The Haitan boys love hiphop. They always ask me who I love. My hiphop days were when I was your age I tell them. I try to sing the younger ones the lyrics from the original version of Wavin Flag by K’naan. Oooohh rings through the house. The kids are addicted to the soccer matches. Cheers and noise are heard throughout the house when the match is on. There is a earthquake remix that sounds like beats from a club that resonates throughout the house. Akon plays in the kitchen everyday. The words from his song freedom glue to my head. We celebrate fourth of July with the group from Atlanta and Denver who have come for a week. Many of the boys here have been trained by professional dancers in theatre. They do an entire show for us. The boys in the house are lean and in shape. Their bodies are toned and their muscles defined from hard work, dancing and sports. They end with a play about George Washington. They always amuse us in different ways. We sing the house song, Peace on earth starts with me and eat cake and drink soda. I am happy they are happy. The guests have brought much life with their projects to the house. The house was already loud enough with 25 boys and another 10 staff with house rowdy and much awake and alive from at 5am to 9pm.
I know many of my students from the home learned different English words from hiphop songs. One of them writes lyrics for me on the board after class. I wonder if he realizes how violent they are. Another time he asks me certain phrases. Other than a meshing of negative promotion I feel hiphop has touched different parts of the world in different ways. Just like a waving flag remix and Akon songs that we hear everyday.
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