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December 2007

20/20 Filmmaker Amie Williams answers questions about her film NO SWEAT in Hong Kong.

Visual Arts and Film Programs
AFI Project 20/20 Filmmakers Open Windows for Young Chinese Audiences in Hong Kong and Macao
More than 900 enthusiastic students, film professionals, and members of the general public attended a week-long festival of AFI Project 20/20 films from November 12th to 18th. During screenings at the Hong Kong Arts Center, four universities, one high school, the local American Chamber of Commerce, local and non-local labor associations, American filmmakers Amie Williams and David Boyle, and Rwandan filmmaker J.B.Rutagarama introduced Project 20/20 films. They discussed the shared values the films illustrate with audience members, who praised the films' multi-national dialogue. A teacher who brought 40 high school boys to a screening said, "This is a life-changing experience for the younger generation in this room. You have opened a window for the kids." AFI Project 20/20 is part of the Global Cultural Initiative.

October 2007

Turkish Dancers in New York City

Cultural Visitor Program
Turkish Dancers Learn New Moves
From September 23 – October 7, four modern dancers and two hip-hop dancers from Istanbul, Turkey participated in a cultural exchange in Washington, D.C. and New York, NY. The program was designed to introduce modern dancers to hip-hop and hip-hop dancers to modern styles. Their program included master classes at Dance Place, Strathmore, Trisha Brown Dance Company, and the Jose Limon Dance Company. The modern dancers were introduced to Mark Morris and the Martha Graham techniques. The hip-hop dancers took master classes with hip-hop dance pioneers Kwikstep and Rokafella. The dancers attended a vast array of world-class performances at the 2007 Fall for Dance Festival in New York. They made site visits to the Liz Lerman Dance Company when they were in DC and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company when they were in NYC that included a class about the Laban movement vocabulary. The dancers returned to Istanbul with a wealth of new dance and educational techniques to share with their fellow dancers and students.

Visual Arts & Film Programs
American Roadside Architecture Exhibit Travels to Nepal
After a tour in Hungary, in the next stop on its tour, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' (ECA) American Roadside Architecture exhibition provided Nepalese artists, architects, photographers, intellectuals, museum officials and students with a cultural outlet and inspiration for preserving the architectural history of their own country. The Deputy Chief of Mission of U.S. Embassy in Nepal, Randy W. Berry, opened the ECA organized photographic exhibition with the architectural historian and photographer of the exhibition, John Margolies on September 5th at the recently inaugurated new Embassy building in Kathmandu. After the Deputy Chief of Mission’s introduction, John Margolies addressed the 50 photojournalists in attendance. He presented his photographs and spoke about the historical significance of the photographs, as the unusual “kitsch” architecture he captured disappears from the American landscape. Mr. Margolies also delivered presentations to, and had discussion sessions with, 125 students of architecture at Tribhuvan University and with 50 photojournalists and media personalities in Kathmandu. In addition, during Mr. Margolies’s visits to two major Nepali media organizations, he discussed his photographic work in America with reporters, news editors, photographers and photo-editors. The exhibition was covered in Nepal’s four largest daily newspapers, reaching several hundred thousand readers. The exhibition was on view through September 11, 2007.

September 2007

Crowd gathers at the opening ceremonies of the 2007 10th International Istanbul Biennial

Visual Arts & Film Programs/Biennales
Biennial Opens: Istanbul
Thanks to support from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the United States was officially represented at the 10th International Istanbul Biennial, taking place from September 5 through November 4, 2007. The U.S. was specially honored at the Opening Ceremonies of the Biennial as one of three leading non-Turkish supporters of the exhibition. During the ceremonies award plaques honoring the long standing Turkey-U.S. relationship were presented to Consul General Sharon by the new Turkish Minister of Culture. Three of the Biennial’s U.S. artists - Daniel Faust, Teddy Cruz, and Sam Samore - together with three leading U.S. curators presented workshops to upcoming visual artists and the arts community in Mersin, Turkey. Their visit to Mersin also included a presentation of their work, lectures, panel discussions and a studio visits with local artists and the arts faculty at the University of Mersin, all of which contributed to extending the Biennial’s reach to broader audiences.

Grant Opportunities/Grants Awarded
Quest Brings American Sign Language Theatre to Hong Kong
Hearing impaired students in Hong Kong got the opportunity to experience visual theatre through a cultural arts program called “Quest: Arts for Everyone.” This Maryland based theatre arts organization for people with disabilities worked with its partner organization, the Hong Kong Theatre of Silence, to present popular American songs through a series of performances and workshops in American Sign Language. Four workshops were held at the Lutheran School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Hong Kong. The principal collaborative performance drew an audience of over 400 people to the Hong Kong Cultural Center and received intensive media coverage that included TV and radio interviews, and newsprint articles.

August 2007

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
The Rhythm Road: American Jazz “All Stars” Hit the Road for Blockbuster Tour to Mali, India, and China An all-star group of jazz musicians from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program will present programs in Mali: Bamako (August 18-24), India: Ahmedabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and New Delhi (August 26-Sept 7), and China: Chengdu and Guangzhou (Sept 7- 13). Alvin Atkinson, drums, Charlie Porter, trumpet, Ari Roland, bass, and Eli Yamin, piano will give public concerts, master classes, lecture-recitals, workshops, jam sessions and media interviews. The program, produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is designed to foster cultural exchange with audiences throughout the world.

Members of In The Continuum, on stage in Grahamstown, South Africa.

Performing Arts Initiative
With support of an Educational and Cultural Affairs Performing Arts Initiative award, In the Continuum, an African-American off-Broadway show about two women dealing with the harsh reality of HIV/AIDS,was presented to several thousand South Africans during a four-week program from July 5 - August 10, 2007. The show opened with five performances at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, starting July 5. The play was also seen by hundreds of high school students at the Education and Arts Festival the following week. The play then traveled throughout South Africa for a wide range of audiences and workshops with drama students and NGO organizations dealing with HIV/AIDS. According to U.S. Embassy Pretoria, the play put deeply moving stories about the impact of HIV/AIDS in front of audiences in a way that another lecture, another study, or another news story simply cannot do.

