"ONE DRUM:" FUNKY, INEXPENSIVE PICK-ME-UP FOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARAMARIBO 000136 SIPDIS SIPDIS WHA/PDA FOR CHAD WEST, WHA/CAR FOR JROSHOLT, ECA FOR BLAKENEY VASQUEZ, CAMILLE BARONE, PETER COZZENS, COLOMBIA BARROSSE, SANDRA ROUSE, AND JILL STAGGS, POSTS FOR PAOS/CAOS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OEXC OPRC NS SUBJECT: "ONE DRUM:" FUNKY, INEXPENSIVE PICK-ME-UP FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH REF: A. PARAMARIBO 117 ¶B. PARAMARIBO 121 ¶C. PARAMARIBO 132 ¶D. PARAMARIBO 88 PARAMARIBO 00000136 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (U) Summary: With PD resources already nearly exhausted, Post has sought to maintain cultural and outreach programming through the use of "window of opportunity" speakers and events (refs A-C). On March 8, Post was pleased to take advantage of an invitation to be a part of "Wan Dron," or "One Drum," an event put on by the Cultural Center of Suriname (CCS). Moreover, Post was flattered and eager to take advantage when CCS sought to strengthen the event by linking it to Black History Month. Although Black History Month officially ended with February, Post "extended" Black History Month by two weeks to take advantage of "One Drum" and other window of opportunity events. "One Drum" attracted an audience of approximately 200 to hear a message of multi-ethnic harmony as part of the closing ceremony for a drum workshop. The U.S. government was included as a prominent sponsor, and PolOff spoke on renowned Black American drummer Max Roach, followed by a tribute to Roach by organizer and professional local drummer Gregory Kranenburg, renowned in both Suriname and the Netherlands. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) Type of Program: Post-organized "Window of Opportunity" program. MSP goal addressed: Goal No. 1: "Mutual U.S./Suriname appreciation and respect contributing to a more effective partnership." ¶3. (U) Background: The Cultural Center of Suriname (CCS), which houses the American Corner, is an important partner for cultural outreach, and was the venue for all four Black History Month events in 2007. In 2008, due to renovations underway at CCS, the Embassy primarily used other venues. However, Elviera Sandie, director of CCS, approached the Embassy to be a part of a drum workshop CCS was concluding, hoping it could be part of Black History Month. For minimal funding (the transportation of orphanage and boarding school children to the venue) the Embassy was included as a partner. ¶4. (U) Evaluation of the Program: Three drum bands from the Surinamese community marched from different locations around Paramaribo and convened in the courtyard of CCS to begin the program, after which the audience was invited into the hall by an impressive drum solo by a young boy of no more than six or seven years. With the audience thus primed, sitting through the ceremonial handing out of the drum workshop certificates was less of a lull in the program than might otherwise have occurred. PolOff spoke briefly about Max Roach and black history, after which Kranenburg performed a Roach piece on the drum. He then led the audience and all the assembled drummers outside for a joint performance of "wan dron" (one drum),a fitting message of partnership to end the program. Post was pleased to be a prominent part of this lively, well-organized event, and took the invitation as proof that its cultural programming and Black History efforts have upped our profile in Suriname. ¶5. (U) Program Coordination: Elviera Sandie of the CCS was essential in providing the opportunity to participate, repaying Post,s confidence in its close ties with the CCS. Post was also pleased that a friendship struck up with drummer/organizer Gregory Kranenburg during a radio program appearance in early February continued to bear fruit; Kranenburg had also rescued Post programming in February by stepping in on twenty hours notice to organize a workshop when the Rhythm Road band scheduled to come to Suriname was absent for its first event due to flight delays (ref D). ¶6. (U) Program Costs: Sandie originally approached Post for several thousand dollars. Post told her it could only pay up to approximately $200 in audience transportation fees. Post was very pleased to be included as a full sponsor with a prominent role in the programming despite having provided a relatively small portion of the overall program budget. ¶7. (U) Impact of the Program: "Wan Dron" provided the opportunity to further demonstrate the Embassy's ongoing commitment to promoting mutual understanding through cultural programming. The Embassy's list of cultural contacts and intellectuals within Surinamese society continues to grow, providing additional opportunities to promote people-to-people diplomacy. In addition, by being integrated into the cultural community and responding to the request of a local partner, Post was able to raise the profile of Post's PARAMARIBO 00000136 002.2 OF 002 cultural programming at minimal cost. SCHREIBER HUGHES