Tropical Diaspora Records®
Orgullo De Barrio by GEKAH
Orgullo De Barrio by GEKAH
Tropical Diaspora® Records presents Alberto Gekah’s “Orgullo de barrio” – hip hop from Canary Islands. The result of a collaborative project after an original idea of PSJM with Asiria Álvarez and the participation of the people of the neighbourhood of Las Rehoyas in Las Palmas de Gran Canarias.
Canary Islands is a place in conflict of identities. Geographically located in Africa it has a history of conquest, colonization and Spanish rule that goes back to the fifteenth century. This history has been erased by the colonial authorities or internalized as somehow inevitable to the point that not much is known today about the original people inhabiting the islands, presumably related to the Berbers. At the time of the Spanish Empire the islands were used as stop-over for the galleons on their way to rampage the Americas, their people, and resources. The Canaries have today a Spanish and European identity, although is too far to be Europe or Spain. The different islands are now confronted with their own past as they serve as a gateway to Europe for thousands of poor and desperate Africans, many of whom have found their grave in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Several mining projects, mainly offshore, threaten the ecological sustainability of the islands. The fact is that, if not geographically, then politically and economically the Canary Islands have been separated from Africa. The umbilical cord has been artificially cut and restoring it is going to take more than words and wishful thinking. The Canary Islands have become an anomaly or, as European politicians say: an outermost region of the EU, together with Azores or Guadeloupe. A great euphemism to disguise the real historical process of colonization and accumulation.
Side A • Orgullo De Barrio
Lyrics, vocals, recording and mastering: Gekah
Instrumental: Anno Domini Nation
Side B • La Doña Y El Conserje
Lyrics, recording and mixing: Gekah
Instrumental and arrangements: Ghenprod
Orgullo de barrio. Desde Las Rehoyas para todos los barrios
A participatory art project by Cynthia Viera and Pablo San José (PSJM)
and developed by Gekah and Asiria Álvarez
in collaboration with the people of the neighbourhood of Las Rehoyas (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain).
Orgullo de barrio is a song by Gekah, the result of the participatory art project.
La doña y el conserje is a song by Gekah, previously unreleased.
Original Songs by Gekah. Music Production and Arrangements: Gekah.
Vinyl Executive Production and Conception: Tropical Diaspora® Records Est. Berlin.
Vinyl Cover Design and Layout: La Caja de Brillo/PSJM.
Poster Design and Layout: La Caja de Brillo/PSJM.
Photos by Asiria Álvarez.
Texts by PSJM and Tropical Diaspora® Records.
All Songs Published by Tropical Diaspora® Records under License.
® All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer: The images shown are for illustration and mock-up purposes only and may not be an exact representation of the product.