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Hip hop rallies people against domestic violence

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People in Kitintale Skatepark are entertained during the creation of murals with messages against domestic violence. PHOTO | ANDREW KAGGWA

The hip-hop-themed event brought to life all the other disciplines of hip hop culture such as graffiti, deejaying, spoken word, poetry, breakdancing, beatboxing and fashion. Silas Babaluku Balabyekubo said they chose to spotlight mural art and graffiti, which are elements of hip hop.

On Monday, the world started commemorating what is known as the 16 Days of Activism against domestic violence.

Different people and organisations observe the 16 days in their own way; some organise events and workshops, while artists usually do what they know best- making art. Rapper Silas ‘Babaluku’ Balabyekubo, together with the East Africa Visual Artists (EAVA), Human Rights are Universal and Kitintale Skatepark, joined forces to launch the Voices Mural Jam.

The hip-hop themed event brought to life all the other disciplines of hip-hop culture such as graffiti, deejaying, spoken word, poetry, breakdancing, beatboxing, and fashion, among others.

But it was the graffiti that was more pronounced since it was a day where murals were supposed to be the loudest form of art. A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling, or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti, and marouflage.

For this particular event, Fatuma Hassan and her Fatish Arts studio took on the role of collaborating with the community around the Kitintale Skatepark to create murals with messages against domestic violence.

With music and poetry from the speakers, Hassan started her work amid a drizzle; at the time, most of her team were struggling to keep a pattern since the rain partly washed down the colours after they had applied them.

Usually, she puts her murals on people’s fences and buildings; today, she was dealing with the walls of the skatepark; her picture is of a child and two adults in the background and a few beaten and old structures to depict the slum that Kitintale is.

“The picture features a child prominently because the effects of domestic abuse are usually felt by the children even when the fights may not be about them. It is a case of the grass suffering when two elephants fight,” Fatuma says. Kitintale, located on the outskirts of Kampala, is surrounded by modern residential settings. On top of the skatepark, for instance, it is easy to see plush hotels and apartments mushrooming.

Jackson Mubiru, the founder of the Uganda Skateboard Union and founder of the park, says the area was mainly known for criminal and gang activities.

Unemployment among the locals, especially those born in Kitintale, is relatively high, and access to government programmes is hard.

In fact, during a conversation about domestic violence, one of the women leaders of the village lashed out to the government for using them and never returning to fulfil the pledges they make during the campaigns

In her view, the area has been greatly neglected, though, while talking about domestic abuse, she urged women to walk away from abusive marriages before it is too late.

“Last year, a woman came to me and confided in me about her abusive husband. I asked her to come back the next day so that we could think of a way forward. The next morning, she was dead with her husband on the run after beating her to death,” she says.

According to some of the residents present, domestic abuse in the area is a result of simple issues such as men forgetting to leave enough money at home and later demanding food or suspecting their wives to be sleeping around.

Mubiru, the founder of the skatepark, though, says that at times the abuse is double-sided; he says, for instance, that there are women who beat up men but they never speak up.

“It is a good thing that you have come to the community, and finally we can have these conversations. Unemployment and drug abuse are some of the things that drive domestic abuse in this area. I hope you keep coming back for people to share more stories and experiences; then we can fight the abuse,” he says.

Rapper Babaluku noted that for this activity, they chose to spotlight mural art and graffiti, which are elements of hip hop mainly because messages on walls are eternal.

“Most of the time, while talking about impactful art and the role hip hop can play, graffiti has been forgotten, and today is a big opportunity to spotlight this element of the hip hop culture,” he says.

Vincent Kyabayinze, the founder of Human Rights are Universal Festival, says it is important for people in communities such as Kitintale to know their role in protecting their given rights.

He says they will continue to engage communities for people to speak out and heal. Besides mural artwork, the community children joined dancers and spoken word artists to showcase what they are made of.