The pamphlets feature the different V4Ts (Voices for Thought) in a combination of photography and text in a short film. They present a concise overview of the engagement of the specific Voice4Thought.
Croquemort, the slam artist
Croquemort is a popular slam artist in Chad. Voice4thought participated in the slam festival he organized in N’Djamena: ‘N’djam s’enflamme en slam’. Slam is a form of expression, musical poetry, poetry on melody. The words sing and flow into a blossoming rhyme that contains the critiques and emotions that are so much part of everyday life. It is a style that comes close to the ordinary person, it phrases experiences that may be horrific and therefore almost comic. There is no dance but there is rhythm, rhythm of words, that become sentences, that become poems composing a story for those who want to listen…
Bernadicta, the feminist avant la lettre
This is the story of Bernadicta’s life as a Voice4Thought. She is one of these rare African women who have been fighting for women’s rights from early independence in the 1960s, when Feminism was still to be discovered in her country, Cameroon. In this interview she looked back on her life as a fighter for women’s rights. She passed away a month after we interviewed her. Despite the sometimes impossible fight, Benedicta kept her promise of being an activist for women’s liberation until the end of her life. ‘We have come out to be liberated, not to oppress the men… We were still housewives, noble housewives and we still do our noble work. In each speech I included that.’
Smockey
Smockey, one of Burkina Faso’s most famous rappers, uses the power of music to raise awareness and political consciousness among Burkinabe youth. Having French roots, but growing up in Burkina Faso, he crosses borders and combines worlds. As a spokesman of the Balai Citoyen, the citizen movement that played a big role during the 2014 uprisings, and with his recent album Pre’Volution he is an advocate for fair and inclusive politics and a new concious generation of Burkinabe.
Izmo the rapper
Izmo le rapologue (Izmo the rapper) feels himself happy in the studio, where he tries to realise his protest music. He is a rapper and protest singer. He makes his music and organizes his concerts to reach out to the young. He believes in the revolution: it has to happen. Taking this particular stance in present-day Cameroon is not easy. He feels oppressed and not free to sing and act as he likes.
Soon he will be father of a daughter. A few years earlier, he lost a daughter as a consequence of a road blocked-off for the visit of the Cameroonian president Biya. Izmo and his daughter could not reach the hospital in time. His rage is real.
Student refugees from CAR
During the 2013 crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) many people fled the country. Refugee camps mushroomed in Cameroon, DR Congo and Chad. These camps are mostly situated in rural areas and offer a grim perspective for young urbanites. Some youngsters prefer to bypass the camps altogether and look for greener pastures in the cities. This video relates the story and struggles of a group of Central African student/refugees who arrived in Kinshasa (DR Congo) in search of study opportunities.