Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09MASERU383
2009-10-27 13:50:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Maseru
Cable title:  

LESOTHO: SPEAKER SERIES ON AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY

Tags:  PREL KPAO LT 
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PP RUEHMR
DE RUEHMR #0383 3001350
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 271350Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY MASERU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4449
INFO RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 4883
UNCLAS MASERU 000383 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/S AND AF/PD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPAO LT
SUBJECT: LESOTHO: SPEAKER SERIES ON AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY

UNCLAS MASERU 000383

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/S AND AF/PD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPAO LT
SUBJECT: LESOTHO: SPEAKER SERIES ON AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY


1. The week of October 13 through 16, 2009, post organized a
four day speaker series with Dr. Lawrence Jackson, Associate
Professor of English and African American Studies at Emory
University. Dr. Jackson held presentations on the subject of
African American History: Politics and the Struggle to
Liberation, at various Lesotho high schools and universities.


2. The series kicked-off on Tuesday morning with a lively
presentation at National University of Lesotho (NUL)
International High School and another at Mabathoana High School.
Dr. Jackson used sound bites of jazz, soul, blues, swing and
hip-hop songs to demonstrate African American music as a device
to represent social change and to instantiate racial justice and
social-political equality. This music, played during his
lecture, revealed changes with time throughout the years of
1930-1999. Dr. Jackson's presentation was well received and left
the crowd of over sixty high school students at NUL and over one
hundred students at Mabathoana wanting more. The presentation
led to question and answer periods on topics such as
segregation, crime, drug and alcohol abuse, and current
political influences in the U.S. that are have impacted Basotho
people. This same topic was presented at Lesotho High School on
Thursday, to a crowd of over one hundred students who engagingly
listened and participated in the presentation. One of the
students took part by performing a rap to his peers to show how
music has impacted his life.


3. On day two, Dr. Jackson presented African American Historic
Influences on the Media, to a larger crowd of college students
majoring in Mass Media, Communications, Journalism and the Arts
at both the Institute of Extra- Mural Studies and Limkokwing
University of Creative Technology (LUCT). His description of
challenges Black Americans faced in the early 1900's, which led
to the stereotyping in roles such as mammies, clowns, and thugs,
opened up a lengthy dialogue between the students. One student
voiced the difficulties she has experienced as a black woman in
Lesotho pursuing a career in media. The presentation at LUCT
began with the showing of a documentary on Ralph Ellison,
followed by a discussion on the students' perception of Ralph
Ellison's involvement in various African American movements in
his time. In 2002, Dr. Jackson authored a book on the life of
Ralph Ellison and was also featured in a documentary on Ralph
Ellison's life. The comments and questions the students directed
at Professor Jackson were indicative of the students engagement
in the documentary and understanding of the message the
professor was delivering to them.


4. Overall, the weeklong series had a great impact on Basotho
high school and university students. Students were highly
motivated, and although many may choose career paths other than
music or African history, the talent that exists in the
classroom has a far greater understanding of not only the
history of African American struggles, but also how popular
music has changed over time and is used as a medium for
transformation and cultural preservation. Post is eager to
continue hosting similar programs to help support the growing
interest in the arts in Lesotho.

NOLAN