U.S. Embassy Sponsors International Hip Hop
and Urban Art Week in La Paz

The U.S. Embassy and the Embassy of Spain are sponsoring the International Urban Art Festival "In the Light of Hip Hop," which is also supported by Fundación Cinemateca Boliviana, the Municipal Government of La Paz, Komunidad Raptivista Urbano, and COMPA Foundation. The festival, organized as part of the celebration of the bicentennial of the pro-independence revolution in La Paz, will be inaugurated at Cinemateca Boliviana on September 28.

For a week, the hip hop festival will offer workshops, contests, and free concerts, as well as graffiti exhibits and workshops on the streets of La Paz and El Alto. The main event will be an international Hip Hop concert at Cine Teatro Municipal 4 de Agosto, on Saturday, October 3, at 6:00 pm. The U.S. Embassy Facebook page (http://spanish.bolivia.usembassy.gov/facebook.html) will conduct daily contests for all interested participants.

The U.S. Embassy is sponsoring the participation of George "Rhythm" Martinez and the Global Block Collective, a group of four artists led by George Martinez, a renowned artist, activist, award-winning educator, and political pioneer of the U.S. Hip-Hop community. As Cultural Envoy of the U.S. Department of State, Martinez has toured with his group in Peru, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala to help young audiences to use the arts as a positive means of expression. Through his art, Martinez has empowered marginalized youths in Latin America to envision a better future. This is the second time he comes to Bolivia.

The Spanish duo Dos Hermanos has worked for years to promote the unity of Spanish-language Hip Hop all over the world. This is the main objective behind projects they have pioneered, such as Rap Latino, a record that gathers the best of Latin Hip Hop in the world. Their characteristic music combines hard and sentimental sounds, upbeat party rhythms and relaxed melodies. Besides Hip Hop, they also play Rhythm & Blues and Reggaeton.

This week-long Hip Hop festival includes a very comprehensive schedule:

• Monday, September 28, 7:30 pm: U.S., Bolivian, and Spanish film documentaries. American, Bolivian and Spanish Urban Art Exhibit. Place: Cinemateca Boliviana
• Tuesday, September 29, 4:00 pm: Graffiti and Breakdance Workshop, Place: El Prado
• Wednesday, September  30, 4:00 pm: International Forum on "Hip-Hop Beginnings," Place: Cúpula  de Adobe, La Paz
• Thursday, October 1, 3:00 pm: DJ & Breakdance Workshop, Place: Teatro de Cámara, El Alto
• Friday, October 2, 5:00 pm, Hip Hop Festival with contests and band battles, "open microphone," Place: Fundación COMPA, El Alto
• Saturday, October 3, 6:00 pm , International Hip Hop Concert, Place: Cine Teatro Municipal 6 de Agosto
• Sunday, October 4, 10:00 am Final Concert, graffiti contest, Hip Hop Corner, Place: El Prado, La Paz