Congratulations to the winners of the 2010 Fulbright-mtvU Fellowships, Karima Daoudi of Knox College, Yesica Hernandez of Stanford University, Akesha Horton of Michigan State University and Lynne Stillings of Connecticut College. These four U.S. college graduates will be conducting research and sending blog updates from Senegal, Peru, Australia and Indonesia, respectively, for one academic year on projects of their own design around an aspect of international musical culture projects that are designed to promote "the power of music" as a global force for mutual understanding. Best of luck!
Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, Wayne Coyne from The Flaming Lips, Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine fame and Beth Ditto lead singer for the indie rock band Gossip signed on to help us pick the Fulbright mtvU fellows below.
Karima Daoudi, who graduated from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois with a B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology in June 2009, will travel to Dakar, Senegal to explore the relationship between the thriving Dakar hip-hop scene and traditional Senegalese griot (musical storyteller) culture. In addition to working with both hip-hop artists and griots, she will collaborate with Africulturban, a hip-hop based youth community center, to gain insight into how people are using music to navigate tradition, modernity, and globalization to craft a contemporary, urban, African identity.
Yessica Hernandez, who graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in Sociology and Film and Media Studies, will travel to Peru to film a documentary on Afro-Peruvian music. With the help of Universidad Catolica, Yesica is documenting the role Afro-Peruvian music has had in ameliorating race relations and explore ways to introduce this musical genre to young people.
Akesha Horton, a doctoral student at Michigan State University in Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy, will travel to Sydney, Australia to conduct research in hip-hop and new media. She will explore how hip-hop is being used to help Australian youth become socially conscious, global and digital citizens at the University of Technology, Sydney, and community outreach centers in Western Sydney.
Lynne Stillings, who graduated from Connecticut College with a B.A. in Music and French in May 2009, will travel to Indonesia to examine the relationship between children's music and cultural identity. Affiliated with the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Yogyakarta, Lynne will create an after-school music program that will encourage students to express their ideals, values, and social positions through music.