Jumping with joy and reaching for the beat of the Los Angeles band Ozomatli, young men cram the stage front in Alexandria.

Performing Arts Initiative
From the Mosh pit to Moonlit al-Azhar Park, Grammy-winning “Ozomatli” rocks Amman, Alexandria and Cairo. LA’s hottest Latin-hip hop-fusion-rock band, “Ozomatli”, just wrapped up a phenomenal tour of Egypt and Jordan. Outside under a gleaming moon, Ozomatli combined their hits with Middle Eastern improvisations and a few Arabic phrases to get street kids prancing in a conga line at a popular park. Band members leapt from the stage flanked by dramatic columns at Jerash to blast a trombone among the grinning young men in the “mosh pit” of an all ages show. The ethnic mix and joyous noise of Ozomatli, their mix of hip hop and local tunes, call and response in eclectic, electric fusion, struck an obvious chord with the youth of Egypt and Jordan. Press and TV coverage of the tour has blanketed the region and reached the LA Times.

Funded with a combination of Department funds from Under Secretary Hughes, the regional bureau, U.S. Embassies in Egypt and Jordan, and a “Performing Arts Initiative” grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, this whirlwind summer tour of Middle East came on the heels of Ozomatli’s smash tour of India and Nepal earlier this year, also supported by the Department of State.

July 2007

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
Ari Roland Duo Returns for Exuberant Turkmen-American Program. The musicians returned to Turkmenistan in July after their April concerts and were greeted by enthusiastic crowds and cooperative local government officials. With performances in various cities throughout the country, the duo combined traditional Turkmen musical traditions with American jazz styles to the delight and surprise of local audiences. The Ari Roland duo worked cohesively with local musicians and helped promote cultural understanding and good will throughout the country. Their performances helped lay to rest the Government’s notion that Turkmens do not understand jazz—an assertion made at the April concerts. The concerts received favorable TV coverage.

The Big Hillibilly Bluegrass Band performing.

Big Hillbilly Bluegrass Band wows ‘em in Europe

As part of ECA’s Performing Arts Initiative, The Big Hillbilly Bluegrass Band traveled to Tajikistan for a performance on June 18th, 2007 at the American Corner in Dushanbe. The band was the first to perform live at the American Corner. The Band continued on to perform at the Dushanbe International Music Festival and in the cities of Kulob and Kurgen-Tepe. To complete the experience, the group conducted master classes for music conservatory students in all three cities.

U.S. Mission to UNESCO Legal Adviser, Michael Peay, performs with The Alvin Queen Quartet

ECA Starts UNESCO Meeting on the Right Note
The U.S. Mission to UNESCO in Paris hosted a jazz concert with the American group, the Alvin Queen Quartet, on the eve of the UNESCO Executive Board Meeting. The Quartet embodied American cultural diversity, artistic leadership, generosity and initiative during a period of difficult political relations within UNESCO. The Mission’s Legal Adviser and Ambassador co-emceed the soirée, and played one jazz number with the Quartet. This event proved to be a golden opportunity to showcase U.S. culture, humanity, and creativity at UNESCO.

The concert was praised by the Polish and Iraqi Ambassadors as “a gift.” Senior UNESCO officials confided that the event was well timed, providing a positive counterpoint to the difficult atmosphere in the organization. All this translated into instant goodwill and a lingering positive buzz about the concert that reverberated, not only through the two weeks of the Executive Board Meeting, but for many weeks thereafter. This event was made possible through the support of ECA’s Performing Arts Initiative. The Mission also partnered with the Smithsonian Institute for materials promoting April as Jazz Appreciation Month.

June 2007

Opus Akoben performing in China.

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
Hip-Hop music group in China. Opus Akoben performed in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia as well as Beijing, Wuhan, Chengdu and Xiamen in China. Thousands of students at Xiamen University stamped their feet and clapped their hands to the hip-hop beats. Despite initial reluctance of University officials to host the performance, the students persuaded the administration to proceed with the show. The University was expecting 2,000 students, but the audience swelled to 3,000 spectators. The group’s lead singers invited the students to join in a call and response song. When the show was over, the students cheered for an encore.

Breakdance groups in Denmark

Cultural Representatives/Cultural Envoys
Cultural Envoys Take Denmark by Storm
Issac Barron, a member of Houston’s HaviKoro hip-hop and break-dance group, and Rosie Bichon, an accomplished hip-hop dance instructor of UrgeWorks, proved to be a dancing phenomenon in the multi-ethnic neighborhoods of Denmark’s three largest cities. From May 21 – June 10, the couple conducted hip-hop and break-dancing workshops for minority youth dance instructors and assistants (ages 14-21) in Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense. Barron and Bichon’s easygoing style successfully drew in youth from various backgrounds for the activities and discussions. For each workshop, Barron and Bichon developed choreography for the dancers to use in an upcoming public performance. The three week program ended with the GAM3 Urban Street Basketball Challenge, a sports diplomacy initiative designed to reach ethnic minority youth. Star players included NBA player Jamal Sampson of the Denver Nuggets and WNBA player Andrea Stinson of the Charlotte Sting. This festival provided an atmosphere where kids could play basketball, learn dance moves, eat healthy foods, and listen to music. The Cultural Envoys received positive media coverage in both local and national newspapers and TV interviews. A May 31 headline on the workshops was entitled, “Hip-hop is on the Curriculum.” By programming with several Danish dance organizations, ECA and U.S. Embassy Copenhagen’s activities drew in more than ten thousand youth.

Visual Arts & Film Programs/Biennales
U.S. Artists Participate in Documenta 12 in Kassel, Germany. Documenta, the major international arts exhibition held every five years in Kassel, Germany, inaugurated its 12th edition in June, with over 15 artists and performers representing the U.S. The U.S. projects include painting, photography, sculptural installations, dance performances, and public art projects arrayed throughout the five sites of the exhibition in and around the city. In all, 113 artists from all parts of the globe are represented, with over 500 art works. Documenta includes a separate film program featuring independent and feature films and documentaries. Ninety-four filmmakers are represented in the film program, 35 from the U.S. The President of the German Federal Republic, Horst Köhler, presided at opening ceremonies for the exhibition, which will remain on view for 100 days.

