NEW ORLEANS JAZZ HERITAGE TOURS: THE MARDI GRAS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 005043 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/ECA/PA/C/CU FOR SANDI ROUSE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC KPAO SUBJECT: NEW ORLEANS JAZZ HERITAGE TOURS: THE MARDI GRAS INDIAN COLLECTIVE REF: A) STATE 194800; B) STATE 198673 ¶1. Summary: More than 500 UAE nationals including government officials, media representatives, businessmen, and students attended two performances of Mardi Gras Indian Collective. The program included two performances, one at the Emirates Heritage Village in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, November 26, and the other at the UAE Pavilion at the Global Village in Dubai, on Sunday, November 27. The special feature of both events was the joint performance of the Mardi Gras Indians with the UAE Folklore dancers. The audience included over 80 UAE high school students from Bani Yas and Sharjah, participating in Post's English language Access Microscholarship Program. Print and electronic media coverage was extensive. End summary. ¶2. US Thanks UAE for Hurricane Katrina Relief The UAEG responded immediately and favorably to the request for official sponsorship by the Ministry of Information and Culture and patronage by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Information and Culture. They provided all the technical requirements, transportation, and hosted two dinners, one in Abu Dhabi and the other in Dubai following the performance in each city. The dinners were attended by high level officials, members of the Mardi Gras collective, members of the UAE Folklore group, and few media representatives. The press conference preceding the visit and the welcome speech before each concert made the clear point that the visit was a gesture of thanks to countries that generously provided support to the United States in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This message was clear on the posters, invitations and program notes and a special US Thanks the UAE banner was hung in back of the group at both performance. ¶3. In Abu Dhabi, the dynamic collective performed at the Emirates Heritage Village. This is a special model village built after the old houses in the UAE as well as a heritage museum that includes artwork and handicrafts that go back several hundred years. Selecting this venue created a special ambiance that was coupled by skyline of modern Abu Dhabi in the background. Following the Ambassador's welcoming remarks, which highlighted the reasons for the tour, the UAE Folklore group performed their traditional dances, music and songs. This was followed by the Mardi Gras Collective performance. Finally both bands joined together in special high beat cultural interaction performance that surprised the crowd and gave a clear message on music as a common language. Fifty 10th and 11th grade boys who are part of the Microscholarship Program attended the event, supplementing classroom education with a cultural experience. ¶4. In Dubai, the group performed at the Global Village with the UAE Pavilion as special background. The venue was chosen to highlight the relationship between the US and UAE musicians. The UAE fort made a beautiful backdrop for the performance. The invited audience was supplemented with the normal crowds visiting this major tourist attraction. The lively audience rewarded the band with a standing ovation. Thirty boys from the Sharjah Microscholarship Program came to the performance and stayed for the supper. They clapped along with the music and took photos with their cell phones. After the performance they flocked to have their photos taken with the Americans. ¶5. The band received media coverage which spread the message far beyond the spectators. Media coverage of the New Orleans band was extensive for both performances in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. All Arabic dailies (11/28) as well as the largest circulation English daily "Gulf News" (11/30) prominently reported the performance in Abu Dhabi. The Gulf News spread in the Tabloid section of the paper was three pages with color photos. The media also cited American Ambassador Sison as praising the support of the UAE president for the Hurricane Katrina during a jazz evening entitled "Thank you UAE". The Dubai performance also featured in the Arabic and English dailies and on local television. A headline of a half-page article with photo in the Abu Dhabi-based semi- official Arabic daily Al-Ittihad 12/4 read: "The Americans said it in music: thank you UAE." Dubai TV aired 11/28 a 3- minute report on its main evening newscast with footage of the hurricane damage along with the performance. Another channel, Sama Dubai, broadcasted 11/30 a six-minute report on its weekly magazine. The report included interviews with members of the band, excerpts of the show and an interview with the U.S. Consul General who reiterated United States appreciation of the UAE for their contribution for the Katrina victims. ¶6. This program has allowed great positive interaction between the UAE and US cultures. The USG has not had an officially sponsored cultural performance for two years and this both filled the gap and introduced an unknown folk art to UAE audiences. It also gave post an opportunity to work cooperatively with UAEG Ministry of Information and Culture officials. The many private-sector sports and cultural performances do not appeal to local Emirati audiences, but cater to the foreign ex-pat population. Constructing these events to showcase the cooperation of the local folklore group and bringing in post Microscholarship students ensure that the visit reached our intended audience. ¶7. Our thanks to the wonderful people who are part of the Mardi Gras Indian Collective for being open and warm with their Emirati counterparts. Thanks also to ECA/PE/C/CU's Sandra Rouse for ensuring that cultural sensitivities on costuming issues were handled with care. QUINN