Hip-Hop Goes Green

Fiyawata planting seeds. photo by EKAphotography

It was inevitable, perhaps, that hip-hop would join the burgeoning green movement - and no, we're not just talking about smoking "trees." Community-oriented activism has long been associated with the local rap scene, and with the Communitree Festival, those efforts have taken on an eco-friendly, sustainable tone.

The Festival--billed as an "arts, ecology and healing movement for community empowerment," with proceeds benefiting Art in Action's Green Media Center for Youth in Oakland--kicked off Feb. 1st with a tour of Wildheart Gardens, followed by a panel and showcase at Berkeley's Ashkenaz, headlined by husband-and-wife hip-hop/reggae duo  Fiyawata.

The festival continues today with tree planting, music, and theater at Covenant House Youth Shelter; music and poetry concerts and workshops for students at various East Bay elementary schools; and a street theater performance and flower mandala construction at Oakland's Ogawa Plaza. More events follow Wednesday and Thursday, including a free yoga workshop; a performance at Children's Hospital; soil fertility and seed germination workshops; and a panel on "The Ecology/ Ecology of Community" at La Pena Cultural Center, followed by live performances by flamenco/reggae band Lo Cura and the Silence the Violence youth. For more information, click this link.