Strengthening hip hop and the identity of young people from the periphery, Jornada de Mc’s has been active since 2005
The project, born in the periphery, has been valuing and giving visibility to people involved in the Hip Hop scene with organisation and resistance
Credits: Disclosure/Pedro Leão
By: Eduarda Nunes – Lupa do Bem / Favela em Pauta
Since 2005, the Jornada de MC’s project has been running on the outskirts of the Metropolitan Region of Recife (PE), with an annual circuit of rhyming battles and activities that contribute to the growth of those involved in the hip-hop scene, whether in dance, graffiti and musical production, based on workshops and spaces for dialogue.
When it comes to the culture of favelas and outskirts, talking about hip hop is inevitable. It is through rap, graffiti, music and urban dances that many children discover potential that becomes a professional occupation or a personal refuge.
The battles of rhymes are like birthplaces and, realising the importance of these events, Anderson Oliveira dos Santos, also known as Dj Big, created the Jornada de Mc’s project, which since 2005 has proposed a physical structure and seeks greater visibility and appreciation of young people from the periphery who keeps hip hop culture alive.
This is one of the few projects that stimulate an exchange of knowledge between the peripheries in the Metropolitan Region of Recife. Young people from different communities and rhyming battle groups compete with each other, strengthening the local hip-hop scene. “The battles are a space for social dialogue directly between them. Social-political, right? Because they are always there in the discussion of asserting themselves, of having a debate, of valuing themselves and charging themselves for everything, whether because of racial discrimination between them, or homophobia, in short, all these debates that take place end up being political and within the battles and favour the growth of these young people”, says producer and social educator Dj Big.
Understand the project structure
In addition to rhyming battles, the project also encourages the development of artists in dance, graffiti and music production through workshops and dialogue spaces. When the project was still in its infancy and with the intention of first embracing Recife and the metropolitan region, Jornada de Mc’s caught the attention of young people from other cities in the northeast. The regularity of the editions year after year made the event also appear on the calendar of artists from the hip-hop scene not only in Pernambuco but also in other states in the Northeast.
Big says that he receives messages throughout the year about the event, whether to receive material from artists who are interested in playing at the event or to send certificates, records of those who participated in an edition. Jornada de Mc’s is considered a showcase project for hip hop in Pernambuco and the Northeast, says Anderson.
But to participate in the Jornada de Mcs it’s not just about arriving, it’s also necessary to have a good rapport with the hip-hop scene in your community. Just arriving and “putting the name”, as the producer and social educator say, is not worth it. You have to live your own periphery.
This competition is one of the most expressive in Brazil and, in addition to uniting hip-hop artists, it also makes an effort to connect these artists with popular culture. This is the objective when the qualifying stages of the Jornada begin to take place as part of the Black Tuesday program – an event to celebrate black culture promoted by the Unified Black Movement that takes place in Pátio de São Pedro, Santo Antônio neighbourhood, in Recife.
Still in the perspective of expanding spaces for hip hop culture, since 2018 the Jornada team has made the effort and all the procedures to insert the project in the schedule of some events financed by the public power that attract a large audience, but still maintain the periphery. on the outside. They are: Rec’n’Play, one of the biggest technology and creative economy festivals in Recife, and the Garanhuns Winter Festival, which in 2022 held its 30th edition with an audience record, being one of the largest multicultural festivals in Brazil and is carried out in the Agreste region of Pernambuco.
The rush to strengthen Jornada de Mcs is daily
Dj Big says that there is “some difficulty in showing the value that the periphery has”, and that making the Journey of Mc’s happen from 2005 until today says a lot about the commitment and will of the team, with an average of five people, who maintain the operationalization of the project.
Although there is a recognition of the state in the actions and training that the Jornada promotes, Big understands that there is no priority of the public power in the realization of the editions. All of them take place through public notices to encourage culture and art in Pernambuco.
The pandemic had a major impact on the production of Jornada de Mc’s, which also has cost the producers themselves to continue. The team that has kept the project on its feet includes Danilo Carias, Fernando Arruda, Okado do Canal, Gilblênio Saadh and Hulli Popping.
In 2022, with the support of the Aldir Blanc Pernambuco Law, Jornada de Mc’s held two editions. The first took place in a decentralized manner in four districts of Recife in the first half of the year. It held the selection of artists who competed in the edition of the Winter Festival of Garanhuns, in July. The expectation for the second semester is participation in the Rec’n’Play festival.
Contribute to keep the project active!
To help keep this project going, follow the Instagram page and get in touch with the producers. This year, Jornada de Mc’s celebrates its 17th anniversary, strengthening the hip-hop scene in Recife, Pernambuco and the Northeast
