Hear talented new voices in spoken word, poetry and rap – and find your own.

Activists of the 21st century have honed a powerful tool of protest: rap music.

In foregoing the pamphlets of their predecessors, young poets, spoken word artists and rappers remain at the forefront of revolutions, protests and discussions of national and worldwide importance.

Get inspired by the new titans behind the mic at this revolutionary performance.

About Africa Utopia

In 2012 Southbank Centre launched Africa Utopia, a festival dedicated to bringing art and ideas from Africa and the African diaspora to audiences in the UK. We ask what the West can learn from this rapidly changing continent.

The festival’s first four years have featured the award-winning Senegalese musician and human-rights activist Baaba Maal, afrobeat legend Tony Allen, former First Lady of Somaliland and hospital founder Edna Adan, Kenyan creative collective The Nest, Township Tech originator Spoek Mathambo, ‘godfather of Ethiopian jazz’ Mulatu Astatke and the Kinshasa Symphony orchestra.