January 21, 2011
Sharing knowledge to the rhythm of Hip-Hop
A new contribution helps Wikipedia grow: Jenny F. Mbaye, researcher in contemporary African culture, has published a number of new entries under a creative commons licence, centred around music production and the music industry in two West African urban regions. The creation of these new entries has been supported by lettera27 as part of WikiAfrica. Thanks to these new entries on Wikipedia Jenny F. Mbaye has given access to important material exploring the musical scene of two West African cities, Dakar (Senegal), and Ougadougou (Burkina Faso). Jenny F. Mbaye, PhD candidate at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), focuses on the impact of cultural industries and of the work of artists and other creative professionals, particularly in the musical field, on the economy of developing countries.

From the different types of music resonating in the two cities, Jenny F. Mbaye has chosen hip-hop music, which in the past twenty years has been at the centre of music production and has generated a number of special events and festivals.  As well as being a major driving force in the musical industry, hip-hop has also had a big impact on young people. The spread of online content regarding leading personalities of the hip-hop scene in West Africa produces tools which are useful in narrating social realities and local, unique aspects of communities of young people in Dakar and Ougadougou.

The new entries create a map of musicians, producers and festivals that are well known in the region including Waga Hip Hop, a festival organised by the association Umane Culture in Ouagadougou, first started in 2000; the collective AURA - Artistes Unis pour le Rap Africain, formed by 17 rappers from various countries in West Africa; ALIF - Liberate Attack of the Feminist Infantry, a pioneer group in female hip-hop; Gee Bayss, well-established Dj and performer.

Interviews, biographies, discographies, and information on local festivals can all be freely accessed on Wikipedia, revealing lesser-known aspects of recent urban culture in Dakar and Ougadougou
lettera27, through the WikiAfrica project, invites anyone who is passionate about African music and culture to translate the entries created by Jenny F. Mbaye into other languages, to help spread one of the most recent developments in African popular culture, which also represents an example of sustainable development.