American Diplomat Builds Bridges of Understanding

UNCLAS TUNIS 000753 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/MAG (GERMAIN, LAWRENCE),NEA/PD (SMITH, AGNEW), ECA (ROMANOWSKI, SCHUMAN) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO OEXC OPRC SCUL SOCI TS SUBJECT: American Diplomat Builds Bridges of Understanding through Music Ref: A) State 31478 B) Florence 27 ¶1. Summary. During a March cultural program funded by the ECA Performing Arts Initiative and organized by Tunis PA, Embassy Political Officer Brennan Gilmore helped score a significant public diplomacy hit through his musical collaboration with Tunisian musician Riadh Fehri in a group called "Kantara," or "bridge" in Arabic. This collaboration, which included the musical talents of Gilmore, Fehri, three other young American musicians, and a Tunisian percussionist, was influenced by traditional Tunisian and Arabic music and American bluegrass melodies and rhythm and featured original music by both Gilmore and Fehri. The result was an exciting harmonious fusion of sound and culture that built a bridge of understanding between the United States and the Arab world. This collaboration resulted in unprecedented positive press coverage of an Embassy event, with reports in almost all of the Tunisian print press and interviews on Tunisian television and radio that highlighted the "harmony" of the mix of diplomacy and culture and praised the genre-defying new Arab-Appalachian sound. End Summary. What is Kantara? -------------- ¶2. Political Officer Brennan Gilmore, a former professional musician, met renowned Tunisian oudist and composer Riadh Fehri shortly after his arrival in Tunis in May 2005. Fehri has long been interested in fusion music and has worked with other American artists sponsored by the US Embassy in past years. Gilmore, Fehri, Lasaad Hosni, a famous Tunisian percussionist, and three other young American bluegrass musicians (childhood friends of Gilmore) formed a new musical group known as "Kantara" (or bridge, in Arabic). This new group brought together traditional Tunisian and Arabic music and traditional Appalachian music in a way that synthesized the talents of the artists and the musical traditions that had formed them. Thanks to a grant of $6200 from the ECA Performing Arts Initiative (Ref A),Tunis PA was able to bring the three American musicians to Tunis to perform in Tunis and in Sousse in March 2006. The group also performed in Florence to large appreciative audiences (Ref B). ¶3. The three American musicians, Ann Marie Calhoun, Zack Blatter, and Brian Calhoun are childhood friends of Brennan Gilmore and preeminent musicians in their own right. Ann Marie Calhoun is one of the most talented American violinists of her generation, blending a master's ability in classical music with years of bluegrass and old-time fiddling. She has won numerous awards in fiddle contests, has appeared at prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center, recently recorded with the multi-platinum Dave Matthews Band, and is currently touring with Jethro Tull. Zack Blatter studied music theory at the University of Virginia and toured the United States with a variety of musical ensembles. Brian Calhoun studied at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and co-founded the bluegrass band "Walker's Run" with Gilmore. A talented craftsman of guitars and mandolins, he is part owner of the acclaimed Rockbridge Guitar Company. Public Diplomacy Coup -------------- ¶4. Kantara made its debut in Tunis on March 10, 2006, when they played to a packed, enthusiastic crowd at the Municipal Theater in Tunis and to rave reviews in the press. This collaboration, highlighted at a joint press conference at the US Embassy, was very well-received by the Tunisian media who rewarded the musicians with the most positive and far- reaching coverage of an Embassy program that we have seen in years. Ten Tunisian newspapers and magazines reported on Kantara while both of the Tunisian television stations (Channel 7 and TV Hannibal) ran pieces on the group, including interviews with Gilmore and Fehri. Both of the private radio stations and one of the government radio station also ran spots on Kantara, with two of them featuring interviews with Gilmore and Fehri. ¶5. The media coverage spanned almost one week and focused on the use of music as a bridge between peoples. Many papers were particularly admiring of Gilmore's status as an America diplomat. As one journalist wrote, "In the end, we swear that if all diplomats in the world had artistic or musical expertise on their resumes, certain difficult issues between states would