Emile YX? (South African Hip Hop Pioneer & Teacher) wins the 2022 Distinguished Public Service Award from the American Association for Applied Linguistics
Emile YX? aka Emile Lester Jansen, South African Hip Hop Elder, Activist & Teacher has been living in the San Francisco, U.S.A. for the past two years and just before returning to South Africa for a month long visit, he won the 2022 Distinguished Public Service Award from the American Association for Applied Linguistics. Last year's winner was The Black Lives Matter Movement. Emile was nominated by Dr Quentin Williams, Director, Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research (CMDR) at University of the Western Cape.
This award recognizes individuals outside the field of applied linguistics - writers, journalists, politicians, lawyers, etc. - whose work (1) raises public awareness of important social issues connected to language and (2) makes exceptional contributions to the promotion of multilingualism, linguistic social justice, and language-related human rights.
Work like the three volumes R.A.P.S.S. (Rhymes Articles Poetry Short Stories & Sketches) released through Heal The Hood Project to publish works of students and authors from the Cape Flats and self-publishing South Africa's first Hip Hop magazine called Da Juice. Emile has since been written and been involved in 24 books: What is Hip Hop?, My Hip Hop is African & Proud, Conscious Rhymes For Unconscious Times, Heal The Hood B-boying Grade 1 Manual, (Rhymes, Articles, Poetry, Short Stories and Sketches) R.A.P.S.S. version 1-3, Land i Forandring, Barn och unga i sodra Afrika, Bushman Creation Story, The Story Of The Wind, Fire The Dancer, Princess Vlei, The Big Water-snake, The Lioness, Sally the Salmon, Why Turtles Cry, Saartjie Baartman, Girl That Made The Milky Way, Reflections on Knowledge Learning & Social Movements, The Hip Hop Cook Book & Reconnect the String.
“I recently co-edited Neva Again with UCLA Professor H. Samy Alim & South African Professors Adam Haupt & Quentin Williams. I am currently working on 3 more books called Making A Black Noise 1 & 2, Hip Hop Education: We Live This and I have co-written a chapter for the book, The 5th Element, edited by H. Samy Alim, Jeff Chang, and Casey Wong (on the University of California Press 2021)”.
In 2019 Emile YX was one of the inaugural inductees into the South African Hip Hop Museums Hall Of Fame.
Aside from all these books, Emile has also implemented the content and intention of Afrikaaps to popularize the educational value of its connected power to inspire a sense of self-worth in youth from the communities of the Cape Flats by exposing the grounding information about the languages connection to heritage, people and thus powerful contributions to the history of the country. His ongoing project called Mixed Mense, where he continues to serve as a mentor for these youths from Lavender Hill in a cyclic style of education allowing them all to be both teachers and students through time. We have also illustrated and animated many of these local stories into Kaaps. Recently Emile involved Heal The Hood Project in assisting with the creation of the Drietaalige Afrikaapse Wooreboek.
Emile's books are now available at The Book Lounge in Cape Town or directly from him on the Cape Flats. We are planning a national local book tour of all 9 provinces in 2022. Heal the Hood Project believes that only A Change of Mind, changes Action. It is not knowledge that is power, but power is held by those who determine the content of the information that is sold as knowledge and taught to the masses. Join the regional and national change of access to alternative infromation by connecting with Emile YX? on Facebook or email
Emile YX?
Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Emile-YX-48042893547
Twitter https://twitter.com/EmileYX
Instagram emile.yx
Youtube Page https://www.youtube.com/user/emileyx
Reverbnation https://www.reverbnation.com/emileyx
Discography http://www.discogs.com/artist/967489-Emile-YX
Emile YX? Biog http://emileyx.blogspot.com/2014/11/emile-yx-awarded-honourary-awards-from.html
Blog http://emileyx.blogspot.com/?zx=ac3dab6cd422ff9b
Website http://healthehood.org.za