Cablegate: Reinvigorating Public Diplomacy Cultural and Sports

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 PARIS 008689

SIPDIS

STATE FOR ECA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO OEXC SCUL FR
SUBJECT: REINVIGORATING PUBLIC DIPLOMACY CULTURAL AND SPORTS
PROGRAMS - THE PERSPECTIVE FROM FRANCE

1. Mission France is pleased to have the opportunity to
provide an overview of those cultural programs that best
support our MPP goals and objectives. While France - and Paris
in particular - is center to the cultural world, hosting
thousands of these events each year without our involvement,
there remains an important role for the USG to play. Our
sponsorship of U.S. music, dance, sports and some visual arts
programs is a highly effective way for us to convey positive
images of our society, break down stereotypes and create a
favorable climate in which substantive policy discussions can
take place. With resources (financial and personnel) at an all
time low, our ability to hone in on key programs is essential
to the success of our overall strategy.
2. Question A. Which of your mission objectives benefits from
cultural programs or could be better supported by cultural
programs, including sports programs?
All of our MPP goals and objectives are well served and
benefit from our cultural programs. While our activities are
more directly linked to the MPP goal of "improving
international public opinion of the U.S.", they also serve as
a foundation for achieving other mission objectives such as
"prevention and response to terrorism", "close ties with
allies and friends", "multilateral agreements", and "trade and
investment." It is no secret that since our engagement in Iraq
in early 2003, our interactions in the world arena have had
negative consequences for our image, particularly in France.
The French public now generally questions our honesty and our
commitment to democratic values and principles. The right
cultural programs can directly counter these negative opinions
by presenting positive aspects of the U.S. and demonstrating
that our country is an open, just, and fertile society where
creativity and personal initiative and effort are encouraged
and rewarded. Our diversity and our respect for other cultures
and religions can also be highlighted, particularly among
audiences normally inaccessible to us. Indirectly, cultural
programs also create a more propitious environment for
engaging our interlocutors on issues of U.S. policy and help
foreign governments obtain the voter support they need to
cooperate with us.
3. B. What kind of specific cultural or sports programs or
initiatives are, or would be, most effective in supporting
these objectives?
-- Music and dance performances and festivals are by far the
most effective way for us to reach out to the French public:
they showcase U.S. talent; elicit positive emotional group
responses (at the end of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
concert every member of the audience was standing, clapping
and dancing); surmount obstacles posed by language thus
enabling us to reach a public not normally accessible through
other programs (i.e., theatre or speaker programs); and
generate long-term goodwill towards the U.S. Because music and
dance performances programs are very expensive (transportation
of artists and instruments, hall rental, lodging, etc.) and
time consuming in their organization, the wisest investment
generally speaking, is the program that provides the broadest
appeal. These would be the more `popular' performances
designed to appeal to a younger, diverse audience and to
underscore U.S. democratic values, such as jazz, blues, modern
dance, rap (in contrast with `elite' programs for a reduced
audience intended to dispel the stereotype of the U.S. as
fostering `trash' or `mass' culture (e.g., opera, classic
ballet.) Clearly, performances that can combine the two
objectives and audiences, such as the Jazz Ambassadors or
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, provide the best avenue for
outreach. If the performers are also willing to participate in
other outreach outside the official cadre of their
performance, such as master classes (such as the artists in
the Blues-Sur-Seine Festival), then we have a truly well
rounded and effective cultural program.
-- Festivals are very popular in France and another excellent
vehicle for outreach as they gather a broad spectrum of public
over a period of several days and give us great visibility.
They can be limited to one genre (music, dance, film) or
incorporate various genres. Post regrets that the Festival
Fund Grants Program is no longer available. It was very
successful in France and provided access to an additional
source of funding.
-- Sports programs are also an extremely effective way to
reach out to all types of French audiences without language
barriers. Basketball is by far the most popular of US sports
here, and American basketball teams and players are well known
by French fans, who are often very diverse in their
backgrounds, ranging from the elite to the lower socio-
economic classes. French players in the NBA are idolized in
France. Our basketball athletes can be excellent US
ambassadors and role models to young audiences, and would be
particularly valuable in our collaboration with schools and
community or civic associations working with disadvantaged
youth in urban areas.
Because some professional athletes also associate themselves
