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Rapping to Be Repped in Liberia

 By: Anne Sophie Ranjbar, Associate Director and Maima Caranda, Volunteer As you walk through Monrovia, you can’t miss the catchy West African beats that play on every street. While Nigeria has traditionally been the hub for music in the region, Liberia’s young “Hip Co” artists are rapidly building a following in the region and beyond. Music has the power to inspire and inform people—acting as a medium through which to channel popular sentiment and shape collective dreams. As Liberia faces its next presidential election—a critical opportunity to consolidate democracy and peace after a troubled past—music can also serve as a [...]

2017-05-06T00:00:00+00:006th May 2017|

Accountability Lab Ends “Rap to be Repped” Talent Hunt Competition with Live Music Concert Music

By:Gbatemah Senah. This article was originally published by The Bush Chicken. Hundreds of young people gathered at the Sports Commission on Friday to witness live performances of Liberia’s best young emerging new artists. Five finalists of “Rap to be Repped,” a nationwide musical talent hunt competition organized by the Accountability Lab, thrilled the crowd as they performed. Laurene Kolleh, the only female competitor among the finalists was announced the winner after receiving the highest points from votes by text messages and a three-member panel of judges. Onesimus Whoryonwon finished as first runner-up, followed by Alfred Flomo as second runner-up, while [...]

2017-04-03T00:00:00+00:003rd April 2017|

Music Post-Ebola: Artist Amaze says Hipco Songs Made Tremendous Impact

By: Heather Maxwell. This blog was originally published by Voice of America.   Music had a big role to play both during and in the aftermath of the West Africa Ebola epidemic. I found that out when I visited Monrovia in August. A lot of artists wrote songs about the personal experiences people had facing the disease. Henry Amazin’ Toe, a.k.a Amaze, is a well-established hipco artist who composed and recorded such songs.I met Amaze several times during my stay in the Liberian capital. The first time was during a group interview I held in Mamba Point with other artists (Teddy Ride and Margaret [...]

2016-09-21T00:00:00+00:0021st September 2016|

They came for the music and left with the message

By: Heather Gilberds On Saturday, September 10th, Accountability Lab Liberia’s work attracted hundreds of young people to a town hall in Kakata, the capital city of Margibi county, where they gathered to listen to the latest songs from their favorite Hip Co artists. Hip Co music is uniquely Liberian—a form of hip hop that emerged in the 1980's but gained popularity among youth in post-war Liberia. Hip Co artists rap in “Colloqua”, the colloquial form of Liberian English, and the songs have a political bent, describing social ills, lamenting the causes of poverty, or calling out corrupt politicians and public [...]

2016-09-19T00:00:00+00:0019th September 2016|

Foreign Missions Endorse Vote Awareness Campaign

By: Joaquin Sendolo. This article was originally published by Liberia's Daily Observer. British Ambassador to Liberia David Belgrove has promised to support Accountability Lab-Liberia in its campaign to sensitize Liberians how to make proper decisions in the upcoming 2017 presidential and general elections. Accountability Lab-Liberia last Friday launched a music video titled, “Whom to Vote For,” which aims to reach Liberians in all parts of the country, sensitizing them about their right to vote and how to properly utilize their votes to reverse the poor representation and leadership they had experienced in the past. Prior to the formal launching of the [...]

2016-06-20T00:00:00+00:0020th June 2016|

Liberia: Using Music to Enlighten the Youth On Why It Is Important to Vote

By: Claudia Smith. This article was originally published by the Daily Observer. "I believe we are to know who to vote for in other for us to have a better nation or society, despite the poverty and hardship we are faced with. We shouldn't be carried away by politicians with mere talks to gain their selfish desires" Once again, voting time is near. Sadly, many don't know why they or should cast their vote; they vote because of the benefits and money that they feel belong to voting. Trying to change these perspectives, two talented artists, who have been working [...]

2016-05-19T00:00:00+00:0019th May 2016|

#CorruptionMustGo: Musicians Mobilize to Minimize Corruption in Liberia

By: Brooks Marmon, Accountability Lab Program Officer. This blog post was originally published by OSIWA. As Liberia enters its second decade of peace, its music industry continues to gain popularity. Artists like Takun J have a national following and have leveraged this platform to speak out against injustices at all levels of society. The Accountability Lab, an OSIWA partner, has been working with hip co (the genre of Liberian urban music) musicians in Liberia to promote integrity and combat corruption. With an overwhelmingly young population, almost half of Liberians are under the age of 18, Liberia’s hip co-stars are uniquely positioned [...]

2020-03-03T16:03:52+00:009th December 2015|

Accountability Lab: Rebuilding Trust During a Healthcare Crisis

This article was originally published by Ebola Deeply. By Kate Thomas Blair Glencorse is the Founder and Executive Director of Accountability Lab, which works to empower citizens and youth groups in Liberia to build the tools for civil society. We spoke with him about how a crisis of trust and information fueled the spread of Ebola in Liberia. ED: Of all three countries affected by Ebola, Liberia has been hit hardest, with the highest caseload. Why do you think that is? Glencorse: One reason Liberia is having such a difficult time with Ebola is to do with the exclusionary nature [...]

2014-10-24T00:00:00+00:0024th October 2014|

Liberian Singers Use The Power Of Music To Raise Ebola Awareness

This post was originally published by NPR. By Jason Beaubien Elliott Adekoya, 31, aka The Milkman, is a DJ at Monrovia's Sky FM radio, pictured here his DJ booth. He is also part of a group of 45 Liberian musicians called the Save Liberia Project. They want to get the word out that Ebola is real, but it is not a death sentence. He says that message, which was propagated early on by the Ministry of Health, actually contributed to the problem. John W. Poole/NPR In West Africa, one of the simplest ways to slow the Ebola outbreak is to [...]

2014-10-12T00:00:00+00:0012th October 2014|

Knowmore LIB: Building Resilience and Defeating Ebola through Civic Education

This post was originally published by OpenIDEO. By Brooks Marmon The “Knowmore LIB” project aims to sensitize all Liberians on the dangers of the Ebola virus, practices to avoid and contain the disease, and to increase the trust of Liberian citizens in their government. The campaign uses innovative tools to help Liberians engage with policymakers and public health officials. The campaign will deploy chalk billboards around major cities and automated question boxes that allow citizens to ask questions about the Ebola virus; an Ebola awareness mural campaign; short films on Ebola through the students of an accountability film school; comic [...]

2014-10-10T00:00:00+00:0010th October 2014|
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