Urban Cultures for Peace: The Power of Hip Hop

By Def Yuri

I'm an activist for Hip Hop culture, and have helped to create networks of this musical genre throughout Brazil, particularly in areas where it intersects with the promotion of human rights and citizenship.

I pioneered debates on police, public security, human rights, and free expression in Brazilian Hip Hop culture, and through my experience, I can attest to the importance of creating networks to mobilize young people through urban culture, among them, Hip Hop.

Culture is fundamental to fostering dialogue with and among vulnerable groups. It can be used to share important information or to inspire action or political participation; culture can increase the likelihood of self preservation and the transformation of spaces where these actors live, taking into account that they are often from marginalized communities—places where hip hop can offer an alternative. In other words, Hip Hop culture is a voice confronting a society that doesn't know how to listen to others and that is only interested in exporting its vision of a perfect world. The ideal for some is not necessarily that for others; dialogue is the only path to understanding these nuances.

For young people, particularly those living in high-risk or conflict-affected areas, this work is every important. Young people need to see their peers and also be seen by others. They need to hear their peers and be heard.

Among other things, Hip Hop is the primary mode of communication among marginalized populations, and it presents itself through different manifestations, like music, graffiti, publications, and community radio programs that show another side of the country and the many members of the society that cohabitate in it.

I have participated in initiatives like: Hip Hop against Tobacco, Rap without Guns, Hip Hop and the Vote, but the Hip Hop Alliance for the Yes [yes to arms prohibition] stands out. This campaign was mobilized in response to the need for arms control, to present something that wasn't created by those who traditionally make up the arms-control campaigns, but rather by those who are most affected by the devastating effects of gun violence.

The Hip Hop Alliance for the Yes came out of the need to discuss this grave issue and show the points of view of young people from all over Brazil. It came out of an online social network and met with intense opposition. But the Hip Hop Alliance prevailed, spread, and made members across the nation. Big names in Rap music and the most important Hip Hop activists joined us, aware that it was a groundbreaking initiative and of the importance of taking discussions on arms control to forgotten places.

The Hip Hop Alliance produced a wealth of materials for hip hop websites, community radios, print media, musical spots, internet discussion groups, workshops, events held in shantytowns, debates, a number of actions that came about of its own means without resorting to conventional sources of funding. There was the case, for example, of a rhyming artist who was able to make a studio recording of a jingle because his own community pitched in to pay for a high quality tape.

This is just one of the many examples that show that it is possible to mobilize and raise awareness of this part of the population, people who live at the mercy of the gun culture and its effects. They know well the damage and pain it causes. I will go even further, and say that we showed that it is possible for us to create a voice that is authentic and strong, and not one that is conducted through others. If we want peace, voices must express themselves in their own right, otherwise it rhymes with oppression.

Despite our many victories in mobilizing people through Hip Hop, the Alliance’s role in was eventually forgotten or even ignored after the “No” won the referendum by sectors of civil society represented in the pro Yes coalition Frente Brasil sem Armas.

This lack of public recognition, and even acceptance of the role we played, makes it evident that we must continue our actions, since we were facing then the same prejudices that continue unchanged. Society changes very slowly while damage happens very quickly.

Even so, the Hip Hop Alliance showed that it is no longer necessary for others to speak in name of the principal victims of firearms in Brazil. Although still muffled, their voices are now heard more clearly and more actively today. It has meant groups involved in various social issues today have more substance, giving them a better footing in reality.