Date: 29/03/2008
Source: Department of Social Development
Title: SA: Swanson-Jacobs: Launch of Ke Moja Hip Hop workshop

Address by the Deputy Minister of Social Development, Dr Jean Swanson-Jacobs, at the launch of the Ke Moja Hip Hop workshop, University of Cape Town (UCT) Sports Hall 1, Western Cape

MEC for Social Development in the Western Cape, Kholeka Mqulwana
Government officials
Esteemed guests
Parents
Young boys and girls
Youth

Good morning to all of you. I am honoured by the opportunity to be part of this workshop that forms part of the launch of the Ke Moja Hip Hop campaign. This is an important initiative by government to combat the growing substance abuse epidemic that is afflicting our communities, especially here in the Western Cape.

As you all know this province has unfortunately become synonymous with drug abuse and it is vital that we strike firmly at the source of the problem.
Traditional anti-drug abuse programmes have had limited appeal to the youth. They may speak to the youth, but not necessarily in their language. As our former President Nelson Mandela, said, when you speak to a person in a language he understands, you speak to his head, when you speak to a person in his language, you speak to his heart. The aim of this project is to educate and raise awareness of the negative effects of drug and alcohol abuse among the youth by speaking to them in their own language, through using hip-hop activities and philosophies.

As a mother myself, I want the same thing for my children that almost every other parent wants for their kids: to be able to take full advantage of everything that our beautiful country South Africa has to offer. I want them to grow up to be successful adults and to make a valuable contribution to our society. But, sadly, all of this could be put at risk when young people are offered drugs before they are mature enough to grasp the magnitude of the consequences of their actions. And it saddens all of us - it certainly saddens me deeply to see people living and dying with the results of these actions.

Our government is very concerned about the damage and pain drugs cause families and we take this issue very seriously. Drugs destroy lives. They rob young people of their futures. They tear families apart, make our streets less safe, and lay waste to our communities. The Ke Moja Hip Hop campaign will place particular emphasis on educating young people about the negative effects health and otherwise of illicit drugs. The Hip Hop campaign commits us to doing something that has not been done before communicate with the youth about the dangers of illicit drugs in their own language.

We are committed to doing so, because we are very concerned about the damage and pain these drugs cause families. Over the past couple of months we have heard from parents, police, community members and youth counsellors that what we communicate DOES matter. With this campaign, we are delivering on our commitment. I know this effort will pay off.

Over the past 30 years hip-hop has grown to become the most popular music genre in the world today amongst the 14 to 24 age bracket. Like all genres there are various expressions of hip-hop but the most enduring elements are break-dancing, mccing (rapping), dj-ing, graffiti and knowledge of self (positive philosophy). These elements of hip-hop can be used to reach South Africa's youth as it appeals to their sense of writing creativity, radical expressiveness, artistic talent, dance, debate, energy and fun.

In deciding the kind of hip-hop it is necessary to distinguish between those that have a vision of developing South African hip-hop culture with a positive pro-social behaviour message and that which may not be connected with our vision. Let me reiterate, hip-hop is not violence, misogyny and narcotic substances. Hip-Hop has evolved into a global culture transcending geographical, gender, social and racial boundaries. It is a unique combination of athleticism, entertainment and youth leadership, which combine gymnastics, dance, fitness and aerobics disciplines. It is performed by both genders and enjoys vast mass appeal. Hip hop continues to grow as an organising and educational too. Over the past 25 years hip-hop has provided a means for both individual expression and community activism in South Africa's townships and lower-income communities.

We are gathered here today to explore hip-hop culture as a transformative tool and as a source of empowerment at local, provincial and national level in a bid to combat the scourge of drug and alcohol abuse that has gripped the youth of our country. Previous approaches to substance abuse have focused on treatment without sufficient efforts on preventative and early intervention programmes. Therefore, it is my contention that a concerted, highly visible, protracted and integrated campaign will divert our children who may be at risk.

This is a campaign that will utilize the structures of the Central Drug Authority and eventually give effect to the National Drug Master Plan. It is important to note that this event is another process of implementing the National Drug Master Plan, a national strategy to combat and prevent substance abuse. We have a good understanding of the drug problem and are aware of the fact that drug lords target children, who are often vulnerable, inquisitive and receptive to influences.

I believe we should make our children aware of the drug problem and educate them by means of factual information on the dangers of substance abuse. Should our children be confronted with drug use they should at least be able to take an informed decision. Compounding the increase in substance abuse is the sad reality that some segments of society perceive drug-taking to be cool, normal and acceptable.

Thus, our approach holds that we have to lead young people through a process of self, and community discovery which allows them to think and feel for themselves. We will help young people to identify their own aspirations and define a practical path towards realising these. Besides drug awareness and education, we should also capacitate our children by teaching them life skills on how to cope in a very competitive and challenging environment. Our children should be capacitated to live their lives without using any substances. We all know that drug abuse does not resolve any problems and actually worsens these problems.

Hip-hop has no gender, it is built on an activist ideology and anyone can be an activist. Hip-Hop is more than a genre of music or dance; it is a lifestyle, and a social movement. It is a product of, and a reaction to globalisation. It represents a strong political statement. The most popular artists and groups are often those who rap about critical social, economic and environmental issues and who play an active role in their respective communities. Worldwide hip-hop is staking its claim as a force to be reckoned with.

The United Nations (UN) Habitat programme has used hip-hop artists to inform and empower urban youth across the world on the Millennium Development Goals of reducing abject poverty and HIV and AIDS, promoting education, healthcare, gender equality, social inclusion, good governance and improving living conditions in slums and inner cities. As the language of the youth, hip-hop, can teach our children much more than just to rhyme, but also to resist temptation and adopt a drug-free culture.

Ladies and gentlemen, mothers and fathers, the youth of today, it's time that we took back the streets. It's time that we step up and be counted. It's time for us to reclaim the lost generation of youth who have fallen victim to drug abuse. Through hip-hop we can take use the art of the streets to take back the streets, we can use hip-hop to reduce school violence, we can use the voice of the youth to tackle their vices.

We hope that this campaign serves as a catalyst for the youth of this country to stake their place in society, in their communities, and mostly in their own lives. In that way they can enjoy freedom from drugs, and enjoy the drug of freedom. The youth will participate later today in the Hip Hop competitions, and the winners will be seen in action tomorrow at the Human Rights Day concert, at the Swartklip Stadium in Mitchell's Plain, where the Ke Moja Hip Hop Anti Drug Project will officially be launched. This is a free concert and I want you to bring all your family and friends to be part of the celebrations.

Thank you.

Issued by: Department of Social Development
29 March 2008