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WASHINGTON, Oct 25 (OneWorld) - Hip-Hop is not dead, at least not in Africa. That was the consensus after a recent screening here of the forthcoming documentary, "African Underground: Democracy in Dakar."

The film, due to be released by Christmas, focuses on the role of the youth hip-hop movement in the Senegalese elections of 2000 and 2007.

© Magee McIlvaine / African Underground During the 2000 elections, the western-influenced, politically driven music became the voice for a young, frustrated population and, according to the film's producers, the driving force behind the country's first party shift since its democratic beginnings 40 years earlier. The hip-hop movement was such an influence that one of the first tasks the new president, Abdoulaye Wade, completed in office was publicly thanking the youth hip-hop movement for its support and his success.

The surge of youth activism in the 2000 elections was caused by the reduction of the minimum voting age from 21 to 18, high levels of unemployment, and poor education in a nation where the majority of citizens are below 25, according to the film's director, Magee Mcllvaine.

"It was the closest the country could have come to massive rebellion, but it was carried out peacefully," said Mcllvaine.

Senegalese rapper Abdoulaye Aw discussing the hopes his country had before the 2000 elections and the state of affairs today. [Quicktime Movie - 4MB]

Within a few years, however, the success of the 2000 elections was shadowed by disappointment in the new president's inability to reform the policies and conditions that led to the political activism in 2000.

Today, nearly one quarter of the population still lives on less than $1 a day, the average adult literacy rate is under 40 percent, and the enrollment rate for primary, secondary, and tertiary school is just 38 percent, according to the United Nations.

And to make matters worse, in addition to failing in his development promises, the new president began to restrict free speech to the point of threatening and jailing political opponents and journalists.

Even the rappers who helped put Wade into power received threats to their families and were denied airtime, the film explains.

The rappers who were once the voice of the people of Senegal are now limited to two options, according to Mcllvaine. "The government will completely fund you if you support the government. But if you don't, you're banned from TV and radio, and you can't make a living."

© Christopher Moore / African UndergroundAnd government censorship is not limited to music. Dissenting journalists are often threatened, arrested, or even jailed, explained Ben Herson, the film's producer, describing a recent police attack on a Senegalese newspaper editor.

The hardships of the Senegalese people have become most evident in the large number of emigrants to Europe and the United States, many of whom face death at sea. Many of those who do survive the long trips in tiny boats are turned back when they reach shore.

Wade's administration has not been all bad, though. His business-friendly approach to government has led to a surge in infrastructure, a large amount of private, foreign investment, and "the kind of industry that Senegal has never seen," according to Herson.

The combination of economic hardships and the crackdown on free speech led to a dramatically different election in 2007. The rappers who once spoke for a nation were silenced by a corrupt government. The nation that thrived on political energy seven years earlier elected the unpopular Wade for a second term in 2007 out of fear of the other candidates.

At first the election raised widespread concerns of corruption, but soon people began to realize that Wade had won a second term fairly.

Senegalese rappers talking about the hopes of the country's youth and music as a weapon of democracy. [Quicktime Movie - 1.5 MB]

"Nobody trusted any of these politicians. At least with Wade people knew what they were getting," said Mcllvaine.

As Wade continues his second term, many Senegalese have become tired of politics. "Nobody wants anything to do with politics in Senegal," said Mcllvaine. "They've lost all faith in democracy." This in the country that was once seen as a model for democracy in West Africa.

As for the future of hip-hop in Senegal, many rappers have moved to other countries, though some have stayed in Senegal despite the pressures from the government. Many of the rappers who were once at the forefront of a political movement have now turned to an international audience.

"They're beginning to realize that the world is actually interested in what they have to say," said Herson.

"Hip-hop is not dead in Africa," said one of the film's stars and Senegalese rapper Abdoulaye Aw. "Hip-hop is a fight in Africa."

The film will be shown again this Friday (October 26) along with a panel discussion from 3-7 pm at Jack Morton Auditorium, George Washington University, as part of the United Nations Week. More information at www.unanca.org.

© Christopher Moore / African Underground

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