U.S. Embassy Sponsors Hip Hop Artist George Martinez

U.S. Cultural Envoy and Hip Hop artist George Martinez visited La Paz and Oruro October 8th through the 14th, sharing aspects of U.S. hip hop and collaborating with young Bolivian artists and performers.  He spoke with students at the Centro Boliviano Americano in La Paz about the history of hip hop in the United States and about the strong social justice messages of “pure” hip hop while encouraging the audience to make positive changes in their lives and communities.  During the week he was in Bolivia, George held a series of workshops in the Municipal Library and the Culture Houses of La Paz and Oruro on break dance, rapping, graffiti, and hip hop culture. 

George gave an outstanding talk on Hip-Hop and Education at the Casa de la Cultura, where he shared with public school teachers, hip-hop artists and the general public his experience in the implementation of new teaching techniques in the classroom.

Along with members of the Embassy, George visited Colegio Ayacucho and Max Paredes, two public high schools to share his inspirational messages, the culture of U.S. hip hop, and to collaborate with hip hop and graffiti artists from both schools. 

The culminating event was a hip hop concert at the Tambo Quirquincho Museum in La Paz at which George and many of his workshop participants performed together while graffiti artists simultaneously created works of art.  During the workshops, George had challenged the youth to find a positive way to change their communities and create a message based on that idea.  Many of the artists and performers showcased their “homework” pieces during the three hour outdoor concert.

 George’s visit was sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Bolivia and the U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Connect Envoy Program with collaboration from the Centro Boliviano Americano, the Urban Community Rap Organization (O-KRU), the Municipal Government of Oruro, and the Municipal Government of La Paz.