UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARAMARIBO 000140
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
WHA/PDA FOR CHAD WEST; WHA/CAR FOR JROSHOLT; ECA FOR
BLAKENEY VASQUEZ, CAMILLE BARONE, PETER COZZENS, COLOMBIA
BARROSSE, SANDRA ROUSE, AND JILL STAGGS; POSTS FOR PAOS/CAOS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC, OEXC, NS
SUBJECT: TWO MONTHS, TEN EVENTS, FIFTEEN HUNDRED GUESTS:
BLACK HISTORY PUNCHES-UP IN SURINAME
REF: A. PARAMARIBO 88
B. PARAMARIBO 117
C. PARAMARIBO 132
D. PARAMARIBO 136
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1. (U) Summary: Drawing on a mix of ECA support,
Post-identified "window of opportunity" speakers, and
post-conceived programs, Post upped Black History Month
programming from four events in 2007 to ten in 2008.
Enthusiasm among local audiences helped carry Black History
Month programming well into March. Attendance grew
dramatically from 200 total guests in 2007 to approximately
1500 in 2008; while some of the events were large budget
items, most were done virtually for free and with important
co-sponsorship. In addition, Post was able to convey the
message of Black History Month as a "multi-cultural" event
rather than focusing on a single ethnic group. Extensive and
very positive media coverage and word of mouth created a buzz
which generated momentum throughout the 2008 events. END
SUMMARY
2. (U) Type of Program: Post tied the visit of Rhythm Road
band The Kelley Johnson Quartet to Black History Month, and
the band delivered two concerts, one workshop for children,
and one private "jazz jam" (ref a). Surinamese drummer
Gregory Kranenburg delivered a second workshop for Post, and
Post was invited to tie Black History Month programming into
a presentation of different drumming styles under
Kranenburg,s direction (ref d). Post's monthly movie night
featured a Black History theme via the film, "Blackboard
Jungle." Post held two Black History Month lectures, one on
ethnomusicology (ref b) and one on maroons (the descendants
of escaped slaves) in the U.S. (ref c). Finally, the
Ambassador hosted a lunch for a multi-ethnic group of
historians, journalists, actors, writers, politicians, and
others from the cultural sector under the title "Black
History Month: Diversity in Society."
3. (U) Background: In 2007 Black History Month programming
began slow and gained momentum: the first event drew fewer
than 15 guests, but the fourth and final around 100. In 2008
Post built on this momentum to create a large slate of events
which drew large attendance. The extension of Black History
Month into March was unplanned, but given the window of
opportunity speakers available and the continued interest by
the public, Post was more than pleased to continue its
programming. A newspaper reporter who was disappointed to
come to the process late (he scheduled an interview for the
day after the last event) decided to write an article anyway,
and his full-page, laudatory spread in the local
paper-of-record formed a fitting cap to activities when it
was published in late March.
4. (U) Evaluation of the Program: All jazz events were
well attended, but the style of jazz offered was less
consistent with Surinamese tastes than Post might have hoped
(ref a). Hence, it was the grassroots, contact-building
events later on -- many of them last-minute inventions --
which helped recreate the sense of Black History Month as a
signature piece of Post's cultural programming. In
particular, the lively drum workshops facilitated by local
drummers (refs a, d) through Post sponsorship resulted in
large and enthusiastic audiences, and the lecture on maroons
(ref c) created a high-level close to the academic portions
of the programming. The lecture excited the audience, many
of whom were themselves descended from escaped slaves
("maroons"). Post has laid a firm foundation for future
cultural programming that supports MSP goals of promoting
mutual understanding and creating a more receptive
environment for dialogue.
5. (U) Program Coordination: Post drew on a wide variety
of sources. The Lincoln Center-coordinated Rhythm Road
program provided four events (ref a), and inexpensive "window
of opportunity" events facilitated through friends and
contacts of Embassy personnel provided another four. The
other two events were reworkings of regular Post activities,
and were inexpensive events of less than $200 apiece): the
Ambassador,s weekly soup/salad/sandwich lunch program, and
Post,s monthly "American Movie Night."
6. (U) Program Costs: Rhythm Road programming cost Post
approximately $11,500 and, for the second year in a row, ate
up around half of Post,s discretionary budget for the year.
None of the other events exceeded $300 in expenses, and
though the audiences were smaller, the cost-benefit naturally
favors "window of opportunity" events. Post will consider a
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slate of locally contracted artists for 2009, but also is
aware that a high-profile event such as Rhythm Road is also
useful as a standard-bearer.
7. (U) Impact of the Program: Most telling was the
workings of word-of-mouth, and two events in March best
demonstrate this. The lecture on descendants of escaped
slaves was tied to a lunch at the Deputy Chief of Mission,s
house which unexpectedly attracted the First Lady of Suriname
(ref c). Thus what started as a modest event for a few
interested scholars became a high-profile happening. The
final drum workshop demonstrated the value Surinamers put on
Post programming. The event was not Post-generated; rather,
the Cultural Center of Suriname invited Post to participate
(ref d). This confirmed Post,s sense that Black History
Month programming has earned a place of prominence in the
cultural events calendar in Suriname.
SCHREIBER HUGHES