His is a new face in Tunisian rap. He began rapping after the fall of Ben Ali’s regime last January. His name is Karim Kamkam and Kamkam the harqa is one of his first tracks. It may not have been around long, but it’s interesting for its lyrics. Because it leads us to what the majority of public opinion on the southern shore of the Mediterranean think. In other words, that burning the border is no longer worth the trouble. In his song, Kamkam tells of a young man, of his life of material deprivation and illegal expedients for making a living, and his dreams of a life in Europe that’s ‘too chic’. Things like meeting a Jennifer Lopez, having children with European citizenship, and returning with a Jaguar and the popularity of a star like Maradona. But the Europe he encounters is different. For the first time in his life he feels hunger, thirst and he sleeps under bridges in the cold, until one day the police arrest him without him even having the time to understand what is going on. At the police station, between one blow and another, an officer asks him what he is doing this side of the Mediterranean. And he answers: "A dream brought me here." Here, however, that dream has become a nightmare. And Kamkam does not hesitate to tell his peers not to leave, that it’s not worth it, rather that they should try to enjoy life in Tunisia. Because from Europe one is likely to return in a coffin. While in the meantime the best years of youth go by. Many young people feel the same now. And indeed it is no coincidence that in 2011, from Tunisia, with the borders out of control and the economy collapsed, ‘only’ 30,000 young men out of a population of 10 million left harraga for Lampedusa, and once they realized that there were no longer any crossings, the departures ceased. In short, the harraga culture is a minority now. It especially belongs to the youth of the working-class neighborhoods, who in the border see a possibility for redemption. But the majority of the people think differently. Everyone now knows there is economic crisis in Europe and that racism has reached unbearable levels. And at the same time, the political changes that have taken place in the entire southern shore this year, with the popular uprising leading to the end of dictatorship in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, along with major reforms in Algeria and Morocco, have instilled hope and optimism in the first generation, daughter of the economic boom in these countries. This is just another reason to open the borders in the south of Europe, as was done five years ago with Eastern Europe. Because there will be no invasion; it exists only in our fears. So enjoy listening. And as usual, enjoy reading, because below you will find the translated lyrics of the track.
Il blog di Gabriele Del Grande. Sei anni di viaggi nel Mediterraneo lungo i confini dell'Europa. Alla ricerca delle storie che fanno la storia. La storia che studieranno i nostri figli, quando nei testi di scuola si leggerà che negli anni duemila morirono a migliaia nei mari d'Italia e a migliaia vennero arrestati e deportati dalle nostre città. Mentre tutti fingevano di non vedere.
02 January 2012
Music and Harraga Special: Kamkam the harqa
His is a new face in Tunisian rap. He began rapping after the fall of Ben Ali’s regime last January. His name is Karim Kamkam and Kamkam the harqa is one of his first tracks. It may not have been around long, but it’s interesting for its lyrics. Because it leads us to what the majority of public opinion on the southern shore of the Mediterranean think. In other words, that burning the border is no longer worth the trouble. In his song, Kamkam tells of a young man, of his life of material deprivation and illegal expedients for making a living, and his dreams of a life in Europe that’s ‘too chic’. Things like meeting a Jennifer Lopez, having children with European citizenship, and returning with a Jaguar and the popularity of a star like Maradona. But the Europe he encounters is different. For the first time in his life he feels hunger, thirst and he sleeps under bridges in the cold, until one day the police arrest him without him even having the time to understand what is going on. At the police station, between one blow and another, an officer asks him what he is doing this side of the Mediterranean. And he answers: "A dream brought me here." Here, however, that dream has become a nightmare. And Kamkam does not hesitate to tell his peers not to leave, that it’s not worth it, rather that they should try to enjoy life in Tunisia. Because from Europe one is likely to return in a coffin. While in the meantime the best years of youth go by. Many young people feel the same now. And indeed it is no coincidence that in 2011, from Tunisia, with the borders out of control and the economy collapsed, ‘only’ 30,000 young men out of a population of 10 million left harraga for Lampedusa, and once they realized that there were no longer any crossings, the departures ceased. In short, the harraga culture is a minority now. It especially belongs to the youth of the working-class neighborhoods, who in the border see a possibility for redemption. But the majority of the people think differently. Everyone now knows there is economic crisis in Europe and that racism has reached unbearable levels. And at the same time, the political changes that have taken place in the entire southern shore this year, with the popular uprising leading to the end of dictatorship in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, along with major reforms in Algeria and Morocco, have instilled hope and optimism in the first generation, daughter of the economic boom in these countries. This is just another reason to open the borders in the south of Europe, as was done five years ago with Eastern Europe. Because there will be no invasion; it exists only in our fears. So enjoy listening. And as usual, enjoy reading, because below you will find the translated lyrics of the track.
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