This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 009425 
 
SIPDIS 
 
For Assistant Secretary Dina Powell 
 
E.O. 12958: NA 
TAGS: KPAO SCUL OEXC
SUBJECT: REINVIGORATING PUBLIC DIPLOMACY CULTURAL AND 
SPORTS PROGRAMS 
 
REF: 05 STATE 222516 
 
¶1. Post is pleased at ECAs commitment to revitalizing 
cultural and sports programming and eager to 
collaborate in developing effective new approaches. 
These programs are invaluable tools for developing 
mutual understanding with different socio-economic 
levels, especially Egypts emerging youth, a target 
demographic for this Mission. 
 
¶2. Answers to specific questions follow. 
 
¶A. Which of your Mission objectives benefits from 
cultural programs or could be better supported by 
cultural programs including sports programs? 
 
Cultural programming benefits all strategic goals. 
Posts 2004 translation and production of Our Town 
generated an exchange of ideas on diverse subjects from 
rom 
Counter-Terrorism to Promotion of Democracy and Human 
Rights.  For a number of years, music scholarships from 
groups such as Apple Hill have provided opportunities 
for Egyptian musicians to work with Israelis, thus 
building support for the goal of Regional Stability. 
Sports programs have enormous potential to build good 
will with Egyptian youth and their parents.  Last 
years basketball Cultural Envoys gave non-elite 
Egyptian students a rare opportunity for substantive 
interaction with Americans.  The lessons conveyed were 
not just about basketball but about human rights and 
democratic access, and that excellence can bring 
rewards.  We would strongly encourage increased 
emphasis on sports programs. 
 
¶B.  What kind of specific cultural or sports programs 
or initiatives are, or would be, most effective in 
supporting those objectives? 
 
In planning cultural outreach, we should strive for a 
balance of programs accessible to broader, non-elite 
audiences (sports, music, theatre in translation work 
well) and programs for more sophisticated audiences 
that show the excellence of American arts and bring 
viewers into touch with current thinking (art 
exhibitions, dance, film and video).  Exchanges in the 
arts, as in other fields, are one of the very best ways 
to change perceptions of the United States; grantees 
who teach or train others produce a considerable 
multiplier effect. Smaller, more mobile programs are 
needed to move outside major cities and reach broader 
audiences.  For cultural programming, local 
participation pumps up the impact.  For example, 
workshops or inviting local musicians on stage are 
preferable to straight performances.  More ambitiously, 
Cairo took advantage of the Regional Arabic Book 
program to translate a play into Arabic which an ECA- 
provided American director staged in Arabic with an 
Egyptian cast.  This is a model that requires a long 
time-line, careful planning and significant resources, 
but one that produced exceptional results. 
 
 
C.What constraints does your Mission face in 
effectively utilizing cultural, arts, and sports 
programs? 
 
Cairo suffers from a shortage of venues.  Appropriate 
theatres, galleries and arenas are often booked months 
in advance in Cairo and Alexandria.  Facilities in 
provincial towns often lack basic requirements such as 
lighting and sound, or impose onerous requirements to 
obtain permission to use them.  We also have internal 
staff and funding constraints.  Egypts highly mannered 
and bureaucratic culture makes planning any event very 
labor-intensive.  Cultural programs, particularly those 
that reach large, diverse audiences, require 
considerable planning.  Venues must be visited, 
permissions must be sought, many details arranged over 
a period of time.  Even small cultural presentations 
can take large chunks of our program budget.  The New 
Orleans All Stars Jazz Band, for example, though funded 
mostly by Washington, cost Post almost $8,000.  For 
that event, we had to forego televising the concert 
t 
because the jazz band required payment of an additional 
premium if it was televised.  Publicity costs to reach 
the broader audiences that we target represent a major 
budget consideration.  Ambitious projects suffer from 
our inability to financially commit to programs that 
need planning in one fiscal year for implementation in 
the next. 
 
¶D. How have you been able to partner with the private 
sector in your country to sponsor cultural/sports 
events, or to overcome resource (staff and funding) 
constraints? 
 
For many years, Cairo carried out quite extraordinary 
cultural programming with funds raised through its 
Corporate Cultural Fund.  Some fundraising is still 
possible, but we are now competing with an increasingly 
active Egyptian civil society. Cultural institutions 
are often willing to give venues for free or for 
minimal charges. Sports clubs would welcome athletes. 
This post has benefited from private American artists 
who often come to Cairo.  By providing small grants to 
these artists, the Mission has been able to expand our 
cultural footprint. 
 
¶3.  Thank you for this opportunity to encourage more 
cultural and sports programs and to discuss the 
challenges and benefits these programs offer. 
 
Ricciardone