Erasing culture?

I spent this morning working at a school in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea. A crew of volunteers from the CGC Bear painted and cleaned two classrooms. It was hard, hot, difficult, dirty work. At one point I found myself sweeping feces from beneath a broken desk. Typical of many schools in the developing world, electricity and running water were conspicuously absent. One element, however, was not absent: evidence of the America’s corrupting cultural influence. On a wall, an Equatorial Guinean school child had written in bold letters a list of his/her favorite American rappers: Nelli, P Diddy, Ja Rule, Tu Pac, and the like. I wish children in far away lands would admire and seek to emulate the more noble parts of our culture. I wish they would say, “I want to be hard-working and industrious like Americans,” instead of, “I want to have bitches and ho’s, gold teeth, and a job selling crack like Americans!” I put four coats of paint over that spot. But the list of names kept showing through, despite my best efforts. I fear this situation is sadly symbolic of the nature of America’s culture influence overseas…