BRIDGES – The UCEC RAP Music workshop
The proposal forms part of the cultural programme of the BRIDGES project currently underway in Tortosa. The workshop was brought to a halt because of the Covid-19 pandemic but has restarted to finish recording the song the participants have written and to make a musical video clip. Tortosa city council and UCEC (The Unió de Consells Esportius de Catalunya) are the Catalan representatives of the BRIDGES initiative to promote social cohesion.
Two of the foundations of the European BRIDGES project are to promote inclusive communities in Europe and to support local groups through solidarity. Voluntary work, culture and sport are the factors the project has been based on ever since it started in January. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown interrupted the activities, some of which are now restarting under strict measures of health and safety.
One of the cultural activities the BRIDGES programme proposed to promote intercultural cohesion was a rap music workshop which has been very successful. When the lockdown was relaxed, the workshop started up again at the end of June to enable the participants to meet up again and finish the work they had started. This involved recording the song the participants have written together and filming a musical video clip on the streets of Tortosa.
Anti-racism was the key message the participants wanted to base their song on, a message they all have in common. On an individual level, many participants have explained that the experience of being able to express themselves has helped them to express feelings and sensations they would not have been able to get out otherwise. “We dedicated the first sessions to generating mutual support because all the participants have come to Tortosa under different circumstances and for different reasons. We decided it was essential and we learned to express this before starting on the lyrics of the rap song,” explains Aidan, one of the workshop participants. During the lockdown period the group kept in touch with each other and continued practising and rehearsing the song via a WhatsApp group.
We are all the same - whether a person is black or white
“I am a person, not an identity number,” says one of the lyrics of the song. “The song has a message for everyone, to demonstrate that whether a person is black or white, we are all the same and discrimination has no place in society” says Aidan. Another of the participants, Imad, explains that writing this song has helped the anti-racism message to reach more people and make them aware that we are all equal and that we can all learn from each other.
The day before filming the video, the BRIDGES rappers recorded the song under the guidance of Joel, in charge of the workshop, who set up a makeshift recording studio in the Centre Cívic social centre in Tortosa so everyone could sing the lyrics they had been assigned. Both Aidan and Imad agree that participating in the workshop has helped them learn to listen to other people and to leave any prejudices aside. “If you write a song dealing with racism, you have to lead by example. The song offers a different outlook on society than the reality we face, and this can help us improve matters,” concludes Aidan.
Word Rap - Aidan Ben Hamidi Alonso
“If we write an anti-racist song, we have to set an example ourselves”
Unable to keep still, he tells us he is nervous about recording his participation in the song while he constantly gives out instructions to his companions to ensure they perform the song they have written together during the rap music workshop in the Bridges project to the best of their ability. Moments before entering the Centre Cívic centre in Ferreries to start recording, Aidan Ben Hamidi Alonso draws a huge blue smile on his face mask – which may cover his face but cannot cover up how he is truly feeling, revealed by his eyes. Once the song has been recorded, the participants will also film a video of the rap in the streets of Tortosa. Aiden is excited about restarting the workshop after its enforced postponement due to the Covid-19 lockdown. He insists that the anti-racism message in the song’s lyrics, co-written with the workshop participants whom he now considers his friends, helps newcomers to the city and is an example of solidarity and empathy, a message against discrimination.
The aim of the Bridges project is one of integration via activities linked to culture, sport and voluntary work, bringing together a cross-section of society, with people from different backgrounds and social groups. The crisis created by the Covid-19 pandemic brought the project to a halt back in March, but now some of the activities are restarting again under strict health and safety measures and guidelines.
How did you find out about the Bridges project and, more specifically, about the rap workshop?
I first found out about it thanks to an email I received from Espai Jove, an information/activity centre for young people. I hadn’t heard about the project before, but I liked the idea straight away, above all as an opportunity to get to know people.
What have you done in the workshop?
We have written a rap song with the help of all the participants. Being from different nationalities, we decided to write an anti-racist song as it is the subject, we all feel strongly about. We worked on musical notes and keys and learned how to organize a song with verses and a chorus. Basically, we learned how to write and sing rap.
When you had learned the basic concepts, what did you do next?
We started to work on expressiveness, especially for newcomers to the area who have arrived here and started a new way of life. Actually, the first sessions we carried out were devoted to generating mutual support. We have all come to Tortosa under different circumstances and for different reasons, and we decided it was essential to be able to express this before we started on the rap song. Finally, we wrote our anti-racist rap with the help of all the participants.
Did you keep in touch with each other during the confinement/lockdown?
We set up a WhatsApp group to chat about the lyrics of the song and get ready to practise it. We kept in touch throughout the confinement period. We were really eager to start up the workshop in person again, though, as it is a very exciting project, being able to finish our song and get its message out. Now we are all recording our lines for the song and afterwards we will record the video out and about in Tortosa – a video clip acted out by us too.
On a personal level, what has the rap workshop meant most for you?
The workshop has helped me gain much more confidence in people and reminded me not to judge people on appearances. Working together gives you confidence and a different point of view than that of those who just say newcomers are coming here to take our jobs.
What is the most significant change you have noticed after participating in the workshop?
I have learnt that there are people suffering, people risking their lives to fulfil their dream of having a decent and dignified life. I have also learnt that we are all the same at the end of the day. Two arms, two legs, and if people come here looking for help and a life, we should help them if we can.
Why are initiatives like this important for you?
Because learning something new is always a good idea, and even more so if you can help someone along the way. Also, just as they can learn something from us, we can learn plenty of things from other people, both the people from here and from newcomers.
Why do you think this experience is so rewarding?
Because you can see that we all have our own lives and you can learn so much from the other participants. Through musical expression, we saw how people’s lives can rapidly change.
After your experience in the workshop, what changes do you imagine it could cause in Tortosa?
If there is a change, it won’t be a personal one, but for everyone. The song we have written together has a global message, stating that whether a person is black or white, we are all the same and discrimination has no place in society. This message could change things. If you write a song dealing with racism, you have to lead by example. The song gives us a different outlook on society than the reality we face, and this can help us improve matters.
What words would you use to define the rap workshop in the Bridges project?
Equality, the chance to pass on a message, and mutual help and support.