Dessa — a rapper, singer and wordsmith from Minneapolis — touched down in Port Elizabeth, South Africa last week.

She spent the week teaching, rapping, and performing in communities in the Eastern Cape.

Dessa greeted Port Elizabeth at the Voting Line sculpture in the Donkin Reserve, where she stood next to a silhouette of the late President Nelson Mandela. This public art work is part of PE’s “Route 67” initiative. Read more here.

The Bay’s mild winter weather was the first thing Dessa noticed . It’s a bit warmer than her native Minnesota winters. She posted this on her Instagram.

Dessa is a founding member of the Minneapolis-based indie hip hop collective Doomtree. She has toured internationally both as a solo artist and with the Doomtree crew, frequently performing to sold out shows both at home and away.

Her visit to the Bay is made possible by CREATIVExPE , the Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy (CANRAD), and funding from the U.S. Consulate General, Cape Town.˹

Dessa treated learners from Patterson High in Port Elizabeth to a hip hop concert during their morning break. Chairs work pretty well as a stage!

CREATIVExPE is a team of creatives based in Port Elizabeth. They aim to facilitate connection and collaboration within the creative industries.

@Rushay Booysen, who’s part of @creativexpe, initiated Dessa’s visit after he met her during his International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) visit to the United States.

Learn more about IVLP here.

On Tuesday Dessa visited Patterson High School, where Fulbright English Teaching Assistants Dessane Cassell and Jackie Allegra are based this year.

After her performance, Dessa led a poetry and creative writing workshop with students in the school’s library.