The Break-Fast Club

Created in 2011, Break-Fast Jam is a Ugandan hip-hop program whose overall goal is to give a different dimension to the breaking culture in Africa.  It focuses primarily on break dancing but also brings together all elements of hip hop culture, such as beatboxing, deejaying, graffiti, rap, photography, and visual arts providing a way forward.  It was founded on the idea to enrich artists with an abundance of skills, knowledge, inspirations, and experiences through competitions, workshops, performances, and exhibitions.

There is even a panel that discussed the relevance of hip-hop in society and the positive changes it can bring to a community and a country.

The event has been one of East Africa’s greatest breaking events featuring top breakers from across the region.  With the increase in acclaim, one of the ideas is to transform the event into a global gathering, bringing and housing breakers from all corners of the world.

Oh right. 

How cool is it that I know the people who started this?

That I get to hang out and work alongside them in various capacities.  That when I walk into the event I can spot familiar faces from the participants to the judges.

You can simply refer to me as the Brian Johnson from The Breakfast Club because clearly I am not the cool Andrew Clark.

Yesterday with my go to youth we headed to Sharing Youth Center, where the eliminations were being held for the central region.  Throughout the year they have been holding other regional eliminations, bringing the top dancers together for the finals in 3-weeks time.

In true Uganda fashion we arrived two and a half hours late, when the program would have theoretically been ending, but not so surprisingly we were right on time. 

MC Jora was just announcing the participants.

Among them included some of my youth including Jeff and B-B-D Boy Philip. 

Four hours later the judges had announced the top eight that would continue to participate in the finals.

Rique!

As my kids and I created our own dance circles at the program’s conclusion I was again reminded of the great potential of Uganda and its youth.

Often times foreigners come to Uganda criticizing its education system and lack of creative, critical, and imaginative thinking.

And I don’t blame them.  The education here is mundane and repetitive.  Classrooms lack character and color.

But you have to find the people who are paving a way forward using other means. 

They are there.

And guess what… They went through this same educational structure as the current youth.

It makes me so hopeful for the future of a country that I have fallen deeply in love with.