Cultural Representatives/Cultural Envoys
Cultural Envoy Dana Tai Soon Burgess in Cairo
Cultural Envoy Dana Tai Soon Burgess and three members of his company bounded onto the Cairo stage and into the hearts of all they encountered in a two-week tour of Egypt's two largest cities, Cairo and Alexandria. After concluding an exhaustive program in Alexandria, Dana and his troupe returned to Cairo to do a similar series of modern dance workshops, presentations, and performances with over 120 dancers, fitness instructors, actors, and dance enthusiasts. Mr. Burgess overcame cultural and language barriers with the common language of movement. Dana and members of his company befriended their audiences with ease at such venues as the popular Samia Allouba Gym, Dance and Fitness Center, the Ministry of Culture's "Actors’ Studio," and the Opera House Creativity Center. Dana and his dancers conducted two public programs at the Ministry of Culture's "Creativity Center," where Dana began with a lecture on the history and development of American modern dance, surprising his audience with the fact that the most innovative early modern dancers gained inspiration from ancient Egyptian art forms and cultural traditions. He also shared traditions and training styles with the renowned "Reda National Folk Dance Troop.” The program concluded with four different dance shorts choreographed by Dana and culminating in a spectacular performance presented by two Egyptian dancers using stylistic techniques just learned from the workshops.

Skip Blumberg and Roma break dancers in Montenegro

Grant Opportunities/Grants Awarded
Event: "My Hero" Workshop in Montenegro
Skip Blumberg of Sesame Street fame and Tony Mendoza of Hollywood renown worked with and trained 12 Montenegrin students at the American Corner in Podgorica, Montenegro in video production and digital arts storytelling techniques as part of the 2006 ECA grant to the My Story Project. As part of the program, the Montenegrin students produced short video clips about their heroes. One video focused on the heroes of children, another involved street interviews with people about their heroes, and one looked at a group of six Roma break dancers, who are seen as heroes by members of their minority community. The Cultural Center hosted a screening of these short videos on June 5, 2007. Other than the press, none of the audience members had ever been to an Embassy event; all were wildly enthusiastic about this effort to connect Montenegro to the world. Thanks to a generous donation by the program of both a camera and computer to the American Corner, this project will continue to thrive and provide the opportunity for other members of the community to express themselves through video. The short videos will be posted on the following website: www.myhero.com

May 2007

AFI 20/20 film directors Norman Maake (center) and Jay Craven (right) with South African radio personality Barry Rogne (left).

Special Initiatives
AFI Project 20/20 Filmmakers Engage Young South Africans with Message of Cultural Understanding through Film. AFI Project 20/20, part of the Global Cultural Initiative (GCI), sent four American and international filmmakers to three South African cities where they showed films that touched and moved people in ways often deeply personal. Visiting South Africa were AFI 20/20 filmmakers Jay Craven and Chad Lowe of the U.S. with their films “Disappearances” and “Beautiful Ohio” and Jean Paul Rutagarama of Rwanda with his film “Back Home.” They were joined by South African 20/20 participant Norman Maake with his film “Coming Home” and AFIFEST senior festival programmer Shaz Bennett.

In Pretoria, Johannesburg, Capetown, and in the northern part of South Africa, the filmmakers screened their films, discussed the shared values the films illustrate, and held workshops on perception and cross-cultural understanding. They also met with South African film industry representatives and the media. The highlights included the filmmakers half-hour appearance on South Africa’s most listened to arts and entertainment review, Barry Rogne’s popular Sunday radio talk show. While all the films struck a chord with South Africans, local audiences were especially moved by Maake’s story of the return to the new democratic South Africa of former anti-apartheid fighters and Rutagarama’s personal account of the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath on his family and country. South Africa's Afrikaans language newspaper Die Burger published a lengthy interview with Rutagarama speaking out against the violence in Sudan.

Grant Opportunities/Grants 2004-2005
U.S.-Syrian Cultural Collaboration. Brigham Young University and the Textile Museum in Washington, DC are working this spring on a program to train the staff at Dam Azem Palace in Damascus in textile restoration. This program will last from May 15 through June 19, 2007. By the end of the program, an ECA-funded textile specialist will take on issues of conservation with the staff. Damascus has been selected to be the International Islamic Cultural Center of the World in 2008.

Grant Opportunities/Grants Awarded
American Writers and Palestinians Exchange Literary Ideas. Six American writers shared insights of life experiences with Palestinian students and the general public in Ramallah and Jerusalem from May 5-11, 2007. This program is part of ECA's Middle East Reading Tour of American writers from the International Writing Program (IWP) at the University of Iowa, and featured American writers speaking with Palestinian audiences. The program began with a reading of their works to approximately 45 American and English Literature students at Birzeit University. This event was followed by a discussion with faculty at the university’s Languages and Literature Department, including the coordinator of the Consulate-sponsored American Studies program. At a lunch with Palestinian writers, including Palestinian alumni of IWP, the group compared life experiences and shared their writing and poetry. Later, in a visit to the Burj Al-Laq Laq Youth Center in Jerusalem’s Old City, the writers spoke with staff and disadvantaged youth about the Center’s efforts to combat despair, violence, and drug abuse with peaceful self-expression and conflict resolution.

Ari Roland Quartet with Tajik Musicians

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
American Jazz Plays in Tajikistan. As part of ECA's Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program, the first-ever jazz group from the United States, the Ari Roland Quartet, visited Tajikistan. The performance at the American Corner was a unique event in the sense that the two cultures got together and shared their music, mixing western and eastern melodies. Performing several culturally-mixed compositions at the Opera and Ballet house, the Ari Roland Quartet amazed the Tajik audience with their performance. The U.S. Embassy described the musicians as eloquent cultural ambassadors, speaking on a variety of interesting topics about the United States. Lengthy and productive discussions between the musicians and young students covered the world of music, musicians, Hollywood actors and actresses in the United States as well as politics, history, and education.