with a cause or charity, they can help us highlight American
civic involvement and our extensive private charitable
contributions to other countries. Despite the controversy
generated by the media regarding his suspected drug use, Lance
Armstrong's successive victories in the Tour de France and his
association with the fight against cancer were an excellent
way to showcase our country. Other sports, such as tennis,
while more `elitist' in image, are very popular and worth
exploring.
-- Visual Arts programs can also work well in France. The
French love photography and professional exhibits that
represent American landscapes (natural or urban) draw a
substantial crowd from both upper and middle classes. The
Ground Zero photo exhibit, which was a more modest `home-
grown' version of a full professional exhibit, attracted large
crowds because of its historic and emotional content. Paper
shows, because they are a bit `light' in terms of their
artistic appeal, do not stand on their own as well. They
therefore work best when keyed for thematic content (`Earth
Day' or even `60th Anniversary Commemoration of the UN' will
elicit considerably less interest than `Rosa Parks' and other
civil rights commemorative paper shows.) Because of their
relative cost and lighter weight, they are much more
affordable to posts and more practical for transportation and
lending purposes to smaller institutions, libraries and
schools, which are all eager consumers.
-- Institution-to-Institution Exchanges and partnerships such
as IPAM (International Partnership Among Museums) can be
excellent vehicles for creating strong links between France
and the United States. They also help establish professional
networks while helping to giving the French greater access to
lesser known regions of the U.S. Sister Cities have developed
museum partnerships, artist and student exchanges, and other
programs that increase tourism and encourage a positive
attitude towards the U.S., particularly among young people.
Unfortunately, the success of these programs is completely
dependent on the will and financial capabilities of each side
of the partnership. If one partner is less involved than the
other frustration sets in and the Mission finds itself called
upon to fill in for that partner, a role we are unable to
take.
-- Film can be a good vehicle of communication but we are much
more constrained in this case by language and by the message
conveyed by the film. It is often difficult to find American
films that do not portray the U.S. or some aspect of our
society/culture in a negative light. In addition, the
offerings in France are so overwhelming and our `value added'
so negligible that we have a hard time attracting distributors
for screenings. We can and do, of course, associate ourselves
with the Deauville American film Festival.
-- Videos can be more useful than films in terms of outreach.
While they have the same language constraints, because they
are provided by the Department their message about the U.S.
has already been determined to be positive. In addition, they
are more practical to use and can be loaned regularly to
schools where English is taught. Like paper shows, they are
most valuable when combined with a speaker program.
-- Theater is a more complicated endeavor, as it generally
involves greater expense and organization. In addition, a
language barrier usually exists, so we risk limiting our
audience to English speakers who are already `US-friendly.'
The returns on investment are much less than for other
programs listed above, though this does not mean that we
should not associate ourselves with the right program when it
comes to our attention.
4. C. What constraints does your Mission face in effectively
utilizing cultural, arts, and sports programs? Are there art
forms, sports or cultural expressions that do not engage
audiences in your country? Are there other constraints that
limit the effectiveness of these kinds of programs in your
country? Do you face internal staffing or funding constraints?
-- Our greatest constraint is `resources,' both in terms of
funding and staffing. Cultural programming in France,
particularly the type that draws large audiences, is extremely
expensive. Post simply does not have the budget that permits
it to organize these programs on a regular basis and still
maintain support for other PD programs such as speakers,
education, civil society and alumni programs, also key
elements of our outreach strategy.
Because France attracts so much interest in and of its own, we
are also faced with competition from outside entities (both
from the private sector and from other government institutions
such as UNESCO, World Monuments Fund, alumni groups, etc.)
which call on us to provide funding and/or staffing in order
to organize events during the year.
Mission France consists of not only Paris but also our two
Consulates General (CGs) and five American Presence Posts
(APPs). These seven satellite posts are very well keyed in to
the needs and interests of the populations in their area and
propose a number of excellent cultural programs. They must
compete with Paris for funding.
The USG budget cycle makes it extremely difficult, if not
impossible, to fund projects taking place in the early fall or
beginning of our fiscal year. We must therefore turn down a
number of projects that take place in that period of the year.
Staffing is also a significant constraint. There are only two
