Brooklyn, NY - As the term “global hip hop” becomes increasingly ubiquitous in pop culture and political media, it is no coincidence that this September will see the screenings of African Underground: Democracy in Dakar and HomeGrown: HipLife in Ghana at the World Beats Life 2nd Annual Bootleg Festival in Washington, DC.

Democracy in Dakar, an award-winning documentary, explores the role of musical activism in the Senegalese political process. The documentary exposes audiences to the gritty, raw side of Senegalese music and politics through the eyes of the youth-driven hip hop culture. Using hip hop music as the primary storytelling device, Democracy in Dakar chronicles the lived experiences on the streets of Dakar before and after the controversial 2007 presidential elections. The film follows rappers, journalists, DJs, professors, and others, intimately capturing the fluidity and intensity of emotion surrounding the election.

“We see hip hop as a means by which we can mobilize the fight for fair and free democracy,” says Baay Musa, one of the artists featured in the film. “Hip hop is a powerful non-violent weapon that can externalize what’s in the hearts of frustrated, disillusioned youth. Complacency often comes from ignorance, so we want to get our message out to as many people as possible.”

HomeGrown: HipLife in Ghana documents the Ghanaian group V.I.P. (Vision In Progress) and their growth during a ten year time period. Over the past decade, hip hop music has merged with High-Life, the traditional music of West Africa, and this fusion has led to the birth of a new musical genre called HipLife. From the ghetto in Accra to their first international tour, the viewer sees the members of this internationally-acclaimed HipLife group grow from teenagers with a shared dream to musicians with fans around the world.

Both films will be screened at the 2nd Annual Bootleg Festival: Mixtapes, Films & Hip-Hop’s Underground Economy hosted by Words Beats & Life. HomeGrown: HipLife in Ghana will be shown Friday, September 18, at 5:30 p.m. at the True Reformer Building, 1200 U Street, NW. Cost is $5. Democracy in Dakar will be shown at no cost on Saturday, September 19, at 2:00 p.m. at The Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U Street, NW. Take the Green Line (METRO) to U St / African-American Civil War Memorial / Cardozo for both locations.

Democracy in Dakar is a Nomadic Wax / Sol Productions film. Nomadic Wax is a fair trade record label and film, music, and educational events production company specializing in socially conscious global urban music and media. Sol Productions is a non-profit film production company that works to educate American and global audiences on themes that may never reach them through traditional education, corporate media, or Hollywood films. The screening of Democracy in Dakar will be followed by a Q&A and panel discussion featuring the directors of the film and Senegalese hip hop artists Baay Musa and Waterflow, and also Senegalese political activist Abdoulaye Aw.

HomeGrown: HipLife in Ghana is Clenched Film Productions film by Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi. Clenched Fist Productions embodies the true spirit of hip hop, which is to build something that is powerful and useful out of what is seemingly impossible. CFP, like hip hop culture, continues to give voice to people who refuse to be silenced, ignored and cut off from the larger society.