April 2007

Mermaids” Wendy and Peter play with the moon over Neverland before hanging it in the sky for the night

Cultural Representatives/Cultural Envoys
American Director Olinger’s “Neverland” Reaches Many Young Hearts in Moscow. Cultural Envoy theater director and playwright Robert Olinger premiered his play “Neverland,” which is based loosely on “Peter Pan,” at the Moscow Theater for Young Audiences (TYUZ) in April, with a full house and extensive TV and radio coverage. Olinger, who speaks Russian, returned to Moscow for dress rehearsals and the first four performances of “Neverland.” Post-performances brought Olinger on stage to discuss the play and its characters with local youth. This successful large-scale production will become part of the Theater’s repertory and has possibilities of running for at least another ten years. Olinger’s stay in Moscow was made possible in part through ECA support, which was acknowledged in many print materials and by Olinger himself in several interviews on three of the most watched Russian channels nationwide.

Dancers at the Terazije Musical Theater in Belgrade

Cultural Representatives/Cultural Envoys
Follow-on Program for Broadway Choreographer. Following his first ECA/PAS supported visit in September 2006, Chet Walker, a Broadway jazz dance/musical theater director and choreographer returned to Belgrade April 29 - May 5, 2007. Mr. Walker conducted a week-long jazz and musical dance workshop at the Terazije Musical Theater for a group of 30 professional dancers. All major Belgrade-based print and electronic media carried extensive reports on Walker's program. The dancers had an opportunity to audition for a scholarship to internationally acclaimed Jacob's Pillow summer program in Becket, Massachusetts. Mr. Walker selected two dancers who will attend the very competitive three-week program and obtain invaluable knowledge and skills in dancing, acting, singing and other performing techniques. U.S. PAS Belgrade is providing the dancers with scholarship fees, while the Terazije Theater will cover their airfares. Based on the great success of Walker's two visits to Belgrade, the Terazije Theater Director offered Walker a contract under which he will return to Belgrade to hold a series of dance workshops and direct an American musical at the theater.

Cultural Envoy Janice Harrington and pianist Rick Cotton perform as part of post-sponsored tour for Jazz Appreciation Month

Cultural Representatives/Cultural Envoys
Gospel Singer in Romania. Cultural Envoy, gospel/jazz/blues singer, Janice Harrington completed a highly successful program of performances, workshops and a series of master classes throughout Romania, from April 16-27, 2007. The program included interactions with students and music aficionados from the cities of Constanta, Sibiu, Cluj, Timisoara and Bucharest. During the program opening in Constanta, Ms. Harrington presented a variety of singing styles, from gospel, through jazz, scat to hip-hop to an enthusiastic group of students. At her performance in Sibiu, Ms. Harrington explained the roots and history of the music, and its importance to the African-American community. As a result, students in the audience were inspired to create their very own gospel choir. In Cluj, Ms. Harrington performed at the historic hall of the Opera Theatre. In Timisoara, she presented a workshop as part of the International Student Festival which was organized by the Romanian Students' Association. The workshop, which was entitled Authentic American Music and based on chants from Africa, illustrated the hardships suffered by the African people as they were forced to endure years of hard labor on plantations in America. The final part of Ms. Harrington's Cultural Envoy program took place in Bucharest and involved two master classes at local music high schools. As a result, students in Bucharest were exposed for the first time to an interactive method of teaching music and music history.

Grant Opportunities/Grants Awarded
American Writers Welcomed In Syria: During April 29- May 2, 2007, a delegation of four American writers held well-received literary sessions at the Aleppo University and Damascus University including a four hour dialogue with students and local writers who were very excited to meet the American writers. The program consisted of lectures and readings, by American writers: Daniel Alarcon, Jane Hirshfield, Olena Kalytiak Davis and Tony Eprile. They also had a discussion with the Syrian Minister of Education who offered ideas about how to expand the exchange program. This program in Syria is part of the Middle East Reading program of the International Writers Workshop, which is the reciprocal component of the annual International Writers' Program, at the University of Iowa, sponsored by ECA.

Cover of the Fran Siegel Companion

Visual Arts & Film Programs/Biennales

Fran Siegel
Companion

Official U.S. Representative to the IX Cuenca International Biennial April 25 - June 6, 2007

Los Angeles-based artist Fran Siegel will represent the U.S. at the IX Cuenca International Biennial, opening April 25 in Cuenca, Ecuador. Ms. Siegel's exhibition, Companion, is composed of three distinct projects placed in different locations in and around the old city of Cuenca. The first two, Redistribution and Between, are installations made especially for Iglesia el Sagrario, known as the Catedral Vieja - one of the earliest structures built in the city of Cuenca, now celebrating its 450th Anniversary. The third component of the exhibition, Lookout, will be installed in the Plazoleta de la Cruz del Vado, a small public park poised at the periphery of Old Cuenca on a bluff above the Tomebamba River.

Ms. Siegel's project has been organized by Kristina Newhouse, Assistant Curator at the Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, California, and is sponsored by Angles Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro, California. Ms. Newhouse's proposal was selected from those received in response to an open call to all U.S. curators of contemporary American Art by the Federal Advisory Committee on International Exhibitions. Members of the committee are leading curators and directors of American museums and non-profit art centers.

Ari Roland jazz quartet at a meeting with Vice Mayor of Novorossiysk

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
Ari Roland Quartet Tours Russia as Part of the State Department Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad Program. The Ari Roland jazz quartet shared its music with about 2,000 Russians and evoked positive feelings towards America and Americans with local government officials, program organizers, students and general audiences. The Ari Roland quartet brought American traditional jazz to three southern Russian cities April 9-16. In addition to public performances, the quartet gave a master class in the Krasnodar Music Conservatory and played in a local jazz club.

