Hip hop: the multimedia event of the year

By Sujatha Fernandes SYDNEY — Hip hop originates from the alienation and frustration of young, black people in the US who are the victims of the racist system in which they are forced to fight vicious cycles of violence and poverty, with no control over their lives or future. In a society which denies black people a voice, hip hop is an outlet for expression. In a system that continually breaks down people's willingness to fight back, hip hop is a way of maintaining the rage and building a culture of resistance in the face of large-scale disillusionment. It's no wonder then that hip hop has found both an audience and a new generation of artists among the young people of Sydney's western suburbs. Over the last few decades there has been a marked increase in unemployment and poverty among this group. Young people relate to the hip hop coming from the US; they can identify with the themes of police brutality, unemployment, poverty and the feeling of being "dissed" by major political parties. Hip Hopera is a major community project developed by Death Defying theatre to give young people an outlet to express themselves. Three months of intensive workshops in rap, graffiti, video and dance performance have involved over 80 young people from Auburn, Bankstown, Blacktown, Liverpool and beyond. Hip Hopera's director Morgan Lewis, and facilitators Khaled Sabsabi, Sharline Bezzina, Maria Mitar, Vahid Vahed and Mary Azar are currently working with the workshop participants to put together a multi-media performance that will bring together these different expressive forms. Hip Hopera has attracted support from many of Australia's respected hip hop artists. There will be two mammoth multimedia performance events featuring live rapping, graffiti, break dancing, interactive sound, video, pyrotechnics and more. The first will be at the Casula Powerhouse (opposite Casula train station) on Saturday November 25 at 8pm. The second is at Pier 4, Millers Point on Sunday December 3 at 7pm. Tickets will be available for $15/10 concession at the door. For more information contact Mona Zaylaa at Death Defying Theatre on 601 8011.