I was delighted to be able to see Kneecap last month in the Babel cinema in València. The film focuses on the Irish-language rap group Kneecap and how the group’s three members, played in the film by the musicians themselves, came together and started making music. It shows the beginning of their journey in Béal Feirste (Belfast) to becoming the hugely successful group that they now are. I had been looking forward to seeing the film as soon as I heard about its development, and was even more excited after the film’s success at the Sundance Film Festival and after hearing the rave reviews of some of my friends back in Ireland when it was released there a few months ago.

I was doing my undergraduate degree in Corcaigh (Cork) when Kneecap burst onto the Irish-language scene, and their music accompanied me as a young adult finding my way with the language. Last year when I was back in Baile Átha Cliath (Dublin) for a fieldwork stay, I went to one of their concerts. Seeing thousands of young people rapping along with them in Irish is an image that I will always carry with me. I often use their music when I’m teaching Irish, and although the heavy references to drugs and sex aren’t for everybody, it always provokes discussion and a lot of thinking. I can now say the same for the film. Like their music, the film is complicated and thoughtful, and we have a lot to learn from engaging with it.

Here is a list of five things that we can think about from the film, relevant to anyone who is interested in language endangerment and revitalisation. While I’d really recommend watching the film and seeing what you learn from it (it’s now streaming on Amazon), these points are a sneak preview of what you can expect.

1. Kneecap reminds us of the struggles faced by speakers of Indigenous, endangered and minoritised languages

Although the film is packed with fun, it does not shy away from the discrimination that speakers face when trying to speak their language. We see scenes where Irish speakers’ language rights are (violently) repressed, particularly in interactions between the musicians and the police. The film reminds us that language loss is not a natural or neutral process; it is very often a violent process where speakers face oppression and the violation of their human rights.

2. Kneecap shows us that there is no one way to promote a language

The film focuses on the trio’s use of hip-hop music to promote the Irish language, but it also shows some of the wider work happening in the North of Ireland to support Irish-language rights. For example, one of the musicians’ partners is shown to be involved with an Dream Dearg, a group that has campaigned tirelessly in recent years for Irish-language legislation in the North. The film points to a certain tension between the partner’s work and the rappers’ activity, but ultimately shows that there is no one way to fight for our languages: while some people may focus on legislative change, others may focus on cultural activities.

3. Kneecap highlights how language reclamation is about more than words

In the film, we see how rooted the members of Kneecap are in their local community. Their background is inseparable from their lyrics and their work to promote the language. By focusing on this background, the film reminds us that they are taking part in a project that is all about community. Their music is shown to bring people together in connection. Through the focus on one of the rappers’ mothers, it is also shown to be healing.

4. Kneecap gives us an example of how to push against certain narratives about our languages

At the beginning of the film, we see a class of bored teenagers learning Irish with one of the group’s members. He despairs at the learning material, with its references to turf farming, and it is clear that the city-based teenagers cannot identify with the image of the language that it promotes. Kneecap’s work changes their relationship with the language, as the group’s use of rap highlights the connection between Irish and urban life in Béal Feirste. The film also goes some way in pushing against the doomful predictions that paint language loss as inevitable.

5. Kneecap is about Irish in the North of Ireland, but it’s also about all our languages

The film focuses on the rappers’ home city of Béal Feirste and the Irish-language context, but it also reminds us that it is but one context in a world in which over 3000 languages are endangered. The film raises awareness of language endangerment and language rights in the North of Ireland, but also raises awareness of language endangerment and rights more generally. We see solidarity with other groups and peoples in the film, and it invites us to think about our language communities as part of a global community facing language endangerment, but also resisting it.

If you haven’t seen the film yet, I hope these points give you more reason to check it out! If you have, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Did you like it? Does the film connect to your own language? Is there similar music being produced in your community? You can always reach out to me at alexandra@endangeredlanguages.com, or book a mentoring appointment with me to discuss Kneecap, your own work, or minoritised languages in general!