TEDx Talks: Mazi Mutafa on "The Cipher"

TEDxTalks:

 

Mazi Mutafa, an alumnus of the University of Maryland, is the founder and executive director of Words Beats & Life, Inc. (WBL), a hip-hop non-profit committed to transforming individual lives and whole communities through the elements of hip-hop culture. As an undergraduate, Mr. Mutafa was the co-founder of four student organizations and served as the president of the Black Student Union. During his tenure as president of the Black Student Union, Mr. Mutafa created the Words Beats & Life Hip-Hop Conference, a six-day hip-hop conference that endeavored to expand the potential impact of hip-hop as a culture and community. Mr. Mutafa is also a brother of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

Mr. Mutafa's entire professional career has been dedicated to serving youth and community development. Post-graduation, he worked for the Maya Angelou Public Charter School as a resident male counselor. Following this, he began working at the Institute for Cultural Affairs as the Mid-Atlantic Coordinator for "Youth as Facilitative Leaders" and conducted intergenerational facilitation trainings. Mr. Mutafa's final position before becoming the full-time Executive Director of Words Beats & Life was as the Street Outreach Coordinator for Motivational Educational Entertainment's (MEE) "Be on the Safe Side," a campaign to prevent teen pregnancy.

Remixing the Art of Social Change @ Howard University | Saturday, July 7th

Remixing the Art of Social Change

Howard University

Armour J. Blackburn University Center

Saturday July 7, 2012

10am - 6pm

Map and Directions | Register| Agenda

 “The Remixing the Art of Social Change: Expanding the Cipher” is an international teach-in (conference) bringing together organizations, artists, and scholars that utilize hip-hop culture to promote social change and advance how hip-hop is used as a tool to promote that change. The teach-in has previously convened in Chicago and San Francisco and this will be the fifth time in Washington D.C.

This years Teach-In will feature a number of well known and important figures including rapper/producer David Banner.  BET’s Jeff Johnson, Dr. Mark Anthony Neal: co-editor of the Hip-hop Studies Reader, and Joan Morgan: author of When Chicken Heads Come to Roost will also be presenting. Detroit’s hometown shero, recording artist and activist Invincible will also be speaking. The teach-in will also feature hip-hop pioneers Kool DJ Red Alert and D.C.’s own DJ Kool, along with hip-hop dance pioneer Popmaster Fabel. We will also feature new author Samuel Sidel, author of Hip-Hop Genius and one of the State Department's first Hip-Hop Ambassadors, Ms. Toni Blackman This event is made possible in part thanks to well known hip-hop Scholar, journalists, and activist Bikari Kitwana.  We are also proud to be hosting the D.C. premier of “Graffiti Fine Art” by new filmmaker Jared Levy.

WBL will organize a variety of roundtables, panel discussions, film screenings, and workshops that build upon the efforts of the previous five teach-ins.  Topics covered this year will include: The Company You Keep, “I Was There”, Context Matters, and Media Makes a Difference. To view a copy of the entire agenda, or to learn more about the event, please visit http://www.wblinc.org/teachin

This year’s Washington, D.C. teach-in will act as a kick-off event for the start of the 11^th Annual Hip-Hop Theatre Festival, a widely recognized cornerstone of the Washington D.C. hip-hop performing arts & cultural community. Words Beats & Life’s International Teach-In will be host to some 300+ people, representing 50+ organizations from across the country and world.

SPONSORS: Words Beats & Life, DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Rap Sessions and Southwest Airlines.

Full Schedule: Click to view/download