U.S. SPONSORED JAZZ NIGHT FURTHERS CULTURAL SUPPORT,

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000748 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CAR - LLUFTIG, WHA/PDA EDETTER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ODIP OPRC NS SUBJECT: U.S. SPONSORED JAZZ NIGHT FURTHERS CULTURAL SUPPORT, REPRESENTATIONAL GOALS IN SURINAME ¶1. SUMMARY: U.S. Embassy Paramaribo sponsored a Jazz Night at Caf Tori Oso on Thursday which marked the opening of the annual Jazz Festival in Suriname, and gave Embassy officials the opportunity to develop and strengthen relations with contacts, show U.S. support for cultural events in Suriname, and promote U.S. culture and values. END SUMMARY ¶2. Tori Oso is a popular bar as well as a gathering place for journalist and intelligentsia groups in Paramaribo. On October 26, the Embassy hosted nine invited guests, among them officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officials from the military, and representatives from other diplomatic missions. There was also a performance by "Question Mark" a local Jazz band, led by Bud Gaddum, soon to be a teacher at the U.S.-supported National Public Music School. A total of about fifty people attended the event. PolOff delivered a speech on the history of jazz, and the Embassy showed videos of prominent musicians and displayed the IIP paper show "Fifty Years of Jazz." Jazz Night generated press coverage in "Waterkant," an internet-based news and cultural forum on Suriname. ¶3. COMMENT: U.S. Embassy Paramaribo is sometimes perceived by Surinamers and the international community in Paramaribo as focused narrowly on security and law enforcement goals. Jazz Night was part of an outreach effort to expand Embassy visibility in other areas. END COMMENT Schreiber Hughes