Word of Senegal’s elections in February 2007 may or may not have reached you. In fact incumbent Abdoulaye Wade, was reelected and the elections themselves went ahead without hitch. Something for Senegalese to be proud of.
The back story to these elections could be seen as more interesting. In 2000 Wade was elected, ousting his predecessor and so bringing in democracy to Senegal through free and fair elections. Many believe Wade could not have done this without the very vocal support of the hip hop community in Senegal – the younger generation and, up until then, an informal powerhouse in the country. But the hip hop community realized their importance and encouraged young people all over the country to get out and vote, and vote for Wade. The role they played was recognized in a speech by the newly elected Wade thanking them.
But since then criticism of Wade has grown louder and many were concerned that the 2007 elections would be hampered. For many, this was signaled by opposition leaders being jailed, journalists silenced, and the youth who were once central to the move to democracy too afraid to speak out. Many felt disillusioned by Wade, by politics, by the slow pace of change in Senegal. So a lot was riding on the 2007 elections and people looked to the hip hop community once again.
Senegalese rap music is far from easy listening. With over 3000 groups in Senegal it has always been revolutionary and a democratic movement allowing voices from the margins to be heard, where the aim is to educate, politicize, and mobilize the urban youth of Senegal.
In the midst of the 2007 elections The Democracy in Dakar project took place. An interactive, multi media project founded by global music label Nomadic Wax and co-produced in conjunction with Sol Productions was on the ground as people voted documenting the election process through the eyes of Senegalese hip-hop artists.
The Democracy in Dakar project recorded 10-minute video documentary shorts every 3 days which were then uploaded onto the Democracy in Dakar website as well as You Tube, My Space and other viral media and social networking websites.The videos were then available for people to send via email, send to friends, and embed in blogs to help facilitate dialogue and spread the word about this historic event.
A mixture of journalism, academic inquiry, Internet reality TV, and hip -hop activism - it was as fresh and current as any news item but had the Senegalese were the protagonists, not the anchormen, and this made it something exciting to witness.
Following the success of the Democracy in Dakar project an album - the Depths of Dakar - was released in May 2007. A production that began in 2003 when Ben Herson traveled to Dakar and set up a mobile rig in an effort to find MCs who may not have had the opportunity to record. Rising stars, established hit-makers, and plenty of unknown neighborhood MCs walked through his doors.
Back in New York City, Herson spent three years working on the tracks and this labour of love is the new album, the follow up to the critically acclaimed and highly successful transatlantic hip-hop recording project African Underground, Volume 1, Hip- Hop Senegal.
Go to the project website to see the documentaries produced during the elections and to hear tracks from the new album : www.africanunderground.com
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