ALL CLEAR! READY, SET, BOOM KHACK!

I'm someone "Interesting" to meet!

So in my past envoy trips, it has typically been a whirlwind of classes, performances and interviews stretched over a two-week period with intra-country journeys to different cities.  Well, this time, all of that would be concentrated in Santa Cruz for just one week.  But let’s redefine what a week’s worth of work means on this crusade of the dancing diplomat.  It actually meant five days of programming to include: lecture/demonstrations for students learning English, daily evening classes/workshops that would culminate in a performance, daily afternoon workshops at community culture centers throughout Santa Cruz, a slew of television and newspaper interviews and being ready for anything else that could come up.  Did I mention that I left DC Sunday afternoon and arrived in Bolivia Monday morning…and the schedule started that afternoon!! But I’m not complaining. I LOVE MY JOB!! It is an honor to have such an opportunity to not only share what I know but to learn from the new friends I stand to make.    

My immediate new cruceña family consisted of Claudia, aka Petty, Geovana, Rene and Alberto.  They were my main contacts at the CBA.   The CBA is an amazing center that teaches English.  (Hmmm, why aren’t there focused and funded centers for people of all ages to learn other languages here in the States, namely DC??) As part of my agenda, I would give presentations in English on Hip Hop history and culture and talk to the students about what I do. It’s part of the “Meet Someone Interesting” series they have so that students get a chance to listen to native English speakers and practice.  I think the idea was a little intimidating to the students at first, but we had a great time. And I assured them that although I speak Spanish, I too have my “obviously-not-a-native-speaker” moments and it’s okay.  

La Semana de Hip Hop

One small detail here. Claudia and the CBA with the support of the US Embassy have prepared “La Semana de Hip Hop” or “Hip Hop Week.” Claudia has made sure that the week includes workshops with artists representing each of the four elements of Hip Hop.  It is impressive.  So often in the States, I think we take for granted that we’re living in Hip Hop’s birthplace and that it entails more than the music and the dance.  So imagine, telling folks about Hip Hop that know NOTHING about it.  I mean, the 40-minute interactive presentation I gave was the first encounter almost all of the students had with Hip Hop. Again, I felt honored, and considered my task to be a serious one.  Not only did I want to make this a language experience, but I truly wanted to be an ambassador for Hip Hop.    

There is an overall negative image of Hip Hop in Santa Cruz.  It’s very akin to the negative stereotypes some folks in the States hold about the culture, but there they don’t have the opportunity or information to balance that against the truth.  So we talked about the four elements, learned some fun phrases, listened to quintessential music, watched some clips featuring Hip Hop godfathers and gatekeepers and we learned about the four governing principles (peace, love, unity and having fun) and the power to use Hip Hop to inspire positive change.  I shared how I used Hip Hop as a vehicle for community dialogue and social change.  At the end, we all danced and walked away knowing and believing in the power of this culture.  (I give myself a gold star for having taught everyone how to “throw their deuces up”…c’mon, it was a language and culture experience!!)