Le Journal Rappé Video Series

Each of the 8-minute episodes of Le Journal Rappé begins with a greeting by presenter Xuman, who clears his throat and stacks his notes before introducing the show. "Welcome, get settled in, we have some news for you. Some good, some bad, but some news for you ..." The news bulletin includes a range of local, regional, and international stories. Xuman begins, rapping the headlines in French, while Keyti delivers an interpretation in Wolof, the native language of Senegal. As outlined in a case study of the series (see Source below) , the series "strives to deliver a conscious and concise account of current events. By presenting their program each Friday, at the end of the week, they view their show as separate from the mainstream media race...The rappers unearth what really matters, the news that directly affects the Senegalese audience’s everyday lives."
To produce the Friday broadcasts, one of the Le Journal Rappé production staff reviews the news to compile the week’s top headlines. The rappers then investigate these news stories, beginning immediately after airing the previous week’ show, to choose which stories to highlight in the upcoming week. Four stories are usually included in each broadcast with the selection based on how important the story is, the entertainment value, and the possibility for giving viewers new perspectives. Following this, the rap lyrics are developed with an emphasis on satirical reflections on the news. The rappers then record and produce the segments in recording facilities, that comprise of a collapsible green screen (on which the background graphics will be projected) and a circular table with two chairs that serve as the anchor desk. The production crew includes the two rappers, a "beat-maker", a cameraman, and a video editor.
Episodes of Le Journal Rappé can be viewed on the Le Journal Rappé You Tube Channel, and people can interact with the show through Le Journal Rappé facebook page and on Twitter.
Youth, Edutainment
The YouTube series is watched by between 6000 and 45,000 viewers every week online. According to a case study about the series, "young Senegalese are Xuman and Keyti’s primary audience. They’re the segment of society that often feels disempowered, voiceless, and frustrated with the state of their political, social, and economic environment. Rappers, as an artistic community in Senegal, enjoy unique status as the voice of the young masses. For the country's under-35 population, it is rappers — not the media — who are the true Fourth Estate."
Natty Dread Edutainment and Level Studio
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