We tried winning the war through bullets, then we go after the hearts and minds with little effect, lastly we decide to try Hip-Hop. Really, I don't make this stuff up. Hip Hop has come to Pakistan via America's cultural diplomacy program and it is hoped this will keep the youth away from "radical" Islam.
Next we will probably see outreach midnight bowling and extreme ping-pong.
Considered by many Pakistanis to be public enemy number one, the United States turned to the musical descendents of rap groupPublic Enemy in an attempt to counter its highly unpopular image in the South Asian nation.
As part of its cultural diplomacy programme, the US embassy brought the FEW Collective, a hip hop troupe from Chicago to Islamabad on November 14 where they danced, rapped and recited poetry to a westernised, educated and elite audience of young Pakistanis.
The group’s 10-day trip is sponsored by the US State Department as part of its American Festival of the Arts, which is a cultural programme designed to promote exchange between people of the two countries. “It gives a good impression,” said Atroz Abro, 20, who attended the show. “You rarely find such events in Pakistan to pump up the youth by bringing something new.”
According to US assistant cultural attache Jamie Martin, the aim of the performance is to show that, “There’s another layer to the relationship. It’s not just government to government and military to military. It’s people to people.” Such cultural events — which have included the Ari Roland jazz group and country pop star Mary McBride — are part of a long-standing State Department tradition. Jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie and Dave Brubeck toured Pakistan in the late 1950s as part of the same programme.
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1 comment:
I'm so proud, my tax dollars at work!
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