The world's first-ever antiwar hip hop festival, organized by Mobilization Against War & Occupation (MAWO), was launched yesterday, June 8, beginning with a successful morning press conference. Attended by major media outlets, the press conference publicized this innovative and major cultural and political festival with hip hop MCs and antiwar activists as speakers. The festival opening night, which drew out hundreds of youth to the show at Sonar night club downtown Vancouver, launched the 5-day festival along with media coverage in several daily papers like Dose magazine and the Metro newspaper as well as Vancouver's weekly West Ender. Newspapers quoted reknowned Vancouver talents like Indigenous MC Manik 1derful, Ndidi Cascade and DJ Excede as they spoke of the role of hip hop as a form of expression against oppression. MAWO organizers Nicole Burton and Ivan Drury spoke of the connection for youth to hip hop on an international scale and why MAWO organized a hip hop festival against war and occupation.

Links to articles about the antiwar hip hop festival

"MAWO fuses hip-hop with an anti-war sentiment"
the Westender
*click the link below for the Westender Magazine Article June 9, 2005 and scroll down the page.

"Hip-hop used to fight war, occupation
Free concerts aim to reignite debate about Iraq conflict"
By MARIA WASILEWSKI, Metro Newspaper - Vancouver
Metro Newspaper Article June 8, 2005 .

"Fest pushes anti-war message"
By Maria Wasilewski
Metro Newspaper Article June 9, 2005 .