have a proper resolution. With art and with style. That is utopia. We will console, ourselves for the moment, with this type of concert." ¶6. Praise for the groundbreaking new genre of Arab- Appalachian music was also forthcoming in the press reviews: Kantara "succeeded in sowing joy throughout the audience by offering a display of jubilant art to make us forever forget hatred. We spent an hour and a half of happiness." ("Le Quotidien") Kantara "knows no borders" and "has created a program which departs from the ordinary and allows a harmony between different types of music which one might believe impossible." ("Le Temps") "The music is a dream, binding by its accord, the fluidity and lightness of its notes and rhythms, and the solid complicity between the Tunisian and American instrumentalists." ("La Presse") A sampling of the headlines are provided in para 10. Walker's Run Event in Sousse -------------- ¶7. In addition to the Kantara concerts at the Tunis theatre and a well-received concert/reception at the DCM's residence, the American musicians, appearing as the bluegrass group "Walker's Run," spent a day at the Higher Institute of Music in Sousse. During the day the musicians gave group and individual workshops to over 200 students, explaining and demonstrating traditional American music styles and having Tunisian students play along. The afternoon workshops ended with an hour long jam session, alternating between Appalachian and Tunisian songs, often combining the two. In the evening, Walker's Run performed a concert for the assembled student body, plus the director of the Institute and the President of the University of Sousse. After performing traditional and original material for nearly an hour, the American musicians invited their newfound Tunisian friends on stage for a show-stopping half hour jam, again integrating American and Tunisian music. By the end of the performance many students were dancing on their chairs, while the invited dignitaries stood in ovation. Comment -------------- ¶8. In a highly controlled media environment that is restricted by both government control and by some anti- American sentiment, it was noteworthy that even those newspapers who rarely print Embassy press releases and otherwise refuse to print positive articles on the United States lauded Kantara. Even though Embassy Tunis frequently sponsors American musicians in Tunis, this is the first time that we have seen such wide and positive coverage of an Embassy event. It would appear that the presence of an American diplomat on stage, reaching out to Tunisians through music, was the variable that made the difference in capturing the "hearts and minds" of the journalists and the Tunisian public alike. Not to mention that the genre- defying music itself was universally praised by both Tunisians and international concert attendees. ¶9. Embassy Tunis would like to extend a special thanks to ECA for its generous support to this important initiative. We hope that this particularly successful program, which highlights American culture at the same time that is shows the positive possibilities of Arab-American cultural cooperation, can be replicated throughout the NEA region and other areas with significant Arab-Muslim populations. End Comment. Sample headlines -------------- ¶10. Sample headlines from the Tunisian press include: "La Presse" (government owned daily, circulation 42,000): March 8 "A bridge between diplomacy and music" March 12 "An American dream and stars in their eyes" "Le Temps" (privately owned daily, circulation 25,000): March 9 "Search for harmony via a bridge of song" March 12 "Kantara: for a musical reconciliation" "Le Quotidien" (privately owned daily, circulation 25,000): March 8 "Bridge of love" March 12 "Kantara: A good recipe: Two Tunisians and four Americans succeeded in sowing joy on all levels in offering us a joyous are to help us forget hatred" "Le Renouveau" (government owned daily, circulation 27,000): March 21 "Between Medjerda and the Appalachians" "As Sabah" (privately owned daily, circulation 25,000): March 8 "Press conference: Riadh Fehri announces the Tunisian-American Kantara show and promises the public a big surprise during next summer" "Al-Horriya" (government owned daily, circulation 35,000): March 9, 2006 "Kantara show in the Municipal Theater: Music expression without borders!" "As-Sahafa" (government owned daily, circulation 35,000): March 9, 2006 "In a press conference held by the Tunisian- American group Kantara: an innovative mixture between different types of music. Music bridges to open up horizons of dialogue and communication among people." HUDSON