VIENTIANE (Reuters Life!) - Usher’s "Can U Handle It" fills the hall where the teenagers in baggy pants, chains jingling from their necks, greet each other with "Yo" and "Whazz-up". Lao youth have embraced hip-hop with a passion, turning the gritty urban music associated with African-Americans into their own.

Radio stations playing hip-hop and rap songs by local groups and in the local language are filling the airwaves in cities such as Vientiane, Savannakhet and Pakse, where nightclub DJs spin these tunes to a packed house.

"Lao hop" is also slowly replacing Thai music, which has long dominated radio programming, as more groups churn out tunes.

"There were no Lao songs before, only Thai songs, but now almost all teenagers listen to Lao songs in hip-hop style," said Anouluck Pathammavong, founder of IndeeRecords which now manages 20 hip hop artistes.

"Previously, modern music was either Thai or Western, and we often received complaints when we put hip-hop on the radio," added Douangmany Soliphanh of recording firm Lao Art Media.

Pele, a member of hip-hop group LOG who wants to be identified by his stage name, said he was introduced to the music through albums given to him by cousins who live in Australia and the United States.

"I liked it immediately because I was different, and we could identify with the music," he said, sporting the unofficial uniform of rap stars, baggy pants, oversized T-shirts and lots and lots of chains.

Sone, 19, got hooked on hip-hop after his friends told him it was the "in" thing. He is now a member of local group Happy Boys. "My friends said it’s more modern, so I switched and am now a hip-hop artist," he said.

YO! CULTURE

Even though communist-ruled Laos is slowly opening up to the West, the government did not take well to Lao hip-hop at first.

Aj Photisane who performs with Laobangfai, the country’s first hip-hop and break-dancing troupe, said the group was chided by officials after a concert three years ago.

"What are you dancing? There isn’t anything like that in the history, nothing like that in the culture, so what are you doing?" Photisane said, imitating the officials.

Somkiethtisack Kingsada, a Culture Ministry official, fears hip-hop is slowly killing off traditional music.

"Modern songs become more and more powerful and it causes the number of Lao youths who know traditional songs to go down," Kingsada said. "But the government has limited experience and funding to maintain and impose our tradition."

Officials said the only thing the government could do was ensure the lyrics of the songs, and the costumes worn on stage, did not go against "traditional culture". Cursing is not allowed, nor are revealing clothes.

"The wordings must be in line with the Lao way of speaking and if the performances are broadcast live or during formal functions, the artists must dress politely," said Somsavath Songvilay of the Fine Arts Department that regulates performances and music production.

But for many Lao youth, hip-hop is just the vehicle the country needs to put itself on the world map.

"Foreigners don’t think it is possible to have hip hop in Laos. In their opinion we are just poor," said Photisane.

"But when they see that we can dance, they appreciate us."

© Reuters2007All rights reserved

GAZA CITY, Dec. 11, 2007 (MENASSAT.COM) - It’s not often that you get to see musical performances in Gaza these days. Although Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip in 2005, its security policies have otherwise choked off any hope of cultural normalcy for the 1,5 million plus Palestinians living here. Israel completely controls the borders of Gaza like a prison. So cultural expression is just one of the many casualties of war.

Still, there I was at one of Gaza’s many cultural centers, listening to local rappers doing their thing in Arabic.

Rap music in Gaza?

Somehow I was drawn to this music I didn’t understand, performed by Gazan youth who donned the same stylistic markers as their American counterparts — from the clothing to the music samples to the rhythms of their word flow.

At the concert’s conclusion - which was a welcome break for my uninitiated ears -, I was left with so many questions.

How do they define the type of art they presented? How could they dare form American-style music groups and perform publicly in Occupied Palestine, which is characterized by its adherence to traditions and customs?
 
I decided I would ask members from three Gaza-based hip hop groups - Gazesta, P.R. (Palestinian Rap) and R.F.M. (Rap Fi Medinahti) - why it was that hip hop was their preferred method for expressing their day-to-day experience.

Introducing:

From R.F.M.:
Faysal
Mohammed

From P.R.:
Ayman
Moutaz

From Gazesta:
Alaa
 
How were you introduced to rap music?

Faysal: "Let me start with a little background first. We have to acknowledge that rap music is an art form that comes from black America, and it reflects some very common themes such as the oppression, repression and racism in the United States experienced by black Americans at the hands of white Americans. I would go so far as to say that, in Palestine, we are suffering from similar oppression and racism from an occupying power. That is why we thought: why not express our pain in the same way?"
 
Ayman: "Most of us were introduced to rap music through popular media outlets, and of course, the Internet. We quickly realized that the best and fastest way to reach the outside world and inform it about the Palestinian cause would be through rap. Rap has visibility in these countries."
 
What is your motive behind rapping?
 
Mohammad: "We found rap to be a weapon for us - a means to convey our voice and our message. But, rap music is also a peaceful, defensive path, because paper and the pencil are the best means to convey the suffering of the Palestinian people to the outside world."
 
Do you find it difficult to rap in a society that is inherently conservative and more eastern in its values?
 
Mohammad: "In the beginning, it was hard. But as time passed, people accepted the idea because we are expressing the cause of a nation. Whoever examines the lyrics will see how simple and expressive they are."
 
What problems did you face at the beginning of your journey?
 
Mohammad: "One of the most common problems we faced was the criticism directed against us - from our clothing to the actual songs we performed. In addition, the issues of direct support both inside and outside Gaza, and the lack of funding - these have been the biggest obstacles."
 
