Renzo Piano’s archive in Genoa houses the great architect’s projects. It brings young people closer to creative work, which he equates to “looking into darkness without fear”.
Hip hop for hope with Poppin’ Chris. Helping street kids dance their way to change
Chris Hirwa is an Afro-poppin’ specialist, in other words he brings an Afro touch to the popping dance, a street dance based on fast muscle contractions that cause jerks called pops in the body. He isn’t only an incredible dancer, he is one who fighs for a cause. Using the power of hip hop to
Chris Hirwa is an Afro-poppin’ specialist, in other words he brings an Afro touch to the popping dance, a street dance based on fast muscle contractions that cause jerks called pops in the body. He isn’t only an incredible dancer, he is one who fighs for a cause. Using the power of hip hop to encourage positive change amongst youth, through dance he helps the most disadvantaged kids get out of the vicious cycles they are living in, taking them off the streets and away from prostitution and drugs.
“Dancing can take us to a whole other level. I want these kids to get there too, to stop doing all these bad things” Hirwa explains. He travels twice a week around the Rwandese capital Kigali’s orphanages to teach hip hop to children, also wanting to involve more girls since there are very few in the industry. He calls this “hip hop for hope”.
“Becoming a professional dancer isn’t easy”, Poppin’ Chris says, “it requires intensive practice, so many give up”. Opportunities are also scarce. In fact, starting off wasn’t easy for Hirwa: in the beginning of his career he often performed for free just to get his name known.
Times have changed though. These days Poppin’ Chris and Krest Crew, the crew he founded in 2011, have a good local following, perform at events and have their video clips shown on TV. However, there is still work to be done because “the first rule for a hip hop dancer is to be perfect!”, according to Hirwa.
He will fight hard to put hip hop on Rwanda’s map, and put his country on the hip hop one. He dreams of touring the world to develop his creative skills and, especially, show that Rwanda is home to incredible talent and creativity. Let’s share this and other inspiring stories coming out of Africa using the hashtag #TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou.
Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
The 50th anniversary of the Moon landing on 20 July has awakened the fantasy of many. Here’s the perfect playlist of musicians who have let themselves be inspired by the universe and its celestial bodies.
N’we Jinan is a Canadian record label that gives First Nations students their voice back by allowing them to create their own music in mobile recording studios.
The Australian songwriter, who became famous with Follow the Sun, is back with Walk Away, a new and powerful ode to freedom. He’s about to set off on a world tour. Our interview with Xavier Rudd.
Three teenagers from New Zealand sing in the Maori language about abuse at the hands of British colonisers. Thanks to their thrash metal music, young people are being attracted to native culture.
There’s no room for anger, resignation, or desire for revenge in this playlist. There’s just the moral obligation of retracing and telling the stories that can’t go lost and forgotten all over again. We do so through music.
Le canzoni più belle del 2017 secondo LifeGate Radio. Con questa playlist lanciamo la nostra collaborazione con Spotify Italia che vi farà ascoltare la musica migliore, selezionata.
An organisation that unites over 1,000 mainly Maya women in Guatemala has expressed alarm that indigenous handicrafts, textiles called “huipiles” in particular, are under threat because underpriced industrial fabrics appropriating indigenous patterns have flooded the Guatemalan market, depriving many native women of their main source of income. Read more: Down to Xjabelle, the fashion collection by a young designer with Down
Rwandan creatives share a common dream: they want to use their art to bring about positive change in society, as well as put their country on the map. They’re mostly young, ambitious, self-taught and have a strong desire and determination to challenge mentalities, move forward and grow. In her documentary RWANDArt: A new creative generation, which