Hip-hop as a resistance to youthcide: the experience of Casa Kolacho

Abstract

This article addresses one of the faces of hip-hop as a youth culture: its dimension as a social and cultural movement starring young people from subaltern sectors. The authors analyze the case of Casa Kolacho, an artistic and cultural center located in Comuna 13 in Medelln. Casa Kolacho opened its doors in 2013 as an expression by young people in the neighborhood against the violence carried out by state security forces, paramilitaries, guerrillas and criminal groups. The text focuses on the testimony of Jeihhco, one of the promoters at the center, whose life story focuses on the role of hip-hop as a form of resistance against "youthcide" using music and art as a counter-hegemonic strategy of expression from "make more noise than bullets", according to the words of the protagonist.