Samuel Miyoba, better known by his stage name Smack Jay, is a human rights activist and rapper from Zambia who feels that a nation’s music speaks volumes about its culture and character.
In collaboration with Beyond Skin, a foundation that promotes peacebuilding, and OpenNet 40, its partner organization in Zambia, he is traveling to Northern Ireland.
Smack Jay has been working with local musicians in Belfast and utilizes music to push for social change and inspire hope.
“Music is one of the best weapons for activism if you want anything to change,” he stated.
He led workshops at Rathcoole Primary School in north Belfast on Friday, where he sang songs with strong themes.
His lyrics highlight the fight for fundamental rights, such as education and access to food and water, by young people in Zambia.
The broader messages, however, are not so distant from some of the debates in Northern Ireland’s society today.
‘One day the young ones will take over’
The Children’s Code, a historic statute established by Zambia’s parliament in 2022 that the government claims has revolutionized schooling in the nation, was also read by the rapper.
It was Zambia’s first official codification of children’s rights.
“You are entitled to freedom of expression and education. The rapper read to the class, “You have the right to a name and a national identity.”
One of Smack Jay’s choruses includes the phrase, “I know my rights.”
He engaged the kids in the Rathcoole Primary workshop by urging them to stand and join in while he raps into the microphone.
“We can only proceed if the younger generation comes up with even better ideas,” he told BBC News NI.
It is crucial to take drug usage and other issues seriously because “if they come with negative notions, they will cut links with the good individuals around them.”
Belfast City of Sanctuary, Northern Ireland’s outreach organization for refugees and asylum seekers, threw the Refugee Picnic in June, where Smack Jay was a special guest.
He said, “I met fellow Africans from South Africa, Sudan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and many more nations.”
“How these individuals were received in Northern Ireland demonstrated the value of looking out for one another.
“I have gotten to know rap musicians in Northern Ireland, and they are really friendly.
“If we use music to promote more nonviolent causes, we will truly get it right.”
