Table of Contents

Preface   vii
Acknowledgments   xiii
1. Globalization and Youth Agency in East Africa   1
2. Hip Hop and African Identity in Contemporary Globalization   20
3. Move Over, Boys, the Girls Are Here: Hip Hop and Gendered Identities   44
4. Economic Change and Political Deception   67
5. Morality, Health, and the Politics of Sexuality in an Era of HIV/AIDS   93
6. Staying True to the Cause: Hip Hop's Enduring Social Role   115
Appendix: Hip Hop Artistes   123
Glossary   129
Notes   131
References   137
Index   155

Promotional Information

Hip hop music that empowers and engages youth in East Africa

About the Author

Mwenda Ntarangwi is an associate professor of anthropology at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the author of Gender, Performance, and Identity: Understanding Swahili Cultural Realities Through Songs and coeditor of African Anthropologies: History, Critique and Practice.

Reviews

"This gracefully written book takes East African hip hop music as a revealing entry point into the experiences of youth as they deal with issues of gender, sexuality, economic inequality, and political power. An excellent contribution to anthropology and African studies." Angelique Haugerud, author of The Culture of Politics in Modern Kenya "I highly recommend this book and I hope there will be an East African edition of the same...the most enjoyable and authorative section of the book is where Prof Ntarangwi analyses Wahu's live performance, in which the artiste and her audience interact in Sheng." Evan Mwangi, Sunday Nation, 20th Sept 2009