Dieneba Seck and Sekou Kouyate's Travel to Brown Confirmed

We are overjoyed to confirm Dieneba Seck and Sekou Kouyate's travel to Brown for Rhythm of Change 2013.

Dieneba Seck has gained world recognition for fusing political activism with original songwriting and for music that is part of the resistance movement against the ongoing political insurrection in Mali. Dieneba will headline the festival with a concert on Saturday, February 23, in Ashamu Studio, entitled Songs of Resistance/Bodies of Resilience. She will also give workshops for the community on Saturday and Sunday on Malian song and the role of artists in combating oppression and censorship by fundamentalist regimes.

Sekou Kouyate is a world-reknowned griot singer, instrumentalist, and storyteller. He quickly rose to fame in Mali’s music scene, working alongside Salif Keita as a member of the country’s prominent “Rail Band.” He ultimately went solo, creating his own band of five members, one of whom was his future wife, Dieneba Seck. Their two major hits, “Diagneba” and “Koulikoro,” catapulted them into the international music scene, and Sekou now works and lives between Paris and Mali. He arranged Dieneba’s album “Djourou” in 2000 and the two of them have recorded a duet: "Sekou ni Dieneba" ("Sekou and Dieneba").

Read more about Dieneba's life and career at National Geographic World Music, and listen to some of the music that has entranced Mali here.

Hip Hop 4: Empowering Youth

The Cypher Jam to take place on Saturday and Sunday of Rhythm of Change will feature artists from our very own Brown community. Hip Hop 4 is a nonprofit organization started by Pierre Arreola '13 and Emily Goldman '14 that works to improve conditions in underserved communities across the country by utilizing Hip Hop as a platform for social development. Check out Hip Hop 4's amazing work here, then come dance with them at Rhythm of Change 2013!



Hip Hop 4 from THE GR818ERS on Vimeo.

New Article from VOA News

Mali's Star Musicians Unite Against Islamists

From VOA News

"...Despite efforts to silence the sounds of Mali – whether by torching musical instruments or threatening concert goers – Kouyate says rebels are faced with a losing battle.

'If someone wants to stop Malian music, that’s like he wants to stop the heart of Mali,' he says. 'It’s not possible. You can’t stop Malian music.'"

Read more at Voice of America.

DEVIOUS of The GR818ERS to join Rhythm of Change 2013

ROC 2013 is proud to announce yet another outstanding guest artist to attend this year's festival: DEVIOUS of THE GR818ERS.

Based out of Southern California (area code 818), Devious and his coalition of Hip Hop artists produce workshops, performances, and events that aim to use foundational elements of Hip Hop culture to empower youth and improve racial and cultural relations in underserved communities in L.A. and across the U.S. The GR818ERS utilize dance, visual art, and music to teach constructive self-expression, tolerance, non-violence, and principles of diversity in communities most at risk for gang culture, drug abuse, and poverty. 

Devious (Lorenzo Chapman) is an accomplished dancer who has performed widely. He will join Project 401 and additional guest artists from L.A. in putting on a Cypher Jam for dancers, rappers, musicians, and movers on Saturday and Sunday of ROC in Sayles Hall.

Get a taste for Devious' moves here, then join us at ROC 2013 to see and work with him in person!

Malian Rapper Amkoullel to join Brown's Mande class on March 12th

Amkoullel is a popular rapper and spoken word artist who has received a stream of media attention from the New York Times and NPR over the last month as his fight against censorship by Mali’s new government has become a global symbol of the country’s ongoing political crisis. Amkoullel began receiving death threats from the government upon releasing his hit single, “S.O.S.” This efficacious call to action begs the international community to respond to the Malian crisis before it is too late and pleads with the youth of Mali to wake up from the complacency that the artist sees as one of the country’s root problems. 

We are overjoyed that Amkoullel will join Brown's Mande dance class as a guest artist this March. Listen to Amkoullel's music here.