MEDIA RELEASE

Arabic-speaking Granville students tackle the big issues through Hip Hop

Released 29 October 2004

Information and Cultural Exchange
PO Box 4033 Parramatta NSW 2124 Australia
T: +61(2) 9897 5744 / F: +61(2) 9897 5766

Arabic-speaking high school students from Granville area are using hip-hop music to tackle problem gambling. Chosen participants, many of whom are recently-arrived refugees, are taking part in free music-making workshops, using the latest software and midi-keyboards to create music and lyrics addressing problem gambling in the community.

The free hip-hop workshops are called ‘Yallah (referring to the Arabic phrase meaning ‘come on!’)—Life’s a Gamble.’ The workshops are funded by The Casino Benefit Fund and are being held at the SWITCH centre at ICE, the Granville-based Information & Cultural Exchange. The SWITCH centre is a multimedia digital arts access centre for Western Sydney, featuring all-new music-making software as well as a soundproofed recording studio of professional industry standards.

“This is a different approach to teaching hip-hop and R&B because it combines the use of technology and computers,” said ICE Director Lena Nahlous. “The course will also open up career pathways for young people wanting to enter the music or IT industries.”

The Yallah workshops run over three weeks and are being coordinated by one of Australia’s leading ladies of hip-hop, MC Trey. The 12 workshops range from vocal lessons, lyric-writing, beat and sampling sessions, digital music production and recording to discussions on the music industry.

“I’m always excited when we get to train new kids in hip-hop making,” said MC Trey. “There’s always someone in the group who ends up performing on a stage near me later on… I love seeing that.”

“The workshops are about providing an opportunity for young people,” stated workshop facilitator John Nikolopoulos. “We’re making a space for them to think creatively about issues that might be affecting their family and friends, in a way that’s not so confronting.”

Funded by the State Government NSW Ministry for the Arts, Switch multimedia and digital arts access centre is being managed by ICE in partnership with Parramatta Council.

ENQUIRIES: Fadia Abboud: (02) 9897 5744 ext 6