Special Initiatives
Middle Eastern and North African Curators Exchange Program. Five North Africa and Middle Eastern curators presented an overview of the contemporary art scene in their countries to twenty curators from major cultural institutions in Washington. Half-day presentations and informal discussions followed the presentations. Deputy Assistant Secretary Alina L. Romanowski welcomed the guests to the event, which was hosted by the Hirshhorn’s Department of Public Programs. The program featured presentations by Bassam El Baroni of the Alexandria Contemporary Arts Forum in Egypt, Abdellah Karroum of L'appartement 22 in Morocco, Nadira Laggoune of the Ecole Supérieure des Beaux-Arts of Algeria, Laura Srouji of Darat al Funun in Jordan, and Rachida Triki of the University of Tunisia. The presentation also included Power Points of work by Aakram Zaatari of Lebanon, co-founder of the Arab Image Foundation.

Visual Arts & Film Programs/Biennales
Opening of the Sharjah Biennale. On April 4, 2007, Consul General Paul Sutphin attended the opening of the Sharjah Biennale. The biennale includes exhibitions, outdoor installations, performances and a symposium. The theme of the biennale focuses on art as a way of creating a better understanding about our relationship with nature and the environment, while considering its social, political and cultural dimensions in an interdisciplinary way. The exhibition included sculptures and installations that are on display at the new exhibition complex in Sharjah. The Consul General also attended the openings of the biennale at the Sharjah Art Museum and in the Heritage area, as well as a gala dinner. His Highness Sheikh Sultan toured several of the American exhibits and personally presented a commemorative plate to each sponsor at the gala.

Special Initiatives
Jasper Johns Virtual Exhibition Comes to Havana. On April 2, the U.S. Mission in Havana hosted approximately 100 Cuban artists, curators, art critics and students, as well as several members of the diplomatic community, at an ECA organized "virtual tour" of the Jasper Johns exhibition currently on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington (Jasper Johns: An Allegory of Painting, 1955-65). The virtual tour was followed by an hour-long DVC, also organized by ECA with Dr. Jeffrey Weiss, the exhibition's curator and Director of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Gallery. The event's guest list reflected the growing diversity of Cuban artists. The fact that the attendees for the Jasper Johns' event cut across generations reveals the depth of appreciation in Cuba for this American master. This was further evident during the exchange with National Gallery curator Jeffrey Weiss. A number of Cuban artists, told Dr. Weiss about the impact that Johns had had on their own work. Some of the younger members of the audience expressed to Dr. Weiss their strong desire to learn more about Johns and his influence on abstract art.

March 2007

Performing Arts/Performing Arts Initiative
Cultural Outreach: Moroccan Youth Enjoy the Music of Kantara. Over 1800 Moroccan youth and music aficionados attended a program by the Arab-Appalachian fusion music group, Kantara. This program took place from March 3 to 9, 2007, and presented a unique blend of Arab and American music that demonstrated a concrete example of American respect for Arab culture to audiences that do not often experience American arts. The program consisted of two performances that were held in the cities of Rabat and Casablanca. The program in Casablanca included outreach to inner city youth who do not often have the opportunity to attend cultural events. The events covered by media outlets included an interview and a live performance, both presented on a popular Moroccan radio station, and a press interview that was published in an Arabic-daily newspaper that reaches over 75,000 Moroccans. The program was funded in part through ECA's 2007 Performing Arts Initiative program.

Charlie Porter works with music students in master class at Ballanta Music Academy in Sierra Leone

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
Charlie Porter Quartet Brings Jazz to Sierra Leone. The Charlie Porter Jazz Quartet performed for Sierra Leonean music students and music aficionados through two concerts and three master classes from March 23-27, 2007. In addition to master classes, the group also presented two concerts, one in the Embassy atrium and one at a local university. The program not only opened minds to an integral part of American culture, but increased understanding about America’s history and the importance of music in social transformation. As the country steps towards elections in July 2007, local musicians are using the medium to speak out.

Filmmaker Julie Stevens ® during live interview on "Good Morning" Kuwait

Special Initiatives
AFI Project 20/20 Filmmaker and Films Highlight U.S. Independent Film Festival in Kuwait. Director and actress Julie Stevens and her film "Life After Tomorrow" launched a festival of U.S. independent films focusing on cultural identity, rites of passage, the power of young people to inspire and entertain. Stevens was interviewed March 11 on the popular Kuwaiti talk show "Good Morning Kuwait, " and she and the festival received widespread coverage in the Kuwaiti press. The festival, organized by the U.S. Embassy, also featured the documentary "Paper Clips" and filmmaker Joe Fab along with Julie Stevens and five films in the AFI Project 20/20 filmmaker exchange program.

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
American Jazz in Nigeria Brings in Youth Audience. As part of the ECA Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program, the Charlie Porter Quartet blended American jazz with Nigerian local music in Abuja from March 3-7, 2007. The programs featured two separate jazz training sessions and master classes for over 150 local young musicians and students interested in learning more about jazz. The program also included two spectacular performances at the Ambassador's residence for government and local contacts, respectively. The program culminated in the improvisation of a new jazz tune, which was a blend of American jazz with local tunes and rhythm.

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
Exceptional Jazz in Togo. As part of the Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program, The Charlie Porter Quartet played two workshops, two live concerts, and during a radio interview for Togolese audiences. The first workshop was for students, and the second was a musical exchange between the quartet and Togolese musicians hosted by the Public Affairs Officer. Many private and public print media outlets published articles on the program. A local FM radio station hosted the group for a live interview on jazz music.

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
Adam Klipple and Drive-By Leslie Reach Out to Philippine Youth. Adam Klipple and Drive-by Leslie, a jazz-funk fusion group of the ECA Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program, played concerts to enthusiastic crowds at two of the most popular malls in Manila, The Philippines. The concerts were well-promoted, thanks to the group’s appearances on several popular TV and radio programs to plug their shows, attracting Manila’s jazz lovers. The quartet also jammed with Filipino jazz luminaries at a performance with the Philippine Jazz Society musicians. While the band’s complex rhythms and wide repertoire wowed their live audiences, virtuoso keyboardist Klipple and crew delivered even more strongly during master-class seminars they conducted for music students at the University of Santo Tomas and the University of the Philippines. Showing an innate grasp of how to make music theory attractive, the group fashioned interactive rhythmic exercises for students using the names of local dishes in the national language, Tagalog. The goodwill created by the concerts was immense, with numerous audience members eagerly requesting more “American music.”