American officers sharing all aspects of programming in the
cultural section and only one Foreign Service National for
Arts & Entertainment (Sports falls within the portfolio of
another FSN who must also meet the responsibilities of an
increasingly demanding education portfolio). In addition to
organizing planned events, staff must respond to numerous
other demands, including invitations to the Ambassador for
sponsorship or participation in external events, review and
requests for grants, drafting of briefing memoranda and
remarks/speeches for front office participation,
representation, translation, and clerical support. The
official French 35 hour workweek also limits us and means that
work handled outside of these normal hours (including the
number of official events taking place in the evening) must be
compensated by comp-time off later on. The APPs and CGs are
also limited in their staffing.
-- Language is a handicap for some of the programs, whether
the language is English or Arabic. French is the common
language for all socio-economic and ethnic groups. Only those
French individuals with special knowledge of the U.S. and/or
thematic interests (foreign policy or American Studies) can
take advantage of English-language programs. Arabic is rarely
used.
-- Direct references to religion in programming (such as
religious Muslim musical groups) are not appealing to French
audiences which are mostly secular (even when they are of Arab
or Muslim extraction). The only religious offerings that have
traditionally appealed to the French have been musical Gospel
groups, though in this case religion is considered to be
collateral to the musical entertainment.
-- Direct references to political or policy messages (as in
some film and video offers) come across as `propaganda' and
undermine our attempts to draw audiences towards us through
cultural events so that groundwork may be laid for a
subsequent substantive discussion. More often than not, they
create a negative backlash.
-- We often decline participation in film or music festivals
due to the presence of one film or artist whose message about
the U.S. or one aspect of our culture or society is negative
(e.g. a film about the death penalty in a two-day film
festival organized by one of Paris' city halls.)
-- France does not rely on our offer for cultural programming
to plan events. Therefore, most cultural institutions and
venues - even those in the provinces - book their programming
a long time in advance and are not always available for our
programs. They have the luxury of picking and choosing so
offers from Washington, which generally arrive months or weeks
prior to the intended performance date, cannot be placed, or
are placed in less than optimum fora. With some rare
exceptions we normally need to work with at least one year of
notice for major events.
-- Offers from Washington that require us to name the U.S.
performer (particularly those musical or dance groups
appealing to younger, more diverse public) can be very
difficult for post to respond to. This is particularly so when
dealing with relatively new artists appealing to younger
crowds (hip-hop, rap, etc.). As with speakers, our knowledge
of who may be willing to travel to France and perform at USG
rates is minimal. In addition, there is the concern of
`message.'
5. D. How have you been able to partner with the private
sector in your country to sponsor cultural/sports events, or
to overcome resource (staff and funding) constraints?
In the past, post has already partnered with other entities
(Franco-American friendship groups, city halls, independent
associations, museums, sports organizations, etc.) as a
relatively simple and inexpensive way to take advantage of an
association with events already underway. This partnership has
taken the form of partial funding for programs via grants and
the patronage or presence of our Ambassador at an event. While
these partnerships are more often than not `minimal' or
`symbolic' in terms of our contributions, they are
nevertheless an important component of our engagement in
France. (In the case of one of the most successful festivals
and points of outreach for Muslim and disadvantaged youth in
France, the Blues-sur-Seine Festival which costs about 750,000
USD to mount, our contribution consisted of 5,000 USD This is
an equivalent amount to what we pay to bring a speaker for
presentations to elite groups.)
We continue this type of collaboration but have also more
recently begun exploring partnerships with the private sector
in order to obtain sufficient funds to organize special events
(other than the Fourth of July events for which private
donations have already been `de rigeur.') The complexity of
regulations and ethical limitations to these collaborations as
well as our relative inexperience in this area make it
necessary for us to proceed with caution. In the case of the
recent Preservation Hall Jazz Band program in France, for
example, post reached out to French subsidiaries of American
companies for funding and obtained promises from two. To date,
these funds have not been made available to us. Nevertheless,
we are convinced that these types of partnerships are the way
of the future and will continue to pursue them. This is an
avenue to not only obtaining necessary funding, but also
creating awareness among private enterprises of the importance
of cultural outreach in enhancing the U.S. image overseas.

Hofmann

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