Moutaz: "One of the key problems we faced were the parental objections. But even though our parents disapprove, they have not derailed our moves to achieve big things with our music."

(Note: Faysal said that his parents’ reaction was positive and that they heavily supported him.)
 
What do you produce your music with?
 
Faysal: "We use special computerized programs to arrange and compose our music. Sometimes we take ready-made rhythms or samples that have been cleared from any copyright infringement that we can get online or from CD’s. We also use some eastern instruments to make our sound more local."
 
Who composes the lyrics and what are the issues you tackle?
 
Mohammad: "We write the lyrics ourselves. And these lyrics are aimed mostly at expressing the problems, the pain and the events faced by Palestinians every day."
 
Moutaz: "In fact, most of our songs tackle the social situation, youth, unemployment, children, and the political situation prevailing in Palestine."
 
What about relationships with other Palestinian musical groups? Do these young musicians all seek to achieve one goal, or does each band have their own dreams?
 
Faysal: "Honestly, some claim that all Palestinian bands agree on one larger goal - a nationalist sort of agenda. But in fact, each band seeks to achieve its personal goals regardless of the common interest, despite the communication between us and the bands in the lands of 1948 and through the Internet."
 
It is known that Palestinian society is conservative. And many people I talked to said rap music is considered an intruder art form. How do you expect your rap to serve the Palestinian society?
 
Mohammad: "Our rap songs express the Palestinian cause and our singing is full of nationalism and the love of Palestine. It is not a sarcastic kind of music; we sing within the framework of our traditional morals and customs."
 
What is the attendance like at your shows? Do you have a following, in other words?
 
Mohammad: "The attendance is increasing. This is inevitable. The young people are soaking up hip hop. So we have our fans."
 

What attracted you to rap and pushed you to do it?
 
Faysal: "The thing that attracted me to rap was honestly the fact that I can express myself and say whatever I want without restrictions. It is an offensive and defensive way at the same time."
 
Where do you find yourself, in Western or in Arab music?
 
Faysal: "I think that the rap music we sing is better than some of the aimless Arab and Egyptian songs that lack any meaning or message."
 
Is there any political side (like Hamas or Fatah) that finances or sponsors your music?
 
Moutaz: "There is no sponsor or financial backer for our music or our live shows. All our work is a result of our personal efforts."
 
Do you consider rap to be a future career or a life-long hobby?
 
Ayman: "I will continue to rap but I don’t think it will be my career. We’ll see."
 
Moutaz: "I consider rap as a hobby, but it’s something I really believe in."
 
Alaa: "For now, I consider rap a hobby. However, if at any time it provided me with an adequate income, then I would certainly consider it as a career choice!"
 
Mohammad: "Rap hasn’t altered my life. It is a hobby that has its positive outcomes."
 
You are all young… So did rapping affect your studies or work?
 
Ayman: "At first, it had a very negative effect because when we first got into the game, we obviously had to devote a lot of time to it. Eventually, as we got more experienced, we overcame the problem by organizing our time more efficiently."

So what did I conclude from these interviews? Certainly, this is a determined group of young men who are turning to art to discuss their discontent about the situation in Gaza. Art, in this case, is replacing bullets as a reaction to the Occupation.

But ultimately, I’m left with more questions.

Will Palestinian society allow the spread of western-influenced arts among the youth, especially in Gaza which is more conservative in many ways than the Occupied West Bank?

I ask this knowing that these western-influenced cultural leanings will eventually affect the customs, traditions, and the morals on which subsequent generations are raised.
 
And last, I wonder whether hip hop, as a culture, will veer them away from the conservative upbringing that they have come to know?

But one thing is for sure: the rappers in this group see hip hop as a means of elevating their lives above the malaise of life in Gaza.

DAKAR (Reuters) - African reggae star Tiken Jah Fakoly, famed for his bitter criticism of the continent’s corrupt leaders, has turned his attention to Senegalese leader Abdoulaye Wade, calling on him bluntly to "leave power".

Fakoly, one of Africa’s best-loved muscians and a campaigner for peace in his native Ivory Coast, added his voice to rights groups who have accused the octogenarian Wade of being increasingly authoritarian.

Political posturing aimed at positioning his son to succeed him, the detention without trial of critical journalists and the diminishing power of parliament have all tarnished Senegal’s once-bright democratic credentials, Wade’s critics say.

"Mr President, if you love Senegal, leave power!" Fakoly said during a concert in the capital Dakar late on Wednesday, to rapturous cheers and applause from hundreds of Senegalese, before singing his anthem for corrupt politicians "Quittes le pouvoir" — "Leave Power".

Wade, a long-time opposition leader elected in 2000, easily won re-election in February but has since angered many ordinary Senegalese by focusing on preparations for an Islamic conference next year, while ignoring pressing social problems.

The worst riots in decades erupted in Dakar last month when Wade ordered the removal of thousands of street sellers from the downtown area to ease traffic congestion. He has sheltered his son Karim, who is managing the infrastructure projects for the Islamic conference, from testifying before parliament.

"If you don’t want your son to be questioned by parliamentarians, you should not have involved him in running the country," said Fakoly, dressed in a long white robe emblazened with maps of Africa.

Despite Senegal’s relatively small economy and population, Wade has tried to compete with South African President Thabo Mbeki for leadership on African issues.

Last month Wade launched an impassioned defence of President Robert Mugabe during a trip to Harare aimed at defusing Western criticism of human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.