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U.S. Diplomat Hopes Song Can Win over Pakistan
[An Nahar] A US official is taking a novel approach to diplomacy in Pakistain -- singing in a local language to build bridges in one of the world's most dangerous countries, where anti-Americanism runs rampant."If I had a hammer [KABANG!]" Shayla Cram, a public diplomacy officer assigned to Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. , the gateway to al-Qaeda and Taliban strongholds in the northwestern tribal belt, has not only learnt Pashto but has penned her own Pashto-style song. "Mahmoud, what's 'blowin' in the wind' mean?" "I dunno, Ahmed. Dammit! She won't hold still long enough to draw a bead on her!" "Maybe we should use a cycle of violence?" "Jenaiy," which means "girl," is a tribute to Malala Yousafzai, the teenager who was shot in the head by the Taliban for promoting education for girls. "Where the hell's my detonator?" "Hurry, Mahmoud! She won't stop!" It features Cram on guitar and vocals and a Pak musician on the rabab -- a traditional stringed instrument -- and urges girls to have hope for the future and pursue their dreams. "No! Not 'Kumbaya' again!" "Please, Allah! Make her leave on a jet plane!" "There's definitely need in Pakistain to encourage maidens of tender years and females in their education and leadership, to make them young leaders, and that's the basic message of my song," Cram told Agence La Belle France Presse. "That's why they pay me $125,000 a year! Plus per diem!" Women in Pakistain, particularly in northwestern rural areas, are frequently treated as second-class citizens, ...optimist... subjected to horrific violence in the name of family "honor," and denied education. Posted by: Fred 2012-12-08 |
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