RAP WORKSHOP

Kids have to be heard!” was the motto according to which girls and boys between 10 and 14 years and from all parts of the city expressed their ideas, their dreams and their view of the world through rap. Welcomed into the facilities of the Jardín Comunitario Barracas “Una y otra vez” (“Once and again” Communitarian Kindergarten, in Barracas neighbourhood) and with the support of a group of workshop coordinators, the girls and boys were the protagonists of a beautiful day full of rap, putting into practice all their knowledge, talent and passion.

After reading together the Rights of the Child and Adolescent, established in the 1989 United Nations Convention, the girls and boys carried out a stimulating reflection that then translated into rap verses written by each one of them. Following this creative phase, the voices were recorded, and that was how in a one-day session, these young artists created a powerful song about dreams, the future, solidarity and the right to be respected and, most importantly, the right to be heard.

Kids have a lot to say. Let’s listen to them!

COME OUT TO PLAY!
WE WANT TO BE HEARD
COME OUT TO PLAY!
THE KIDS TAKE OVER THE SCENE
COME OUT TO PLAY!
A CHILDHOOD FULL OF DREAMS
WHAT IF WE TRY AGAIN TODAY?
IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO LISTEN TO US!

Me and the kids, we go out to play.
I spit fire with these verses any day.
What I’ll tell you is no fallacy, it’s not in vain
and I want you to hear it and keep it in your brain:
Number one: I want to go to school
Number two: I have the right to food
Number three: the right to be understood
Number four: I want to be heard
Number five: don’t force me to work
Number six: don’t mistreat me
Number seven: the right to identity
Number eight: rap is my best buddy.

Speaking my mind is not hard for me,
as I can’t go quietly.
I’ve always talked loud and clear.
I think what I say and say what I think (x2)
At school, on the streets, they’ve always heard me
so I heard them, that’s the way it is.
They couldn’t shut me, I said what I thought and
they had to hear it all.
They had to hear it all.
I say what I think.
I think what I say and I say what I think.

Once I got to school,
and my mates were having breakfast.,
I asked them if they had something for me to eat.,
They said no and that day I had no breakfast and no lunch.,
That happened to me.,
You can’t say it wasn’t like this.

There are many kids living on the streets,
in the city, in the ‘hood, everywhere you look.
Neglected, isolated, suffocated.
We shouldn’t be exploited,
we want to make our choices:
studying with our mates
playing on school breaks.
I have an identity and I’m going to respect it
so our voice they cannot discredit.