Africa Is a Country

Y’En A Marre’s political hip-hop anthems

Y’En A Marre’s political hip-hop anthems

By
Tom Devriendt

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCuKAn-T0pk&w=600&h=347]

8 of 13 Senegalese opposition candidates trying to unseat Abdoulaye Wade in the upcoming presidential elections (including three former prime ministers under Wade, and no-longer-candidate Youssou N’Dour) gathered on Obelisk Square in Dakar last Sunday. The rally went peaceful, “crowds of color-coordinated supporters awaited while listening to political hip-hop anthems in Wolof.” On Tuesday, Wade “tried to divert attention from growing street protests calling for his resignation and prove that he still had grassroots support by leading an impromptu rally through the capital,” some hours after he summoned “the U.S. ambassador to Dakar” over the ambassador’s telling local journalists that “President Wade has compromised the elections and threatened the security of the country by insisting on running for a third term in the February 26 presidential election” — a move in which “a lobbying group in Atlanta” had a hand. The anthems on Obelisk Square included the sound of Y’En A Marre.

Further Reading

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Colonial-era censorship bodies continue to stifle African creativity, but a new wave of artists and activists are driving a pan-African push for reform.

Drawing the line

How Sudanese political satirist Khalid Albaih uses his art and writing to confront injustice, challenge authority, and highlight the struggles of marginalized communities worldwide.

Not exactly at arm’s length

Despite South Africa’s ban on arms exports to Israel and its condemnation of Israel’s actions in Palestine, local arms companies continue to send weapons to Israel’s allies and its major arms suppliers.

Ruto’s Kenya

Since June’s anti-finance bill protests, dozens of people remain unaccounted for—a stark reminder of the Kenyan state’s long history of abductions and assassinations.