By: Amanda Crouse
On Monday, Oct. 30, the Africana studies and French and francophone studies departments hosted a talk on hip-hop and civil engagement. Held in Wishart’s Lean Lecture Hall, the event featured hip-hop performer Simon Kouka and graffiti muralist Docta. Both Senegalese artists are passionate about social activism, and are working together to spread public messages by synthesizing their creative talents. Dr. Omar Dieng of the Africana studies department aided in translating questions and answers for the two speakers, whose native language is French.
Appearing via Zoom call, Simon Kouka began by performing a few bars from one of his rap songs. I may not have been able to understand what he was saying — until Dr. Dieng provided translations — but that didn’t hinder my enjoyment of Kouka’s passionate, rhythmic delivery of what I would come to find out was a verse on African culture. After his short performance, Kouka spoke about his background in civic engagement and rap. He named some of his musical influences: artists like The Roots and Mos Def. Just as one of his inspirations, The Roots, convey strong social messages in their lyrics, so too does Kouka rap about causes that are important to him. One such example comes in the form of his latest project, “Rapping History.” This musical endeavor was created with the purpose of making history lessons more accessible to the general public and more considerate of the narrative bias that exists within most social studies curricula. Each of Kouka’s songs in this project focuses on a different historical figure or event. He showed a video from one of his lectures, during which he performed some of his verses for a class of students. Looking back on my time in middle and high school, I probably would have paid a lot more attention in my world history class if I had someone like Kouka spitting knowledge at me in verse form.
Next up was Docta, who was able to appear in-person for his section of the talk. Sharing a similar passion for civic engagement, Docta expresses his social concerns through graffiti. He showed some examples of his work: large-scale, colorful murals featuring throw-up style lettering and the faces of venerated figures like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, Jr. As his name implies, Docta addresses crises that he sees as harming public health. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he took part in a mural campaign that celebrated the bravery of Senegalese doctors working on the front lines of the crisis and reminded citizens to follow health guidelines. When asked about the significance of his art, Docta said that graffiti is one of the most important forms of protest. Public art displays have the ability to affect all corners of a population; they don’t require internet access to be seen or an expensive classical education to be understood. “Graffitti is the identity of hip-hop,” Docta asserted, citing its inherent tendency to build community as one of graffiti’s strongest civic traits.
Then, the floor was opened to audience members for a question-and-answer segment. One student brought up a salient point in their question about whether either of the men had been involved in any women’s movements. In their initial presentations, Kouka and Docta both described impressive careers in activism, but they didn’t touch directly on their opinions regarding the feminist sphere of thought. In response to this, Kouka broke into verse again, this time rapping about the importance of women’s stories in history. I was impressed by how easily he transitioned between speaking and performing; he seemed to have a relevant lyrical response to every question, and a spoken explanation to back up each rhyme. Docta mentioned his involvement in a movement called Penser Elle (“Think Her”), which strives to empower female graffiti artists. Both speakers seemed passionate about the inclusion of female voices within each of their artistic fields.
Hip-hop is a categorical adjective often ascribed to music, but its cultural impact stretches far beyond the world of verse. Around the globe, back alleys boast paint-flecked walls emblazoned with the passionate written words of the voiceless. Music is important in every country, with heart-wrenching rhymes found flowing from bluetooth speakers and crackly car radios. The influence of Simon Kouka and Docta meant a lot to me as a young person with a lifelong interest in both hip-hop and community engagement. While I might not possess the artistic wherewithal to cover the side of a building with an impactful social message, I was inspired by the night’s speakers to consider ways in which I can utilize my own talents to make lasting statements.