PD PROGRAMMING DRAWS ON PARTNERS, POSTERS

UNCLAS DJIBOUTI 000189 SIPDIS State for AF, AF/E, AF/PD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPAO PGOV SCUL DJ SUBJECT: PD PROGRAMMING DRAWS ON PARTNERS, POSTERS REF:DJIBOUTI 180 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: This week, the Public Diplomacy section co- sponsored a successful three-day-long craft fair featuring local artisans and recipients of grants from the Ambassador's Self-Help Fund. In addition, Black History Month programming continued with a movie night and discussion panel for college students and the next installment of the Embassy's poster show, which was featured both at the craft fair and on local television. ¶2. (U) The craft fair hosted about 10 artisan groups from all over the country, many of which have received grants from the Ambassador's Self-Help Fund. Open to the public, it was co-sponsored by the Embassy's Public Diplomacy and Self- Help Sections, the Ministry of Tourism and the artisan association. A key component of the event was a round table discussion among the artisans, moderated by a local NGO, about how best to improve quality and marketing of local crafts. PD orchestrated television and newspaper coverage, which focused on the Embassy's MPP messages of self-help, cooperation and economic prosperity. ¶3. The fair also served as the next venue for Public Diplomacy's Black History Month poster show (reftel),which received positive feedback from both the Djiboutian Government and the diplomatic corps. Each artisan group was given a smaller version of the poster show to take back to their districts for display in their shops. In addition, Radio Television Djibouti filmed the show and ran snapshots of it before each of their three news broadcasts over two days. ¶4. On February 23, Public Diplomacy hosted a movie night and panel at the Sheraton Hotel for local college-aged students. The feature, "Remember the Titans" was shown in French and was followed by a French language question-and- answer session about race relations and civil rights in the United States. Questions were fielded by a teacher from the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help and the Embassy's General Services Officer. The discussion centered around the African-American experience, tolerance and the need for open dialogue in society. About 100 people attended. RAGSDALE