Qin in particular can't wait to abandon school, get out of the boondocks and move to the city where, surrounded by high-rises and neon and the intoxicating whir of the Now, a girl can have some fun.

The most popular rappers are brilliant entertainers. They have also done a lot to make people aware of the difficulties facing poor urban blacks.

Messrs Flanagan and Clark saw that passengers would happily fly from such cities to Cape Town, say, via Dubai, stopping briefly or even overnight, if transit was pleasant and the fare was cheap.