Paving the Way for the Next Generation of German American Friendship: Consul General Powell Opens HipHop Exhibit at the Frankfurt City Library

PAO Jim Seward and U.S. photographer Martha Cooper with Frankfurt HipHop fans

October 26, 2007. Consul General Jo Ellen Powell along with Frankfurt City Treasurer Uwe Becker opened the exhibit “The Roots of HipHop” with photos by U.S. photographer Martha Cooper and local artists Jörg Kuberek and Helge “Bomber” Steinmann at the Frankfurt City Library, the consulate’s America at your library partner, on October 26.  The program included presentations by the B-boy project Bonames, free style rap, beatbox and a dance performance by Fatma Yazici (“Dance in FFM”) and her B-girls. Akim Walta from Berlin introduced Martha Cooper and her photos. After the opening, Martha Cooper gave a tour of the exhibition and stayed on for hours to talk to Frankfurt HipHop fans and signed her books and posters for them.  Photo Gallery | Video: Freestyle Rap Session | Video: SIN a.k.a. Fatma Yazici and her Bonames B-girls | Video: Beatboxing | Video: Interview with Martha Cooper| Video: Martha Cooper on HipHop and youth | Remarks Consul General Powell | More about the project

The U.S. Consulate, together with the city of Frankfurt, Frankfurter Jugendring, Stadtbücherei Frankfurt, and Jugendbildungswerk Frankfurt, is co-sponsoring ‘Hip-Hop: Four Elements, One Culture’, a series of hip-hop related cultural, art, dance and music events.  The program contines on October 30 at 7:30 pm with a panel discussion at the city library on “HipHop – Art, Commerce, Politics”, featuring Prof. Murray Foreman of Northeatern University, Boston, Frankfurt dancer SIN a.k.a. Fatma Yazici, author Murat Güngör, MC D-Flame and MC Torch.