EDUCATION FOR PEACE .
An article from the Government of the State of Nuevo León
To promote support for urban culture, community participation, and violence prevention, the Secretariat of Equality and Inclusion, the Secretariat of Public Security, the Viral Network organization, and the Bendito Estilo collective have invited young people and urban artists from across the country to participate in the national project “Hip Hop for Peace.”
At a press conference held at the Independencia Community Center, Martha Herrera, Secretary of Equality and Inclusion, Pablo Almuli Cassigoli, Project Coordinator for Red Viral, and Jesús Héctor Grijalva, State Advisor on Penitentiary Policy, presented the project that seeks to empower young people and make them protagonists of social change.
The head of the Secretariat of Equality and Inclusion emphasized that the event aims to cultivate peace through artistic expression.
“This is the first time since the Government of Nuevo León has embraced urban culture, that we have managed to use Hip Hop as a public policy tool, as a reintegration strategy, and as an engine for building peace,” explained Martha Herrera.
She added that the voice of young people through music transforms communities from exclusion to integration. The call for applications is primarily aimed at young people throughout Mexico in contexts of exclusion or risk, young people in prisons and community centers in Nuevo León, neighborhood collectives, established artists, teachers, cultural promoters, and anyone who believes in the power of art as a response to violence.
The program seeks to combat the stigma surrounding Hip Hop and channel emotions that rarely find other legitimate spaces for expression, through the creation of original songs with a message of peace.
(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)
(Article continued in the right column)
What place does music have in the peace movement?
Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?
(Article continued from the left column)
The goal is to assemble a diverse team in each state that combines different disciplines of hip hop: rap, music production, audiovisual production, and graffiti.
During the press conference, the local artists of the Hip Hop for Peace collective were presented: El Jaiper, Chilo Carranza, Nexxo Emme, Tinta Prieta Damisela, Marily Mach, Giga Timba, and Danriv. Representing Community Centers will be the group “BETA HOUSE,” comprised of Ricardo Gerardo Argaiz Garcia “RK,” Roberto Carlos Cruz Martínez “Tyago Cruz,” and Luis Alfredo Moreno Maldonado “Ploki Moreno,” as well as solo artists Marvin Alexis García Cida “Zoket,” José Luis Martínez Bermea “Relyan Bermea,” Raúl Darío Villanueva González “Radio 24 Siete,” and Iván Yahir Castillo Ibarra “Enece.”
The Hip-Hop for Peace project is a joint effort led by Red VIRAL and the Bendito Estilo collective, in partnership with the United Nations (UN), the National Commission for Mental Health and Addictions (CONASAMA), Youth Integration Centers (CIJ), the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection through the Decentralized Administrative Body for Prevention and Social Rehabilitation, and the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property.
Additionally, at the local level, state human rights commissions, security secretariats through state prison systems, cultural secretariats, youth institutes, as well as civil associations and representatives of the private sector have joined the initiative.
Young people, urban artists, collectives, and anyone interested in the call for submissions can send their original song, which should include a message of peace and be up to 5 minutes long.
Participants must send their name, state, age, discipline, and a sample of their work before October 20th to hiphopporlapaz@gmail.com.
– – – – – –
If you wish to make a comment on this article, you may write to coordinator@cpnn-world.org with the title “Comment on (name of article)” and we will put your comment on line. Because of the flood of spam, we have discontinued the direct application of comments.