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
Charlie Porter Quartet Opens Doors in Cote D'Ivoire: Can a small band of American musicians make a difference, a positive contribution to our bilateral relationship with Cote d’Ivoire? If the Charlie Porter Quartet is a case in point, then the answer is a resounding “Yes!” Charlie Porter, Adam Birnbaum, Joseph Lepore, and Quincy Davis proved themselves extraordinary American musical ambassadors and cross-cultural exchange adventurers, through the ECA Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program. They impressed sophisticated Ivorian audiences during a whirlwind two day/two night program in Abidjan March 20-21. They delivered two superb evening performances, an outstanding workshop demonstration of musical styles and instrument techniques at the National Conservatory, and stayed up late jamming at popular jazz clubs. “Open, interested, engaging and outgoing” is how many described their impressions of the Quartet; admiration for their musical talent and stage presence was universal.

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
Jazz Group Performs on Saudi College Campus: During March 8th-12th, 2007, Alvin Atkinson and the Sound Merchants brought their smooth Jazz sounds to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia via the ECA Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program. The first event was a two-concert performance and music workshop for 650 K-12 students at the American International School of Jeddah. The second event was a concert for over 120 Saudi guests held as part of U.S. Consulate General, Jeddah's National Day Celebration. The third and final event was an outdoor concert at the College of Business Administration (CBA) in Jeddah that featured a Sound Merchants solo-set and then a combined-set with the traditional Saudi band Abu Siraj. This musical exchange, witnessed and actively participated in by over 150 male Saudi youths, marked one of the most exciting and strategically aligned cultural extravaganzas in U.S. Consulate Jeddah's recent history. The crowd of college students roared its approval as the bands began to jam together. When asked his impression of the Sound Merchants, Abu Siraj Orchestra frontman, Abu Siraj, stated that he was "surprised by the immediate chemistry the two bands showed and was delighted with the Merchants' good spirit."

Charlie Porter Jazz Quartet and school children in Enugu, Eastern Nigeria.

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
The Charlie Porter Quartet Impress Nigerians South of the Niger. As part of the ECA Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad, The Charlie Porter Quarter thrilled audiences from music students, musicians, young students, and the general public through workshops and three concerts from February 27 to March 2 in Nigeria. The musicians' visit included impromptu jam sessions with Nigerian musicians, a visit to a school in Enugu, and the three evening concerts which provided memorable evenings of American culture. The visit of the Charlie Porter Quartet highlighted the importance of jazz as a genre of American music, and was very useful in reaching out to high profile contacts, professionals, and youths. The workshops and school visit proved to be highly educational and useful tools in sharing the value of American music and society.

Florence Consul General Nora Dempsey and Kantara at the concert in the Sala del Tricolore, Reggio Emilia.

Performing Arts/Performing Arts Initiative
Kantara Builds "Bridges" in Italy. As part of the 2007 ECA Performing Arts Initiative, the Tunisian-American folk band Kantara has successfully completed the first stage of a three-country tour. The group, led by the well-known Tunisian composer Riadh Fehri and American diplomat and composer Brennan Gilmore, performed in Florence, Reggio Emilia and in Milan. The mixed audiences included well over one thousand national and regional political and economic leaders, Imams, Catholic clergy, youths, and members of the local Muslim communities. The events in Reggio Emilia, where the local Muslim community is integrated only in the workplace, were particularly noteworthy in that they were performed in two historic places: the "Tricolore" Auditorium - located inside city hall - and the opera house, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. At the opera house, Kantara performed before several hundred youths and local authorities gathered to participate in an Italian Ministry of Interior pro-legality initiative in the presence of the Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, Pierluigi Castagnetti. In Milan, the enthusiastic audience of over 300 people reacted with standing ovations three times to this unique musical group. The concerts were covered by several Italian media outlets including Arabic language newsprint.

Director of the National Institute of Arts proudly displays a guitar presented by the U.S. Ambassador to Mali, H.E. Terence McCulley

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
The Gift of Music Diplomacy. On February 22, 2007, in the presence of representatives of the Ministry of Culture, the US Ambassador to Mali, Terence McCulley, presented twenty acoustic guitars to the music section of the National Institute of Arts in Mali. The donation of these guitars was a follow on to the October 2006 visit of American jazz musicians Steven Bloom and Miriam Sullivan that was part of ECA's Rhythm Road-American Music Abroad program. Along with the guitars, the Institute received a book/CD for beginning students, 40 sets of strings, 20 Tuner/Metronomes, and guitar picks. In his comments to the students and faculty of the Institute, Ambassador McCulley stated, "I have noticed with joy that Americans who visit Mali always leave with a bit of Malian music in their heart and in their soul. As a result, even after they leave, many Americans undertake initiatives to give back to the Malian society that they love. Such was the case of Steve, who upon returning to the United States, worked diligently to find a way to purchase and send 20 guitars to the INA as a lasting symbol of his friendship, admiration, and support for the students in the music department."

Ozomatli on Stage in Nepal at the Open Theatre of Ratna Park

Performing Arts/Performing Arts Initiative
Ozomatli promotes "Unity in Diversity" message to Indian and Nepali Youth. As part of the kick off for ECA's 2007 Performing Arts Initiative, Ozomatli, the Grammy-winning 9-member Latin hip-hop band from Los Angeles, journeyed to India and Nepal. The group drew a crowd of 12,000 young Nepalis to the Open Theater of Ratna Park, visited an orphanage where they played music for the children, conducted a jam session with Nepali musicians at the Nepal Music Center, and participated in a roundtable discussion for student leaders on "Constructive Ways to Make Your Voice Heard." In New Delhi, on February 13th, the polite, soft-spoken young musicians turned a crowd of over 900 young Indians into a huge dance party. Their presentation was covered by six TV stations, one of which broadcasted a segment of live performance.

