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The First Annual Washington DC Hip Hop & Peacebuilding Festival features 5 Days devoted to Hip Hop promoting peace in the world! April 16th thru April 21st.

From D.C. to Dakar there is only one universal language: Hip Hop. The first annual DC Hip Hop & Peacebuilding Festival will showcase Hip Hop as a cultural global movement that is transforming a generation toward a future of peace. This event will feature 5 days of hip hop events and nightly live performances with artists from five nations, coming together in one place to increase awareness of political and social turmoil in the world and the role hip hop can play in empowering youth to maximize their potential. With an alarming number of youth turning toward extremism and violence, new approaches to conflict resolution and peacebuilding must be crafted. As Hip Hop continues to spread and connect with youth on a global level it is important that this artistic cultural movement be understood and harnessed to facilitate conflict transformation and transcend conflict narratives.

The first of its kind, DC's Hip Hop & Peacebuilding Festival will bring hip hop artists together with conflict resolution experts, community leaders, educators and activists to examine what is working in Hip Hop and how together we can do more to empower and transform communities by uniting the hip hop generation. DC artists will perform alongside artists from Uganda, Haiti, Tanzania, and Senegal & Palestine bridging the divide to achieve global impact. This event is a gift to the community in celebration of the energy and heart of hip hop and its potential to achieve positive social change in the world.

Stacy Willyard Festival Director: "The core of hip hop lies within the beat, the beat is what you can feel, and it is the element that connects. In order to prevent destructive conflict we must find more ways to connect and humanize one another. Hip hop allows us to do this by finding a common beat."

For more information and complete details visit www.beats4peace.org

Full Schedule of Events

Wednesday April 16   

•  DC premiere of "Diamonds in the Rough" A Ugandan Hip Hop Revolution

   3:00 pm Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

•  Kick –Off International Hip Hop Show featuring Da Negus (Haiti/France), Regime Change (NYC/Haiti), Rah-P (Tanzania), Babaluku (Uganda), Flex Mathews (DC), and others.

   9:00 pm DC9 Music Club

Thursday April 17

•  African video conference call with Kenya's Hip Hop Parliament

   9:00 am Institute for Conflict Analysis & Resolution

•  Sounds of the City DC Hip Hop Showcase featuring incredibly talented artists from throughout the Metro DC area.

   8:00 pm Bohemian Cavern Jazz Club

Friday April 18

•  Academic Panel "Can Hip Hop Beat Conflict?"

   2:00 pm United States Institute of Peace

•  DC Hip Hop Summit & Freestyle Cipher

   6:00 pm Atlas Theatre

Sat. April 19

•  Peacebuilding & Arts Workshop

   4:00 pm Atlas Theatre

•  Academic Panel "Hip Hop 2.0"

   6:30 pm Atlas Theatre

•  Global Hip Hop – Global Citizenship Hip Hop Show featuring DC artists performing alongside Sabreena da Witch (Palestine), Baay Musa (Senegal), Azbac (Senegal), Dumi (Zimbabwe/USA), Bavaluku (Uganda), Rah-P (Tanzania)

   8:00 pm Atlas Theatre

Monday April 21

•  African All-Stars "Democracy in Dakar"

   12:00 pm George Mason University

This Festival was made possible by the following organizations, United States Institute of Peace, Institute for Conflict Analysis & Resolution, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Project Nur, Rosetta Stoned, Nomadic Wax, and Subterranean Network.