NEXT KENDRICK LAMAR OUT OF CONGO?

The world might be on the brink of discovering the next Kendrick Lamar.

Dogo Browny, a groundbreaking 13-year-old rap talent from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has captivated audiences with his powerful lyrics and dreams of becoming the next A-list rapper.

Browny has struck a chord with a growing fan base, which says he embodies authenticity in an increasingly commercialised rap scene, channelling genuine emotion and lived experiences into his music.

In this recent rap, he channels the daily struggles of children in war-torn DRC, saying they are grateful for life, even if danger, hunger and death surround them. A recent UNICEF report revealed that the Rwanda- and Uganda-backed M23 militia’s latest campaign to seize territory in the eastern DRC since January has spiked reports of s*xual violence against children. Many have fled from fighting multiple times, dwelling in unsafe camps without adequate nutrition and medical supplies. They are unable to continue with schooling, potentially handicapping them for a lifetime.

Browny is nurturing his extraordinary gift at the Invisible Kids Academy, a non-profit institution located in Goma city, in the DRC’s war-torn North Kivu province. The academy provides orphaned children with opportunities to express themselves through art, dance and music, offering them a glimmer of hope. His rap tackles harrowing themes, such as child soldiers, gender-based violence, displacement, massacres, the exploitation of natural resources and political assassinations.

For three decades, foreign interests have battled via proxies armed and trained by Rwanda and Uganda for control over DRC’s estimated $24 trillion in mineral resources, k*lling around 6-million people by 2010 and potentially many more since. The conflict has internally displaced over 7 million, leaving more than 25 million 'food insecure,' per the UN. Recent fighting has displaced over 700,000 people since January alone.

Video credit: @invisible_kids_academy243 (IG)

Sources:

https://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/drc-faces-persistent-food-insecurity-crisis-affecting-over-25-million-people

https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/children-eastern-democratic-republic-congo-increasingly-exposed-sexual-violence

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgy0d3pgv0o

https://www.icrc.org/en/document/sexual-violence-survivors-democratic-republic-congo

https://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/children-young-nine-face-mass-sexual-violence-and-mutilation-drc-save-children

caritas.org/2010/02/six-million-dead-in-congos-war