AMERICAN POETRY NIGHT CAPTURES KUWAITI AUDIENCE

UNCLAS KUWAIT 001158 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP (BJACKSON),ECA/PE/C/CU (RKEITH),NEA/PPD (DBENZE) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SCUL KPAO KU SUBJECT: AMERICAN POETRY NIGHT CAPTURES KUWAITI AUDIENCE ¶1. SUMMARY: ON JULY 17, 2007, PUBLIC AFFAIRS KUWAIT ARRANGED FOR THE FIRST AMERICAN POETRY NIGHT IN KUWAIT BY HOSTING AN EVENING OF POETRY AND MUSIC AT A POPULAR GATHERING PLACE FOR YOUTH, THE HANGOUT LOUNGE. THE EVENT INCLUDED CLASSIC AND CONTEMPORARY POETRY RECITATIONS BY MISSION PERSONNEL AND AMERICAN FULBRIGHT SCHOLARS AS WELL AS READINGS OF ORIGINAL WORKS. THIS CONCERT-STYLE POETRY EVENT ENGAGED A YOUTHFUL TARGET AUDIENCE WITH DIVERSE AMERICAN WORKS IN ENGLISH, SPANISH AND FRENCH. THE SUCCESSFUL EVENT WAS LOW-BUDGET, RELYING ON VOLUNTEERS AND SPONSORSHIPS. THE AUDIENCE REACTED POSITIVELY TO EACH PRESENTATION AND REQUESTED THAT THE EMBASSY HOST SIMILAR EVENTS IN THE FUTURE. END SUMMARY AMERICAN LITERATURE DISPLAYS AMERICAN DIVERSITY -------------- -- ¶2. NINE AMERICANS PERFORMED POETRY ON JULY 17 TO AN AUDIENCE OF 30 YOUNG KUWAITIS AT A CAF IN KUWAIT'S POPULAR SALMIYA DISTRICT. THE PERFORMERS - MISSION PERSONNEL AND FULBRIGHT SCHOLARS -- WERE A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF AMERICAN DIVERSITY AS THEY INCLUDED A WIDE RANGE OF AGES AND ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS AS WELL AS BOTH MALE AND FEMALE PERFORMERS. THEIR CHOICE OF POETRY FURTHER REFLECTED THIS DIVERSITY AS THE AUDIENCE HEARD WORKS IN ENGLISH, SPANISH AND FRENCH THAT ADDRESSED SUCH TOPICS AS LOVE, IDENTITY, POLITICS, AND WAR. THE EVENING KICKED OFF WITH MUSIC AND POETRY BY AMERICAN RECORDING ARTISTS AND CONTINUED WITH THE THEME OF CELEBRATING DIVERSITY AND LITERATURE WITH THE RECITATION OF 15 POEMS. A GUITARIST ALSO PLAYED AMERICAN MUSIC BETWEEN PERFORMANCES. "EDUTAINMENT" - LEARNING THROUGH ENTERTAINMENT -------------- ¶3. THE GOAL OF POETRY NIGHT WAS TO TEACH KUWAITIS, ESPECIALLY THE YOUNGER GENERATION, ABOUT AMERICAN CULTURE AND LITERATURE, AND TO SHOWCASE AMERICAN VALUES THROUGH THE ARTS. THE EVENT REACHED A KEY TARGET AUDIENCE - KUWAITI YOUTH. AS A WHOLE, KUWAITI YOUTH ARE IMPRESSIONABLE AND IN SOME CIRCLES SUSCEPTIBLE TO EXTREMIST IDEAS DUE TO THE LACK OF ENTERTAINMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND PRODUCTIVE EXTRA-CURRICULAR OUTLETS IN KUWAIT. THE VENUE, HANGOUT LOUNGE, WAS A LOGICAL CHOICE SINCE IT IS A POPULAR ESTABLISHMENT WHERE YOUTH GATHER TO HEAR OTHER MUSICAL EVENTS. BIG SPLASH ON A SMALL BUDGET -------------- ¶4. PA AND THE PERFORMERS RECEIVED POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM THE SMALL BUT APPRECIATIVE AUDIENCE AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE EVENING, INCLUDING REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION ON SIMILAR EVENTS. THE POETRY AND MUSICAL NIGHT WAS REPORTED IN THREE KUWAITI NEWSPAPERS AND INCLUDED LARGE COLOR PHOTOS. PA ARRANGED THIS ENTIRE EVENT THROUGH THE USE OF VOLUNTEERS, PARTICULARLY TWO FULBRIGHT SCHOLARS AND THE PA SUMMER HIRE. THE MANAGER OF THE HANGOUT LOUNGE OFFERED THE VENUE, ASSISTED IN PUBLICIZING THE EVENT, AND PROVIDED AUDIO EQUIPMENT. A GUITARIST PERFORMED FOR FREE. THE MANAGEMENT AT HANGOUT LOUNGE EXPRESSED A DESIRE TO CO-HOST SIMILAR EVENTS IN THE FUTURE. ********************************************* VISIT EMBASSY KUWAIT'S CLASSIFIED WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/NEA/KUWAIT YOU CAN ALSO ACCESS THIS SITE THROUGH THE STATE DEPARTMENT'S CLASSIFIED SIPRNET WEBSITE ********************************************* LENDERKING