Ninth annual Hip-Hop For Society to empower Ugandan youth

Scheduled to begin at 2pm local time, revellers should expect high-energy rap and dance battles and performances. Rappers St. Nellysade, Ruyonga, Sylvester and Abramz are among those lined up to perform, while choreographed dances by female members of BPU and breakdance battles between both individuals and crews will make for an entertaining event.

The project was founded in February 2006 out of the belief that hip-hop could be used as a tool to engage and empower disadvantaged youth in Kampala and other areas of Uganda. Its mission is to engage young people in the elements of hip-hop culture to build leadership skills and promote social responsibility. The project attracts people from all walks of life and acts as a catalyst for building mutually beneficial relationships between people of different social statuses across Uganda and the rest of the world. It serves to teach people breakdancing and how to pass on those skills to others, as well as promoting leadership skills, social responsibility and positive change to members and local communities.

The first Hip-Hop For Society event was organized by BPU in 2007 with the aim of promoting the positive roles of hip-hop in Ugandan society. Over the years, the event has welcomed artists to participate in dance or rap showcases and competitions, visual art exhibitions, educational speeches and workshops, video screenings and discussions. The upcoming ninth edition will also feature social entrepreneurship workshops. For example, Food Rights Alliance (FRA) will teach about nutrition, farming and food security, while Whitehead Communications will talk about co-operation with the media.

According to organizer Abramz Tekya, Hip-Hop For Society encourages NGOs, schools, artists, and others who are working toward the same goal to co-operate, because everyone has something that the others don’t – and we can surely multiply our impact by working together.

For more information about the project visit BPU’s Facebook page.