Cascoland Journal

Monday 6 February

From this week onwards the Vusanani newsletter will be published regularly and distributed in New Crossroads. Vusanani (which means `word of mouth` or `tell each other`) will be an initiative that will need the response and the cooperation of the residents of New Crossroads. Depending on local participation it will become a six to twelve page newsletter, which will focus on the ongoing process of Cascoland, highlight historical facts about this neighborhood and the plight of its people. It will be used as a mobilizing tool to get more people involved in this project and will finally become part of a catalogue about the Cascoland project. The designer Ruben Abels and the journalist Michiel van Oosterhout are the editors of Vusanani.

Mustafa Maluka, of AfricanHiphop.com and Bootleg, was a revalation yesterday. He came to the official opening and presentation of Cascoland. Having him on board of Cascoland will be very beneficial. He can give a good perspective on directions of the dynamic process when it comes to reaching the youth. Often youth can be a hard group to tackle and to convince to be part of a collective enterprise. In some of our meetings with youth in New Crossroads we already noticed the cynical response in which they reacted to our proposed initiatives.

So reaching the youth we definitely need to get more under their skin and see what it is they like and what drives them. Maluka is used to move into townships while he is scouting for upcoming music talent. He knows the language of the street and offers them an opportunity to make a name for themselves. With his Foundation he is making compilation cd`s of artists that have not yet recorded any music. He will bring a number of hip hop acts from other townships to New Crossroads. An attractive flyer is being distributed throughout the neighborhood to challenge the youth of New Crossroads to come and participate in this jam. Anyone who wants to, can come upfront on the stage and do his thing and expose him or herself to an audience and a talent scout.

First Vusanani edition