Munich: Musicians from Gambia rap about their escape experiences (video)

These are Mam Ibrahim Makintaya and Marcus Nije – The two fled Gambia in 2015 and finally ended up in Germany after an arduous escape. They process their escape experiences in songs. Both have already dealt with music in Gambia and met in Munich at a freestyle event. The two decided to rap their story and put it on an album. The men have experienced a lot, but they keep quiet about some things. The music helps them process their experiences, Makintaya says: “All my pain, my happiness, every experience I have. I just process it in the music and that helps me a lot. I can’t talk to people about my stuff “. I use my music as my therapy. In Germany, even if you have too many things on your mind, it goes on. Do you understand what I want to say? They always say that you need therapy to talk about it and such Stuff. But I see the music we make as therapy. Because we don’t talk to anyone about our feelings and what we’re going through. Too many things happen.” violence and poverty Nije says: “That’s why we chose the music, so that we can carry the message to the people who came here at the same time. We want them to get motivation from us, that’s motivation for us. Whether you are in prison or at home. Just know that you can always make it, remember, you can make it and keep trying. That’s why we’re still making this music.” And that’s how they make sounds of hope, too. While Nije only has a Duldung in Germany, Makintaya is already in the middle of his apprenticeship as a restaurant clerk. At the first major concert of her band “One Corner”, friends, relatives and companions come to the Bellevue di Monaco, a cultural center for refugees in Munich. And even if the system has technical problems and the sound doesn’t sound the way the two had imagined – they don’t let that deter them. They rap, dance and show the whole world that music and migration go together beautifully.