From “arrest warrant” to “Capital Bra” – German rap has become an indispensable part of everyday life for many young people. The songs of the performers are heard in a loop and shared many times. Young prisoners in particular are socially marginalized.
In order to offer them a chance to participate in the social discourse, the #Respect! Pick up juvenile prisoners in the usual environment.
Against the background of the past, which was partly marked by violence, crime and exclusion, political values are to be questioned and discussed by dealing with the well-known songs.
Giving voice to the voiceless
“German rap is a genre that gives the voiceless a voice and negotiates topics, wishes and problems outside of the majority society. The project wants to take up this access and bring young prisoners closer to political education and media skills, ”explains Daniel Marchand, who is carrying out the Haus Neuland project together with Felix Tiemann and the freelance speaker Sinan Demir.
The project, which is funded by the Federal Agency for Civic Education, started in January 2021. In four workshops with different focal points, the juvenile prisoners investigate, among other things, the question: “How ‘real’ is Deutschrap?” “The focus is on a critical examination of the narratives conveyed in Deutschrap with regard to money, status, gender images and other forms of discrimination.
By working with song lyrics and music videos, the participating young people learn to reflect on their own political stance, ”explains project coordinator Felix Tiemann. At the end of the project, the juvenile prisoners also have the opportunity to creatively deal with their experiences. Together with the rapper and speaker for political education Sinan Demir (alias S. Castro) they produce a rap they have written themselves.
Experience in political youth work
When carrying out the project, the Haus Neuland educational institution can draw on its experience in political youth work. As early as the 2020 summer holidays, young people went to the Real-Talk summer camp to search for the roots, topics and points of criticism of the German rap phenomenon.
In 2021, young people from OWL should also have the opportunity to deal intensively with the topic of German rap during their holidays and to record their own song. For this purpose, another camp is planned for the summer vacation (July 26th to 30th) and the autumn vacation (October 18th to 22nd). The holiday camps are funded by the Federal Agency for Civic Education.
Interested parties can find more information about the project, the Real-Talk holiday camp and contact details for the project coordinators on the website www.haus-neuland.de.
Questions and concerns can also be addressed in an email to [email protected].
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