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
"Landmarks of New York" photo exhibition opens in Harar. The ECA sponsored "Landmarks of New York" photo exhibition opened at Amir Abdullahi Hall of Harar in Region of Harar, Ethiopia on January 24, 2007. Over 175 people attended the opening event including the Vice President of the Region, Ato Regassa Kefela, and Head of the Bureau of Culture, Ato Zeydan Bedri. The opening was widely-covered in the local and national media. Cultural Affairs Specialist, Yohannes Birhanu discussed the four projects which the U.S. Embassy has assisted through the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
Jazz in Turkey. As part of the ECA Rhythm Road - American Music Abroad program, administered by Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Duende Jazz Quartet, a Latin jazz group, visited Adana, Kocaeli and Istanbul from February 5-11, 2007. The group traveled to Adana, Istanbul, and Kocaeli. The Public Affairs Officer used the program to tell the Turkish audiences about Black History Month, and the contribution of African Americans to the development of jazz in the US.

February 2007

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
Duende Quartet Brings the Sound of Jazz to Turkey: As part of the ECA program Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad, the Duende jazz quartet, visited Adana, Kocaeli, and Istanbul February 5-11, 2007. In Adana, the group performed at Cukurova University and conducted a master class for students of the conservatory. In Istanbul, the group performed live on a TV talk show, jammed at a local jazz club, and did a performance and conducted a master class at Yildiz Technical University. The group also traveled to Kocaeli for a public concert. This program helped the U.S. Embassy to deepen Turkish awareness of the mosaic of American cultural diversity. The master class at the Cukurova University conservatory was attended by an enthusiastic group of students who were putting together their own jazz group. The class eventually turned into an elaborate jam session, complete with student-supplied trumpet, trombone and piano accompaniment.

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
"Timeless Voices of America" brings hip-hop and R&B to south India. From January 23-31, 2007, the Timeless Voices of America (TVOA) rapped and hip-hopped their way through Hyderabad and Chennai, India, as part of ECA's 2007 Rhythm Road- American Music Abroad program. The group explained to their fans that hip-hop "is about attitude, live performance and spontaneity." One of the highlights of the TVOA visit was meeting with South Indian music director Yuvan Shankar Raja who played tracks from his upcoming films. They also had the opportunity to meet with classical Indian musician and ghatam maestro, Subhash Chandran and kanjira maestro Ganesh Kumar, and heard samples of Indo-Western and jazz fusion music. TVOA helped popularize hip-hop and R & B in South India, especially among the youth. The TVOA events received considerable press coverage that reachable roughly 500,000 people via television and newsprint.

Performing Arts/Performing Arts Initiative
ECA Performing Art Initiative in dance draws over 2,000 people in Kolkata. Margaret Jenkins Dance Company performed "A Slipping Glimpse" sponsored by the U.S. Consulate in Kolkata and the American Chamber of Commerce and in collaboration with dancers from the Tanusree Shankar's Dance Group in Kolkata.

Performing Arts/Performing Arts Initiative
Gina Loring Hip Hop/Poetry Trio charms Kuwaiti audiences. As part of ECA's Performing Arts Initiative, The Gina Loring Trio discussed their musical style of hip-hop, jazz, and blues music to the Kuwaiti public on February 6 - 7, 2007. Gina Loring, a renowned spoken-word poet recited a poem for the live audience, and another member of the band performed beat box music to the delight of the hosts by mimicking the sound of drums and record spinning using only his vocal sounds. The Embassy received a number of calls about the performance following the group's appearance on "Good Morning Kuwait." In addition, the group led two workshops on Hip Hop culture and music while performing spoken word poetry. The trio, including a local vocalist/poet, vocal percussionist, and pianist, dazzled Kuwaiti audiences with their musical style and articulation of Hip Hop culture and history. The group performed samples of their work for student workshops and led discussions on the writing process and performance poetry with Kuwait writers and poets.

Munger Middle School students learn about photography.

Grant Opportunities
Arabic photography exchange program. ECA 2006 Open Competition grantee, the Arab American National Museum (AANM) is working in partnership with their Jordanian counterpart organization the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) on a photography exchange project between Arab-American and Jordanian youth. Two staff members of JOHUD made a recent site visit to the Arab National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. This visit consisted of the coordination of program planning strategies, recruitment, implementation and web sharing between both organizations. Members of JOHUD, while in Dearborn, were able to attend a photography session at the Munger Middle School in Detroit, which gave them new insights into implementing their program. The visit ended with a discussion with AANM staff on overcoming program obstacles.

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
Cultures of Rhythm closes Latin America tour with five Dominican Republic performances.
As part of the ECA Rhythm Road - American Music Abroad program, Cultures of Rhythm jazz quartet visited the Dominican Republic. During their visit, Dominican jazz fans flocked to five performances in four cities, Feb. 2-8, including university campuses in Santiago, Puerto Plata, San Pedro de Macoris, as well as the capital. Events included an invitation performance hosted by the Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission, and two workshops where local musicians jammed with the American musicians.

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
"Rhythm Road:American Music Abroad" in Africa, mixing Hip Hop into Tanzania's music scene. The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi hosted an American Hip Hop Band, Afar, as part of ECA's Rhythm Road:American Music Abroad Program. The Afar Band gave a live performance and conducted workshops with local musicians and university students. Participants asked many questions and the Afar musicians were able to share their experience on how the music industry is organized in the U.S. AFAR band members were interviewed on national television for an interview that will be aired on a TV program called "Focus on Tanzania."

Visual & Film Programs/Biennales
Being first to arrive has its rewards. ECA 's international exhibition program supports the participation of noted U.S. artist, Fran Siegel, and curator Kristina Newhouse of the Torrance Museum, to be the official U.S. representatives at the 2007 Cuenca Biennal, (an international contemporary art exhibition in Ecuador). Ms. Seigel and Ms. Newhouse were the first delegation to arrive for a site visit in Cuenca, and as a result, Rene Cardoso, the Bienal Director arranged a special interview with the cultural reporter of the main newspaper of Cuenca, El Mercurio. The Cuenca Bienal will take place beginning April 11, 2007 and will be on view until June 8, 2007.

