Levantine Public Diplomacy had a fantastic time in Dhaka, running the Next Level Bangladesh program!

LPD partners with the University of North Carolina’s Department of Music to implement the U.S. Department of State’s new hip hop diplomacy program Next Level.

The Next Level Bangladesh  program brought together an incredible team of hip hop artist-educators, including the Hon. Asheru, DJ A-Minor, Jocelyn Ellis and Amirah Sackett. The NL Bangladesh program ran a hip hop academy, collaboration sessions and a final performance in Dhaka at the Shilpakala National Auditorium, as well as a hip hop outreach programs with Jaago Foundation and Blue Note Music Academy.

NL Bangladesh program gave legitimacy to a burgeoning hip hop community, and created a huge platform on which to showcase their immense talents. Dhaka hip hop went from the backstreets to the biggest performance hall in Bangladesh in a fully-packed-beyond-the-brim auditorium, with a mob outside trying to get into the show.  Thanks to the support of the NL Bangladesh program, Dhaka is quickly becoming the hip hop capital of South Asia!

As Next Level Site Manager, LPD’s Quixote-in-Chief works with the NL artist-educators, and serves as a liaison to the U.S. Embassy and local partners, to run the NL program in-country.