In a week where two of the biggest hip-hop-related stories involved one rapper getting out of jail and another barely avoiding charges, even the culture’s heartiest fans have to take a second to curse under their breath. Seriously, has hip-hop become everything its detractors claim it is — a violent, misogynistic farce with no redeeming values?
And just before said hip-hop promulgators make any rash statements, a film like Bouncing Cats appears to illuminate the humanity they know exists in the art form they love.
When people in the Western world think of Uganda, the first image that comes to mind is likely that of Idi Amin, the dictator responsible for numerous deaths during his reign and the central figure in the film The Last King of Scotland. They then probably recall stories of the catastrophic HIV/AIDS rates that have ravaged the country. These stories shape the environment in which filmmaker Nabil Elderkin‘s documentary takes place. In the attempt to bring a semblance of stability to his nation, Abraham “Abramz” Tekya sets out to take his love of breakdancing to Uganda’s youth through his Breakdance Project Uganda (B.P.U.). Along the way, Tekya encounters difficulties, ranging from practice space constraints to territorial rivalries. But much like the film’s title, which references the improvised drum sounds Ugandan breakers use to dance in lieu of recorded music, Tekya finds a way to make B.P.U. accomplish its mission.
On November 9th, Tekya, Elderkin and another one of the documentary’s participants, b-boy extraordinaire Richard “Crazy Legs” Colón, will be at National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium to discuss their involvement in this project. DCist caught up with both Elderkin and Crazy Legs to get their views on being involved in this project.
How did both of you become involved with this project?
Nabil Elderkin: I became involved with the project after a trip to northern Uganda with Oxfam [Great Britain]. My friend, Claire Lewis, who works for Oxfam, facilitated the trip for me. She had known Abramz as well as a mutual friend, Geraldine, who helped produce the film and introduced me to Abramz and what B.P.U. were doing with the youth in Uganda. Hip-hop and music in general are a big part of my life and work. I felt inspired by their project which used this culture to empower their fellow youth.
Crazy Legs: I got involved when Red Bull reached out to me and said that they had a project in Africa. They gave me an idea of what it was about and I was completely down for it. That was in 2008.
