An Analysis of Political Hip-Hop from Lusophone Africa and its Female Perspectives – The Hip Hop African

Transcript:

Hello! My name is Schuyler Van Tassel, and today I will be guiding you through a mixtape analyzing politically conscious Hip-Hop from Lusophone Africa, looking at a variety of topics from the perspectives of 5 women. Between Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe, the unique political and historical experiences of these countries have created an incredibly interesting incubator for fantastic Hip-Hop. In defining their post-colonial circumstances, many of the Lusophone countries within Africa have used the medium of Hip-Hop to push for greater equity, political freedom, and human rights. Additionally, the rapid spread of Hip-Hop in many disadvantaged countries and communities has given rise to a new social outlet. As such, this mixtape endeavors to investigate what the many female voices of Lusophone Hip-hop are saying regarding their respective countries’ social circumstances. Within this context, we will be analyzing the female voice of Lusophone Africa, and how it has interacted with the medium to produce a variety of messages.

Mozambique:
Firstly, we’re going to take a look at Mozambique, a country that hosts one of Hip-Hop’s most vibrant scenes. According to the World Music Network, much of the country’s music has been defined by the idea of A luta Continua (Portuguese for “the struggle continues”). This idea of the continued struggle comes from the brutal war for independence that the country fought against Portugal in the 1960s and 70s, and has defined the collective consciousness of the nation. As such, the art being created reflects the history that the country’s endured. Recently, female rapper and human rights activist, Iveth, has created an anthem to champion greater awareness for the topic. In her own career, as both a creator and a lawyer for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mozambique, her work aims to defend the Declaration of Human Rights, pushing to have any signatory country defend freedom and liberty for all. Her 2024 song, Leave No One Behind, aims to be an anthem for this activism, starting with a sound bite of Elanor Roosevelt’s introduction of the United Nation’s Commission on Human Rights. Let’s take a listen!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQXFhbjA-Kc&ab_channel=IVETHTV

Portugal:
Switching perspectives now, we move to Portugal, to focus on the immigrant communities residing in the country. After its long and brutal decolonization process, many migrants (also known as retornados) from Portugal’s ex-colonies migrated in search of work, security, and a higher standard of living. One MC who has been at the vanguard of providing migrant women voices within the Portuguese Hip-Hop community has been Mynda Guevara. Born in 1997 to Cape Verdean immigrants, Guevara grew up in Lisbon’s Cova da Moura district, a semi-isolated, less economically advantaged area of the city. She was able to begin her rapping career at the Associação Cultural Moinho da Juventude (The Moinho Youth Cultural Association), a center for talented children. There, she was able to study production and started creating. However, she lacked a significant female role model who shared her experience as both a woman and an African migrant. Thus, she has pushed for more female inclusion in the Hip-Hop space for women, and has been the first African woman to perform at some of Portugal’s largest summer music festivals. In addition to her feminist advocacy, she has also aimed to include the narratives of migrants in her works. Her 2018 song, “Ken Ki Fla”, discusses how one can only depend on themselves to find success in an unjust system. Let’s listen:

Cape Verde:
Looking now at Cape Verde, we focus on a nation that is often regarded as one of the most stable in Africa. The country’s long and tumultuous history has given way to a stable democracy that has been slowly but surely developing the nation. However, the distinct troubles of the country’s past still define the nation and the specter of colonialism looms heavy in the culture. Race and class divide much of the Lusophone world, and the idea of the Senzala or the racial mixing that took place via miscegenation, affects the identity that many hold in relation to both Whiteness and their African identity. In Portuguese-Cape Verdean rapper Nenny’s song “Tequila”, she discusses the idea of race, and how the Lusophone world is still grappling with how it treats those of mixed descent. As she says in the song, “He’s black, he’s white, Always walking their path yet not in the same fight, Even without looking, I feel the hate but I say “nice try”, And at the end of the day, I just want to make a toast with a tequila”.
Let’s listen:

Angola:
Next, we’re going to take a look at a fascinating woman from Angola. Teca Miguel André Garcia, better known as Titica, is a trans kuduro artist who has been one of the most popular artists in Angola. Initially starting as a dancer, she eventually gained major international success after her 2011 song, Chão. After this, she took on her stage name Titica, which translates to “worthless”, in reference to the abuse she has suffered as a trans woman in Angola. The country has a complex relationship with homosexuality, as prior to Portuguese colonization, homosexual practices were fairly common amongst tribal communities. Under colonization, the Catholic church strictly criminalized it. After the country gained independence, it took another 40 years for Angola to decriminalize same-sex activity, and the country still sees a significant percentage of the population pushing for its recriminalization. However, a majority are still in favor of equal rights for LGBTQ+ citizens. Titica’s major presence as a trans woman and LGBTQ+ advocate has led her to be named a UNAIDS goodwill ambassador, due to her work on spreading awareness for HIV and AIDS. Let’s take a listen to her 2022 song, Olha a Banana, Look at the Banana.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78GLQdTsIEI

Guinea-Bissau
For our final country, we are going to focus on an artist from Guinea-Bissau, Karyna Gomes. Similar to previously discussed countries, the legacies of Portuguese colonialism left an indelible mark on the collective consciousness of Guinea-Bissau. The civil wars, poor level of development, and political instability have all led to the country being in a tenuous state. As such, civil societies within Guinea-Bissau have been one of the key arteries in the push for greater democratic inclusion. Karyna Gomes has been one of these activists pushing for the rights of women and greater governance within Guinea-Bissau. Through her work, she has used her platform as both a journalist and a musician to increase awareness on many of the political issues facing her country. Let’s take a listen to her 2022 song, Mais Não Digo featuring rapper Prodígio.

Conclusion:

In the struggle to confront colonial legacies and contemporary problems, Hip-Hop has served as a medium for many women in Lusophone Africa. The common, shared history of these countries illustrates the brutality of the history that the Portuguese imposed. As seen by the many different experiences of the women featured on this mixtape, each has taken their own respective history, and have used their talents to create powerful and meaningful art.