Cablegate: Congo/B: Pd Program Reporting - Performing

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000402

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PDPA, ECA, IIPF

PARIS FOR ARS

DEPT FOR AF/PDPA
FROM BRAZZAVILLE EMBASSY OFFICE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO OEXC OPRC SCUL KPAO ODIP KIRC KPLS KSPR AMGT CF
SUBJECT: CONGO/B: PD PROGRAM REPORTING - PERFORMING
ARTS - ELLISON MCDANIEL ARTTISONOPENING OF FIRST
CONGO/B AMERICAN CORNER (FEBRUARYSEPT 22-288, 2005)

1. Name of Program: Performing Arts - Ellison McDaniel
Arttison (Singer and Cellist)American Corner Opening

2. Summary of Topics/Venues/Audiences:
Topic: American Negro SpiritualsOpening of first
American Corner in Congo/B
Venues: MERC, BDEAC, French Cultural Center, Holy
Spirit Church -United Nations Information Center
Brazzaville (Republic of Congo)
Audience: 15 workshop participants, 82045 audience
members. The majority of invited guests to BDEAC event
included government ministers and local NGOS, local
private sector and some embassiesUnited Nations
officials and employees (including the Coordinator of
the UN Systems in Congoresident representative)American
private sector, and the Congo/B Minister of Culture.

Dates: February 22-28Sept8, 2004.

3. Effectiveness: The programpening ceremony
commemorated Black History month and providgenerated an
opportunity for the audiences to hear American shost
government, pirituals. The programs were covered by
two Congolese television stations, and Mr. Arttison was
interviewed on TV for a cultural news program that was
aired on the day of his first performance and sparked
audience interestAmerican Corner and fulfilled a long-
term demand for a center where people can have access
to materials on American life, history, current events
and culture. This first American Corner in Congo/B is
open three two ddays a week for three and half hours.
each and serves 15 people each day that it is open,
its maximum capacity.

4. Quality of Department Support: Very good.Excellent.
Guidance and funding were responsive. In addition,
pPost used old furniture and existing resources,
including books, videocassettes and excess computers.
American employees regularly donate videos, DVD's, and
magazines that they receive by subscription tto stock
the American Corner with recent issues

5. Immediate RESULTS/Impact Report:

Embassy Brazzaville hosted singer/cellist Ellison
McDaniel Arttison February 22-28, 2005, for three
performances and a workshop with local musicians. Mr.
Arttison's programs, showcasing traditional American
spirituals, were well attended and very much
appreciated.

Mr. Arttison began by holding a workshop February 24
with 15 local musicians opened the first at the Embassy-
UNDP funded Multi-Educational Resource Center (MERC)
located at the United Nations Information Center. The
Congolese musicians shared views and ideas with Mr.
Arttison, who showed their talent and dedication
despite the hardships of a society recuperating from
nearly SIX years of civil warfare.

DRTV, an independent Brazzaville television station,
interviewed Mr. Arttison on February 24 for a cultural
news program called "InfoCulture." The significance of
Black History Month and the artistic contributions of
African-Americans were reviewed, and Mr. Arttison gave
a short performance on the cello. The cello is rarely
seen or heard in Brazzaville, and it provoked
particular interest, which was highlighted in the TV coverage
of Mr. Arttison's programs.

On Friday evening, February 25, the modern, glass-
walled lobby of the Development Bank of the Central
African States (BDEAC), which is also the site of the Embassy's
future interim office, was transformed into the
American Jazz Caf for 142 invited guests, including
the Congolese Minister of Culture, NGO directors, the
private sector and other Embassy contacts. The
audience enjoyed a buffet dinner before the 90-minute
performance. TV coverage provided home viewers with a
taste of the performance, and some audience members
remarked that it was a rare pleasure to hear live cello
music in Brazzaville.

Mr. Arttison gave a public performance at the French
Cultural Center auditorium on Saturday evening,
February 26. About 200 people attended and warmly
applauded an hour-long recital of spirituals
accompanied by cello and piano. Immediately after the
performance, some of the musicians who had attended Mr.
Arttison's workshop held a spontaneous outdoor jam
session at the French Cultural Center Caf. They
played bebop, classic and modern jazz for some 40
listeners.

Mr. Arttison capped the week with a Mass concert on
Sunday, February 27, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in
the Moungali section of Brazzaville. He performed with
the church's "Tongues of Fire" choir for about 500
listeners, including the church's pastor and the Mayor
of Brazzaville's Poto-Poto district. The performance
further cemented the Embassy's continuing work with
this very talented choir, which sang with visiting
artist Ursuline Kairson and at the Embassy's July 4
reception during 2004 and at the French cultural Center
with singer Kairson in 2003.

Mr. Arttison closed his week on February 28 by giving
an interview to the newspaper "The New Republican."

Embassy Brazzaville appreciated Mr. Arttison's effort
and dedication. He noted that he was traveling to
Africa for the first time. At several points, he noted
the challenges faced by Congolese musicians, from lack
of venues to lack of access to musical instruments. At
the same time, he observed that Corner in the Republic
of Congo (Congo/Bhas a tremendous pool of talent.
Embassy Brazzaville thanks ARS for its invaluable
assistance with this program.

ceremony. 45 invited guests attended.. The American
Corner was developed in partnership with the United
Nations Development Program in Congo/B, which provided
space in the United Nations Information Center in
Brazzaville to house the American Corner.

The Ambassador Robin Sanders, the Coordinator of the UN
Systems Resident Representative Aurelien Agbenonci and
Congo/B Minister of Culture Jean-Claude Gakosso spoke
at the ceremony.

The American Corner is the only source in Brazzaville
for English-language materialslibrary in Brazzaville
available to the general public and the only source in
Congo/B of collected information about the United
States. It has three rooms and offers 900 books in
French and English, videocassettes, satellite TV
connection to CNN, and Internet access, along with
comfortable chairs and sofas where users can read or
browse materials. It is open three wo ddays a week for
three hours and half hours each day and already and
been fullto its draws 15 users a day, its maximum
capacity since the opening. Users register in advance
for American Corner time in order to maximize use and
avoid overcrowding.

The opening ceremony was carried on the overed by local
national midday and evening news television and in the
print media. The American Corner also was used as
backdrop for a TV interview by of the DDCM on November
3 that covered U.S. election results, how U.S.
elections are conducted and how the U.S. electoral
college system works, and for a post-election wrap
interview by the Ambassador on November 8, 2004 .

6. Embassy Office Brazzaville - Sanders
MEECE

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