Rating:
  Review Date: May 6, 2007
  Website: Documentary Website
  Director: Michael Wanguhu

“Hip-Hop Colony” Movie Review
Early in this documentary, there was an interview that jumped out at me. The interview was with Kenyan hip-hop star Kama, member of Nairobi’s Mau Mau Camp Records and the world-renowned group Kalamashaka, a group that is said to have helped paved the way for the Kenyan mainstream’s recognition of Swahili hip-hop.

Kama recalled that before Kalamashaka’s rise in fame, the people in Kenya looked down upon Swahili dialects, of which Kenya has some forty-two, as if they were thuggish. He said that back then, when you asked a girl what her name was, she would reply in English . a language undoubtedly brought there by the British colonialists that were forcibly removed from the country in 1963. Following the popularity of Kalamashaka, however, Kama noticed this negative perception of the Swahili language changing. He would start hearing Swahili on the radio, and started noticing more and more people speak their native dialects with pride.

Kama’s story intrigued me, because it reminded me of a similar effect of hip-hop in the United States. There was a time when coming from the streets of America was looked down upon, just as Swahili dialects were once looked down upon in Kenya. But hip-hop has helped disenfranchised youth in the United States take pride in where they come from, just like it has helped disenfranchised youth in Kenya take pride in who they are. Such similarities help reinforce the possibilities of hip-hop as a source of positive and uplifting change for those who believe in and follow the true essence of the culture. And Michael Wanguhu’s exceptional documentary “Hip-Hop Colony” was filled with these types of possibilities.

The documentary gives the viewer a first-hand account not only of the history of hip-hop in Kenya, but also of the ways in which it has helped to uplift the people through a series of interviews with Kenya’s most popular and historically-significant hip-hop artists. High points of the film include footage of freestyle sessions, backstage views of live performances, and testimonials from several artists who claim that hip-hop not only defines them, but may have saved them as well.

The important role of hip-hop in Kenya was further solidified with an explanation of how Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki embraced hip-hop during his 2002 campaign, an act that mobilized the youth of the country and secured Kibaki’s place as the third president of Kenya in a landslide election. If Kenya’s hip-hop generation could make such an impact in that election, imagine what they could do for their country, and the continent of Africa, with the proper political mobilization.

Unfortunately, the documentary did show that Kenya is also sharing in America’s hip-hop downfalls, namely shady radio stations, shady promoters and shady businessmen who are looking to make a buck off of the cultural phenomenon. The popularity of socially conscious hip-hop in Kenya has started to wane with the rise of raunchy dance-style commercial music. Radio stations are now reluctant to play anything that has an intellectual or philosophical vibe. And concert promoters are often making more money than the hip-hop acts, causing many real Kenyan hip-hoppers to stray from their conscious beginnings in order to continue to profit. Sound familiar anyone?

Regardless, the roots of hip-hop in Kenya appear strong, and we can only hope that they will somehow overcome the commercial entities in a way that has still escaped their counterparts in the United States.

Overall, “Hip-Hop Colony” is a highly-informative, highly-entertaining, and highly-inspirational documentary. Much props to Michael Wanguhu and his staff for creating such a positive, motivational and educational film. It will undoubtedly force many people to acknowledge Kenyan hip-hop, and hopefully help to increase its fan base around the world. Peace.