Rap, politics blend at BU

Whether it’s old school or new school, hip-hop can actually school audience members on politics.
The Boston University Film Society hosted a screening of the documentary Democracy in Dakar alongside the American Islamic Congress and Project Nur Monday night as part of the second annual Boston Muslim Film Festival.
More than 100 attendees gathered at BU Central to watch the documentary about musicians during the 2007 Senegal presidential election and a performance from a hip-hop artist featured in the film.
‘I am always looking for ways to learn more about the world and give back to the community,’ festival coordinator Sara Conklin said. ‘I want to prove to our community that students today are craving knowledge of international issues more than ever.’
BU, along with Harvard University, Northeastern University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, collaborated with AIC and PN to present, ‘Art Under Fire,’ the theme of this year’s film festival, which addresses the issue of government censorship against Muslim artists.’
PN is a student-led initiative of the AIC, which was created after Sept. 11, 2001 as a ‘non-religious, civic initiative challenging increasingly negative perceptions of Muslims,’ PN campus coordinator Jeehan Faiz.
The film Democracy in Dakar depicted the lives of hip-hop artists during the 2007 presidential election in Dakar, Senegal, a mostly Muslim African nation. Musicians, poets and artists used different forms of expression to inform voters about current issues and share their own political opinions of the candidates, film Director Ben Herson said.’
The 2007 election was very important to the’ Senegalese, who were fighting against government censorship under the rule of their previous president, Abdoulaye Wade, Herson said. After the documentary, Herson conducted a question-and-answer session with Moussa Sall, a member of Nomadic Wax, a group of hip-hop artists featured in the film.
Sall then performed freestyle rap as well as English and French songs to bongo drums, while Herson served as DJ. Sall interacted with the crowd and encouraged attendees to sing along to his music.
BU Film Society member Danielle Nadeau said she partnered with PN to promote the event.
‘The goal of the BUFS is to change the way films are seen,’ Nadeau, a BU 2008 graduate, said.’ ‘For example, tonight’s event included a performance afterwards.’
CAS freshman Matt Adair said he has been attending many Political Science film screenings at BU, and the title, Democracy in Dakar, appealed to his interests.’
‘It was good to see hip-hop used in a positive way instead of promoting violence or drugs,’ he said.
Conklin, the event coordinator, said she was happy with the event’s outcome.
‘Tonight was amazing,’ she said. ‘We had to borrow chairs and everyone ate all the food. This documentary is something that could benefit any person or artist. I think everyone really got something out of the film and learned about the issues in Dakar.’