Rapping the News in Senegal: Hip-Hop duo Keyti and Xuman's 'Journal Rappe'
People are always trying to conjure up a magic formula for getting young people interested in the news, but two Senegalese rappers may have cracked it. Keyti and Xuman - both veterans of Dakar's huge hip-hop scene - present the Journal Rappe, a short TV show that covers the week's news in a hip-hop format. The show was launched in April as a new way for the duo to combine their music with news, politics and entertainment. Journal Rappe takes a humourous approach to current affairs but the rappers take their mission seriously, regularly criticising politicians and encouraging people to register to vote.
"I think that the only way to draw people in and capture their attention is to make the product interesting," said Keyti.
"That they see we are having a good time making it, because whether it's Xuman or me, we have been perceived as engaged and serious artists and all, and all that allows us to break the ice."
Keyti and Xuman are no strangers to Senegalese politics; they have been involved in campaigning for more than a decade. They used their music to encourage residents to register to vote ahead of the country's 2000 elections, and that ultimately helped former opposition figure Abdoulaye Wade get elected. They were also involved in the Y'en a Marre campaign to oust him when he fell out of favour after two terms, and now Macky Sall is President.
Their political influence aside, Keyti and Xuman are good musicians who have a legion of loyal fans who attend their gigs and watch their content on YouTube. Report by Mark Morris.
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