Hiplife Goes Global

There is a lot of talk about Youth Participation these days. Young people were being invited to play fuller role in society in their own right. Cautiously, they were being invited into the corridors of Power, into the decision-making process. Taking advantage of these opportunities young people did represent themselves and their peers effectively.

Young People were being represented by their peers from all over the world, from Albania, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Macedonia, Malaysia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, South Africa, Turkey, Uganda, The UK and others.

Many aspects of Youth Representation were discussed at this year?s ?REPRESENTING YOUTH? Seminar which was organised by the BRITISH COUNCIL in Liverpool, UK.

They made their own identity which included the influence the media had on the dialogue between the Youth and those who hold power. This is due to the fact that the way young people are been portrayed colours the views that adults take of them and of what they say and also colours their views of themselves which makes images of themselves not always quite so close to reality. Due to the issues that were raised they did prove their point which were sometimes assertive.

Many Young People are not comfortable with the tried and tested routes for putting pressure on public policy. Their Culture and their modes of expression that, in some eyes, cloud their message through various Representations, contains powerful arguments, if only the authority generation could listen with more expertise.

Ghana was being Represented at this year?s ?REPRESENTING YOUTH? Seminar by Roger Kubi aka RJ, CEO / CHAIRMAN of TRAK MASTAS INTERNATIONAL (TMI) and the forth coming HIP-LIFE MUSIC SEMINAR.
A London based Music Producer whose life has always been Music and the welfare of the Youth.

At the Seminar, RJ stressed on the new Youth Culture in Ghana ? ?HIP-LIFE?, which is the blend of Ghanaian Traditional and HIP-POP music and the first ever ?HIP-LIFE MUSIC SEMINAR? ? HLMS. The HLMS will be providing Music-Making opportunities for the Youth who mainly have the talent and targeting those who would otherwise not have the opportunity. He also did stress that, ?HIP-LIFE? MUSIC was in its infant stages but believe in due course will expand to reach all that need it.

Through its open programmes, partnership work and strategic measures achieved at this years Youth Representation Seminar, the HLMS aims to develop and implement a nation-wide strategy to support Youth Music Making that will:

- Establish a legacy of Music-Making opportunities
- Improve the overall standards of Music-Making
- Champion the values of Music-Making ? proving that music has a positive effect on the youth in advancing educational and social development and establish - Music-Making opportunities as a force for regeneration in communities, fostering social inclusion and community cohesion.

Participants at the seminar were all keenly interested and were eager to know more about ?HIP-LIFE?. This included Wossy Brewster OBE, of The Midi Music Company and the Cultural Strategy Group for London; Shaka, who is also a professional Singer and Song Writer. To know more about them, do visit their websites: www.themidimusiccompany.co.uk and www.shakamusic.co.uk respectively. They will be special guests at the HLMS.

HIP-LIFE spoke for itself when songs from various artists in the HIP-LIFE scene were played during break sessions at the Seminar. All participants at the seminar will be flying into the capital for the HLMS in Accra ? which the date will be announced soon.