Image: HSRC Press 1

After five years of hard work, Prof. Adam Haupt and his co-editors, Dr. Quentin Williams (UWC) and H. Samy Alim (UCLA) are finally set to release their book in April 2019.

The book titled: Neva Again: Hip Hop Art, Activism and Education in Post-Apartheid makes reference to Nelson Mandela’s inaugural speech in 1994. More specifically, it refers to the most famous line within the speech “Never, never and never, again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another”. It is named after the song, ‘Neva Again’, by Prophets of Da City. The song is a celebration of having a black president notwithstanding facing the backlash from authoritative figures about speaking the truth with regards to “Justice Before Peace”.  “Justice Before Peace” was not a popular message which the band had promoted because it made citizens aware of not forgetting what had just occurred and not to forgive and forget as easily. The book focuses on the comparison between the 90’s and now.

In 2014, Professor Adam, Dr Quentin Williams and H Samy Alim, decided to curate journals that they have written , academic essays written by other academics, lectures and  workshops based on hip hop pedagogy in one readable piece. In December 2018, Professor Adam and his co-editors, had a book talk in Berlin at Minor Cosmopolitan.

The book is about how Hip Hop is used by activist to develop critical literacy. To develop critical citizens who can analyse and reverse engineer messages and unpack peer messages about what is going on the country. It focuses on hip hop being able to educate the youth of the Cape Flats and show them how it can be used as an outlet of expression. Moreover, the book highlights the “gham taal” used within the communities of the Cape Flats and how does not classify as a language. Evidently, “Neva Again” speaks of  the growth of hip hop within the coloured community.

It is also one of the first books to be released with an EP, titled #inthekeyofB that was co-produced by Prof. Adam and Bradley Lodewyk. It is the work of MC’s, poets and rappers who are passionate about The Cape Flats and having the voices of the people heard. The songs on the EP are politically inclined and speaks the truth of places that are painted as negative and gang-ridden. The EP was performed and distributed last year in December at the Minor Cosmopolitan in Berlin.

Neva Again: Hip Hop Art, Activism and Education in Post-Apartheid, along with the EP #InthekeyofB is set to release in April.

Story:  Supplied