From 27 to 31 July 2024, the island of Chios hosted a new stage of Soundroutes Local Hubs, transforming the language of hip hop into a meeting place for cultures, stories and communities for five days.
The initiative took place as part of the 8th edition of the Chios Music Festival and saw the participation of over 110 people, including young people from the island, musicians and refugees from the Chios camp.
Led by rapper Eisvoleas and beatmaker and producer Billa Qause, participants took part in a series of workshops dedicated to hip hop writing, production and performance.
Giving voice, creating bonds
The workshops were divided into three parts – Finding My Topic, Word Map and Playing with Words and Rhymes – with the aim of stimulating the imagination and building personal and collective narratives.
Due to bureaucratic difficulties in transporting refugees outside the camp, the activities took place in two separate spaces: one for the local population and one inside the camp.
Despite the physical separation, the project was able to generate an artistic and human dialogue, demonstrating how music can transcend borders and inequalities.
Rolling Rhymes: the power of the collective
The journey ended with the “Rolling Rhymes” concert, hosted at the Michaleio Building of the University of the Aegean.
On stage, the verses and beats created in the workshops were intertwined with traditional instruments, in an unprecedented dialogue between cultures and generations.
In front of 185 spectators, the evening celebrated the collective power of musical creation, transforming the workshop experience into a true shared performance.
A workshop on coexistence
Contributors to the project included:
Eisvoleas (artistic director and workshop manager), Billa Qause (beatmaker and producer), Michalis Atsalis (guitar), Christos Atsalis (bass) and Socrates Ganiaris (drums).
Together, they created a workshop that was not only musical, but also social and political: an opportunity to experiment, through art, with a concrete form of coexistence and mutual listening.
Soundroutes
The Chios Local Hub is part of the European programme Soundroutes, which connects artists and communities in Italy, Greece, Belgium and Spain.
It is a project that uses music to build networks of solidarity, inclusion and social justice, promoting culture as a practice of shared freedom.
