By Deng David Panchol
A 27-year-old local artist Mr. Gak Ezekiel Akol known by his stage name G.A.K TheGiant who does hip pop music, said he is using his talent of singing to campaign against violence and drug addiction among the youth in the country.
The hip hop rapper said he is carrying out school to school campaigns to mitigate violence and drug addiction among the young people.
The cease panga award-winning hip-hop artist said he has so far visited four schools for campaign against violence and drug addiction.
In an interview with No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper, G.A.K said he composed cease panga song to advise his fellow youth to cease from violence.
He said the impact of cease panga song is being realized as gang violence have reduced in the past two years in the country’s capital, Juba.
“The situation has really improved because I don’t observe like I used to. Some say it is because of time maybe some people have changed but others say people have changed because of your campaign,” the rapper claimed.
“Both works, maybe some might have out grown that stage and some have listened to me. I take it positively because it was worth doing the campaign. So right now, they are not many as before. There are rare cases and I hardly hear cases of gang fights once in a while,” he added.
The artist urged the law enforcement agencies especially police, to always arrest and investigate youth involved in gang fights.
Gak aka G.A.K said when gang fights reduced on streets; he started taking cease panga compaign to schools to talk to learners.
“Cease panga compaign started normally on the streets and I never thought of schools but when streets were taking the compaign positively and it’s like saving them, I just decided to take it to schools because it is after senior four long holidays that most youth join gang groups,” he lamented.
“I decided to talk to students in schools so that when they come out of school, they don’t use drugs because it is using drugs that influence their minds to join gangs. The schools I have so far visited are; Darling Wisdom, Elite High Schools, Angel Palace and Juba Diocese High School. So, I usually tell school students and pupils to distance from using drugs,” he said.
The singer encouraged youth to focus on their studies and contribute in nation building.
G.AK also went on to urge the police to stop judging other youth based on their dressing code.
He called on prison service authorities to always let those convicted by the law because of gang violence serve their full term in prison without being bailed out which he said can let the convicts learn a lesson.
Gak added that he is planning to establish a youth centre in the future to provide space where youth interact and share positive ideas.
He underscored that in his campaigns, he usually tells school learners not to join gang groups but instead focus on their studies.
He also appealed youth addicted to alcohol and other drugs to listen to people who advise them.
G.A.K TheGiant has so far won the best hip pop artist twice this year from Jonglei Stars Award or JSA and Nimule Town Awards or NTA for the two most impactful songs Cease panga and Base.
Two years ago, there were many cases of gang fights reported in Shirikat and most parts of the capital Juba and across the country.
Though Mr. Gak believes that his campaign against the gang activities through his music have yielded some fruits in addressing the culture, the notorious often under drug influence gangsters continue to cause night mare to Juba’s neighborhoods as authorities try to arrest the runaway organized crime in the town.