Remarks at the Press Conference Hip Hop “Four Elements – One Culture” (October 24, 2007)

Mr. Becker, Mr. Lamprecht, Ladies and Gentlemen

I am delighted to be here with you today to continue the work begun here in 2005 by my predecessor Peter Bodde at the United States Consulate General in Frankfurt.  Today we add another chapter in the partnership of Manhattan and Mainhattan.  With special thanks to all involved in the organization of this project , and to the city of Frankfurt for its support and financial assistance, it gives me great pleasure to introduce this program, ‘Hip-hop: Four Elements, One Culture.’

Programs such as this help to expose us all to the unique varieties of hip-hop and the multifaceted culture that it expresses. 

Hip-hop is the product of years of multicultural interaction.  It is a medium of expression that draws upon a wealth of global influences and traditions. It originates out of the soul and funk traditions of American music, which themselves evolved out of generations of musical tradition in locales as diverse as New York, Rio de Janeiro, Dakar and yes, even Frankfurt.

The elements of hip-hop that we celebrate during this program invoke references to poetry, music, dance, and art.  These themes provide a revealing glimpse into the unique culture of hip-hop.  Hip-hop is understandable in any language.  It is a perfect way to transcend cultural boundaries.  It serves as a vehicle to cement the bonds of friendship among youth around the world.    It is our goal – and our hope -- that we can use hip-hop’s emergence from and amalgamation of different global influences to show the younger generation what and how we can communicate through art, even when we do not know each other’s language. 

This program brings the U.S. Consulate and the city of Frankfurt together in an effort to benefit both German and American youth.  It also strengthens our partnership with the city of Frankfurt and its many youth organizations.  This is especially fitting because hip hop represents a twenty-first century evolution of the American poetry and jazz exhibitions that have been part of the Frankfurt cultural scene since the 1950s.  Those cultural exchanges are at the core of the American-German friendship.  Programs such as “Hip Hop: Four Elements, One Culture” broaden and deepen this friendship, connecting what former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Arthur F. Burns called the “successor generations” on both sides of the Atlantic.  By introducing young Germans and Americans to each other and highlighting the commonalities and the ways in which we can communicate with each other without words, this exhibition paves the way for the next generation to continue our German-American partnership.

Among the many program events, we will have the opportunity to view Martha Cooper’s photographs depicting the roots of hip-hop in New York.  This exceptional exhibit also features the work of
Joerg Kuberek and Helge Steinmann, presenting their own photographs of the similar rise of hip-hop in Frankfurt.  Germany’s own influential hip-hop personality Akim Walta will introduce and provide commentary on Ms. Cooper’s photographs.  We will also have the chance to enjoy dance presentations by the B-Boy Projektes Bonames, as well as freestyle rap and beat box sessions.  And Professor Murray Forman of Northeastern University will join other experts from the hip-hop industry in a panel discussion on the topic of “Hip-hop: Art, Commerce and Politics.” 

The program will conclude on November 16 with a fantastic presentation, including a poetry slam championship as well as urban dance and freestyle rap battles.  Throughout the program we will have the opportunity to really get to know hip-hop culture as a popular movement as well as to appreciate its expression as a mixed-media art form.   

I hope that this program, ‘Hip-hop: Four Elements, One Culture.’ will provide a fascinating glimpse into the means of expression that has gripped youth culture worldwide and provide us with yet another way to bridge cultural divides.  Most of all, I hope that it will bring young people from many cultures and communities together in a celebration of music and dance, and that they will all take away something positive from this experience.  Thank you.