LeidenSchafft
by Mirza Odabaşı
Was ist das überhaupt: Türke sein, Deutscher sein? Berliner sein, Kreuzberger sein?
The documentation LeidenSchafft by the young Turkish-German film director, photographer and songwriter Mirza Odabaşı gives an insight into the Hip-Hop scene and migration in Germany. Social injustice, questions about national identity and origin are the main topics of LeidenSchafft. It goes back to the elements of American Hip-Hop culture, such as breakdancing and graffiti, which influenced the subculture in Germany.
Hip-Hop is much more than just rap music. Especially for Hip-Hop artists of Turkish-German and other minorities, it is used as a tool to express themselves. This revolutionary form of expression deals with the idea of being a stranger or foreigner in your home country. One can observe that teenagers with an immigration background try to find their way in the Hip-Hop community. They create boundaries in form of a group formation to mark their uniqueness and to deal with racism. But why do young people, especially immigrant children, find themselves in a subculture, which started to develop in the 1970s in New York City? This question takes Mirza Odabaşı to Berlin – the capital of Hip-Hop and multiculturalism. Many talented artists like Chefket, Eko Fresh, Marteria and Ćelo & Abdï share their personal experiences in LeidenSchafft.
To gain a deeper understanding of Hip-Hop’s rich and colourfully complex history in Germany, this film is a must-watch. Not only to find an answer to the main question, but also to see the fusion of effort, passion and the pursuit of self-realisation is a reason to explore the vibrant roots of the German Hip-Hop culture.
Leave a Reply