The website of the Cuenca Bienal:
www.bienaldecuenca.org

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
American music abroad: two "Rhythm Road" bands preview in DC. The Sound Merchants and the Duende Quartet performed last Friday at National Geographic Headquarters, highlighting several traditions of American jazz. Each performance incorporated various sounds of world cultures ranging from Cuban jazz, to African chants. The musicians improvised well-known classics from artists such as John Coltrane and Led Zeppelin. The Duende Quartet will soon travel under "Rhythm Road" to Bosnia, Cyprus, Turkey, and Albania, and the Sound Merchants will be visiting the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, the West Bank, and Israel.

Ambassador Hooks with Exhibit Organizers

Cultural Representatives/Cultural Envoy
ECA Cultural Envoy-inspired artisan NGO mounts embassy exhibition in Abidjan. U.S. Embassy Abidjan worked hand-in-hand with the recently established Federation of Artists and Artisans of Cote d'Ivoire (FEDARTCI) to put together a vibrant, diverse exhibition of oil paintings, metal sculptures, hand-woven cloth, jewelry, wooden masks, and ceramics. Opened by Ambassador Hooks on February 8 in the Atrium of the NEC, performances of both traditional and contemporary Ivorian music added to the evening's glamour and fun. With the Mission's encouragement, in the space of five months they have created FEDARTCI, built a website, and organized an exhibition. Post believes this experience will act as a "resume builder" as they pursue their stated goal of trade-show attendance in the United States. Press coverage of the event was excellent, with the Ambassador and exhibit organizers interviewed by reporters from the electronic and print media.

January 2007

Cultural Representatives/Cultural Envoy
New York and Ugandan dancers united in performance. Twelve graduate students from New York University recently joined with Ugandan university students for two weeks of dance workshops and performances from January 2-13. The dance exchange program was a direct result of U.S. Embassy Kampala's sponsorship last fall of ECA Cultural Envoy Frederick Curry, an NYU instructor and choreographer. The graduate students, from NYU's prestigious Dance Education Department, spent a week studying traditional Ugandan dances with students from Makerere University's Department of Music, Dance and Drama and instructors from the Kampala Ballet and Modern Dance School. During the second week, the dancers were joined by a group of disadvantaged primary school children from both Kampala and from Gulu, the capital of Uganda's war afflicted north. The dance program brought together children from both the north and south in a week of collaboration and sharing. The NYU students visit was covered by The Weekly Observer, the New Vision and The Daily Monitor.

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
Cultures of Rhythm in Colombia. Over 500 people attended an embassy-organized jazz concert with the Cultures of Rhythm band at Bogotá's Teatro Libre on January 25. The ECA-sponsored group, part of the American Rhythm Road Music Abroad program, administered by Jazz at Lincoln Center, gave nine print, radio and television interviews, which resulted in wide media coverage, including a live interview and music broadcast on a prominent jazz radio station. Cultures of Rhythm also conducted a jazz workshop at Javeriana University which drew students and young musicians.

Cultures of Rhythm perform in Uruguay

Performing Arts/Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
Fireworks at American music program in Uruguay. American Music Abroad’s “Rhythm Road” program hosted the jazz quartet Cultures of Rhythm in early January. The program was received with delight from an audience of over 3,000 Uruguayans. The event included jam sessions with local artists, and was attended by almost all the major political figures in the country. The performances ended triumphantly with fireworks across the Uruguayan sky, adding visual elements to the wonderful display of American musical culture.

For more information about the tour, visit http://montevideo.usembassy.gov/

Ed Johnetta Miller travels to the Cote d'Ivoire

Cultural Representatives/ Cultural Envoy
Seeds planted by Cultural Envoy participant blossom into an NGO. Cultural Envoy Ed Johnetta Miller, an American textile artisan demonstrated that empowerment can have a big impact on society in Cote d’Ivoire. As a result of her visit to the country in early October 2006, The Federation of Artists and Artisans of Cote d’Ivoire (FEDARTCI), (an artist collective NGO) was launched on December 2 at the American Embassy. The inauguration came after cultural envoy Ed Johnetta Miller conducted two-day workshops in Abidjan, Yamoussoukro and Bouake. During her workshops, she encouraged Ivorian artists and artisans to join forces to better publicize their products and establish commercial relationships with American businesses and institutions. Less than two months later, the sessions’ participants created FEDARTCI, an NGO whose goals include the promotion of Ivorian art, training for Ivorian artists, and developing commercial and professional relations with the United States. Ambassador Aubrey Hooks, Ivorian Minister of Tourism and Artisans, Koné Amadou; and other government officials attended the inauguration ceremony, during which the group formally ratified a constitution and drafted documentation to formally register the association. The governing board of the NGO was also elected. Members are tasked to begin activities that include, among other things, developing the organization’s already-functional website (http://Fedartci.blogspot.com), working with an American NGO, and working on developing business relationships.

Performing Arts/ Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad
Jazz program makes a huge impact on Serbian music students As part of the Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad - return program, musicians Bennett Paster and Gregory Ryan returned to Serbia to conduct master classes and to present performances from October 17th to the 30th. The performance was highly praised by the professional music audience, and there was encouragement to expand the jazz education curriculum in the country as a result of the program.

Cultural Representatives/ Cultural Envoy
Cultural Envoy graces the cover of dance style magazine. Mr. Dana Tai Soon Burgess, a contemporary modern dancer, visited Peru as an ECA Cultural Envoy in 2004 to work with the Lima National Ballet. The follow-up visit of Burgess and his dance company is the cover story in this month's issue of Dance Style magazine. The Peruvian public fully enjoyed the presentations and related the topics of the dance expression to their own life experiences creating new levels of mutual understanding.

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