vulgar behavior of rappers in their work. His contributions to American compilations but also performances as a guest rapper on songs of Calvin Scott and Poissa Rino (who were released in France) were well received by both the media and colleagues. The Prince Claus Fund supported the production of his debut album "Geum Len Sen Bopp”.http://www.myspace.com/nomila http://www.youtube.com/watch

Thoro Borough Symphony

About eight months ago, artist, producer and dj Bamba Nazar started a workshop with 8 mc’s, singers and spoken word artists from Amsterdam south east called Thoro Borough Symphony. The objective was for each artist to add his or her perspective on life to the project. All while surpassing society’s preconceived idea of what young adults from the Bijlmer must be about. With members from Surinam, Ghana, Aruba, Siera leone and Mali, Thoro Borough Symphony is a true reflection of what Amsterdam’s African diaspora has to offer. Musically the outcome of the workshop is a street life symphony, songs in the key of survival with a positive overtone.

Senegal has about 5000 Hip Hop / rap groups, mostly in poor conditions. The few successful rappers to a broader audience and bring out an album. Dakar is considered one of the capitals of African Hip Hop, but the enormous competition and the poor facilities it is very difficult to be a successful rapper.