Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KUWAIT4654
2006-12-16 06:43:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Kuwait
Cable title:  

WINNING MASS AUDIENCES - THE U.S. PRESENCE AT THE 2006

Tags:  OPRC OEXC KPAO SCUL OIIP XF KU 
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VZCZCXRO6942
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHKU #4654/01 3500643
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160643Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7893
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004654 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR R, NEA/PPD (DBENZE),ECA/A/S/A, ECA/A/L, IIP/G/NEA
(SLECHTENBERG-KASTEN),IIP/T, NEA/PI, NEA/P, NEA/ARP (BJACKSON)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC OEXC KPAO SCUL OIIP XF KU
SUBJECT: WINNING MASS AUDIENCES - THE U.S. PRESENCE AT THE 2006
KUWAIT INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004654

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR R, NEA/PPD (DBENZE),ECA/A/S/A, ECA/A/L, IIP/G/NEA
(SLECHTENBERG-KASTEN),IIP/T, NEA/PI, NEA/P, NEA/ARP (BJACKSON)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC OEXC KPAO SCUL OIIP XF KU
SUBJECT: WINNING MASS AUDIENCES - THE U.S. PRESENCE AT THE 2006
KUWAIT INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR



1. SUMMARY: On November 21, the Ambassador participated in the
opening ceremony of Kuwait's 31st International Book Fair. Embassy
Kuwait was the sole Western presence during the 10-day exhibition
that attracted tens of thousands of Kuwaiti visitors. Public
Affairs offered more than 120 RBO, IIP, and ECA titles,
English-teaching materials, American titles in Arabic and English on
U.S. history, culture, business, and government and provided
information on study in the U.S. Hundreds of teachers,
professionals, and students of all ages visited the U.S. booth until
it closed on December 1, presenting the Post with an ideal public
outreach opportunity. END SUMMARY


2. COMMENT: Embassy Public Affairs staff mounted an exhibit of
American titles at the 31st Kuwait International Book Fair, November
21 through December 2. The Embassy's presence at the international
book fair was significant for both cultural and political reasons.
The conservative Islamic publishing houses had a far greater
representation at the book fair than any other group. Over the past
10 years, Kuwait has been witness to a notable increase in
conservatism and censorship, including the banning of American
titles for the book fair in prior years. The U.S. presence at the
annual Kuwait international book fair is desirable and necessary to
offer Kuwaiti readers an alternative to the offering of mounds of
conservative Islamic publications from regionally based publishing
houses.

Presenting a Buffet of Educational Materials
--------------


3. The Embassy's 15-meter-square booth at the 2006 International
Book Fair in Kuwait, set up next to the display arranged by the
Republic of China, was twice as large as the previous year's space.
Post's representation featured two attention-grabbing six-foot tall
banners underscoring the "Study in the U.S." and "See You in the
U.S." themes as well as a "Discover America" backdrop. The American

Embassy's display, installed by Public Affairs staff on November 21,
included attractive samples of IIP's "Outlining America" series,
InfoUSA CD-ROMs, the last remaining copies of "Hi" magazine, and
colorful reproductions of the popular e-Journals "See You in the
U.S.A." and "College and University Education in the United States."
Arabic translations of American titles from Regional Book Offices
(RBOs) in Amman and Cairo served as an attractive and effective
stage set for Embassy staff distributing locally produced bookmarks
touting web sites for Al Hurra, Radio Sawa, and USInfo. Others
handed visitors Study in the U.S. brochures and Web resources cards.
Meanwhile, Embassy and AMIDEAST PowerPoint presentations ran in the
foreground explaining the visa process, displaying attractive scenes
of America, highlighting current Embassy programs, and encouraging
study at American colleges and universities.

An Auspicious Beginning
--------------


4. The Secretary General of the National Council for Culture, Arts,
and Letters, Mr. Beder Al-Refay, accompanied by the Ambassador,
inaugurated Kuwait's 31st International Book Fair with a press
conference followed by a special visit to the U.S. Embassy booth.
This was a major change from the prior year, when the Minister of
Commerce and Industry cut the ribbon with little fanfare--suggesting
a diminished profile for the fair. In 2006, however, the press
conference and VIP lounge on the opening day of the fair,
accompanied by a speech and visit to some of the high profile booths
by the Secretary General implied a larger importance and public
profile for the Book Fair.

English and Arabic Best Sellers
--------------


5. The Embassy booth sold 582 books - 515 Arabic translations of
American titles and 67 books in English and English teaching
materials. The three most popular American titles in Arabic were:
1- "The American Revolution"
2- "Ella Enchanted"
3- "Politics and Religion in the United States"

The "Outline" series remained a fast-moving product in both Arabic
and English.

Engaging and Influencing Target Audiences
--------------


5. Of the 50-65,000 visitors to the Book Fair, hundreds were
students on field trips bused to the fair by Government schools each
morning. Normally inaccessible to Embassy programs, public school
students perused titles, collected bookmarks and brochures, sought
educational counseling and stood glued to the PowerPoint
presentations. One 13-year-old girl whose father studied in America
spoke at length with an FSN and stated that her dream was to obtain
her doctorate from a university in the U.S. This annual fair

KUWAIT 00004654 002 OF 002


provides Public Affairs with entree to thousands of potential
students and travelers to American destinations. The event is an
excellent opportunity to influence and engage multiple target
audiences in Kuwaiti society, especially in academia and the media.

Each One Teach One
--------------


6. The early morning school visits organized by the Government of
Kuwait provided an opportunity to reach both students and teachers.
The teachers requested a variety of English language teaching
resources and sought additional English language teaching materials
for younger students. For the teachers unable to attend in the
morning with their students, the evenings and weekends provided
further opportunities to gather materials for their classrooms. The
most popular books for English teachers were "Talking English,"
"Something to Crow About," and "Changing Perspectives."

Target of Opportunity
--------------


7. Six hundred back-issues of "Hi" magazine obtained from the
regional distributor were freely offered to customers, including
conservatively dressed women with covered faces, who appeared quite
curious about the information available in the magazine. The book
fair also provided an opportunity to encourage study, travel, and
business opportunities in the U.S. The Public Affairs Section
staffed the booth, answering frequently asked questions regarding
short- and long-term educational and business opportunities as well
as tourism in the U.S. Visitors would have been well rewarded for
their efforts had there been a presence from Consular Affairs, the
Foreign Commercial Service and AMIDEAST. Unfortunately, budgetary
pressures did not permit the additional staff during the book fair.


Looking Toward the Future
--------------


8. The international book fair provides insight into expanding the
services and materials of Public Affairs. The English and Arabic
versions of U.S. maps, InfoUSA CD-ROM disks, Mosques in America
posters, and the IIP "Outlining America" series appealed most to
Kuwaiti customers, whereas, they found the three-year-old copies of
the brochure "Muslim Life in America" outdated and disappointing.
The questions most frequently asked of the Public Affairs staff were
"How do I study in the U.S.?", "Where are the best tourist
destinations?", and "How do I get a U.S. visa?" In preparing for
the book fair next year, Post intends to expand this outreach
opportunity, offer a wider variety of products, and invite greater
participation by Mission and AMIDEAST colleagues.

Tueller