Kast Foundation reaches out to the youth

Gasebalwe Seretse
Correspondent | Sunday May 26, 2013 00:00

Speaking in an interview with Showbiz, the hip-hop artist said that he has always believed that it is the duty of artists to help uplift the societies in which they live.  'I have always felt that as an artist, I need to give back to the people using my talent. I have been working with a number of organisations to reach out to different communities,' he said. 

Kast pointed out that one of the first- ever projects that his foundation did was on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention with Chicago Trio and friends from the United States of America (US). The campaign reached out to people in Tlokweng, Gaborone and Mochudi.

The second project of the foundation was Get Up And Go HIV/AIDS DVD launch, which also focused on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. In the project, he collaborated with 10 other leading local hip-hop artists and compiled a DVD. The artists made a countrywide tour, conducting inspirational and motivational talks and distributing the DVD.

 'We covered around eight areas around the country, demonstrating the power of hip-hop music to convey a positive message of behaviour to the youth aimed at reducing the incidence of HIV/AIDS among them,' the artist said adding that edutainment is one of the best tools that the foundation uses in its mission.

In Get Up And Go, the star worked with the likes of Scar, Zeus, Billy Slugz, Cibil Nyte, Enigma, Touch, Spurt and Tref. Of late, the foundation has initiated a project called Earth Angel, which seeks to promote behavioural change and life-skills among school-going children.

'In the project, we encourage entrepreneurship and social activism among young people,' Kast said.

The foundation has also collaborated with ACHAP and the Ministry of Health in a project called Smart Men Campaign to promote safe male circumcision (SMC) amongst school-going youths between the ages of 14 and 18.

The artist is now back in studio, working on a new album which he hopes to release later this year. The controversial single of the album namely, BDP, has already been causing waves in local radio stations.

The Kast Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that uses music, the arts and edutainment as the main agents of change, aimed towards fighting social ills. It is one of the few non-profit making organisations founded by local artists.