Multilingual Activism in South African Hip Hop

Authors

  • Quentin E Williams University of the Western Cape

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jwpm.36672

Keywords:

multilingualism, hip hop, Cape Town, AfriKaaps, language ideology

Abstract

It is difficult to point exactly to the day multilingual activism emerged in South African hip hop culture, though we can arguably state such activism emerged out of a confluence of historical events that involved the oppression of black and coloured people by an aggressively oppressive apartheid regime. This article discusses the tactics and strategies of multilingual activism undertaken by pioneering hip hop groups Prophets of da City at the inception of hip hop in South Africa. It considers the historical transition from apartheid South Africa to the new South Africa and how new and emerging forms of multilingual activism such as the AfriKaaps movement are contributing to redefining what we mean by multilingualism. The article also links these forms of multilingual activism to an alternative politics of multilingual voice being promoted in the public space of the country.

Author Biography

  • Quentin E Williams, University of the Western Cape

    Quentin E. Williams is a Senior Lecturer in the Linguistics Department at the University of Western Cape. He is also a Research Fellow in the Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research (CMDR) at the same university. He has published research on the multilingualism, marginality of voice, linguistic citizenship, hip hop culture and youth multilingualism. He recently completed a monograph entitled Remix Multilingualism (Bloomsbury Press, 2017) and is currently co-editing a volume, Kaapse Styles: Hip Hop Arts & Activism (forthcoming, HSRC Press) with Adam Haupt (UCT), H. Samy Alim (UCLA) and legendary hip hop artist Emile YX? (Black Noise, Heal the Hood).

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Published

2018-06-08

How to Cite

Williams, Q. E. (2018). Multilingual Activism in South African Hip Hop. Journal of World Popular Music, 5(1), 31-49. https://doi.org/10.1558/jwpm.36672