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 QUITO 002920 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR ASSISTANT SECRETARY POWELL; WHA/PDA; WHA/AND 
GUAYAQUIL FOR NOUHRA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO OEXC SCUL EC
SUBJECT: REINVIGORATING PUBLIC DIPLOMACY CULTURAL AND SPORTS 
PROGRAMS: EMBASSY QUITO RESPONSE 
 
REF:  State 222516 
 
¶1.  Embassy Quito submits the following information 
requested in reftel re "Reinvigorating Public Diplomacy 
Cultural and Sports Programs."  Responses are keyed to 
reftel. 
 
¶2.  Question A:  Which Mission objectives benefit from 
cultural programs or could be better supported by cultural 
programs? 
 
¶3.  While we use cultural programming to support all Mission 
goals whenever appropriate, cultural programs are especially 
effective in supporting MPP goals of increasing mutual 
understanding, strengthening democracy and supporting 
economic development because they often give us access to an 
audience that is difficult to reach.  In addition, cultural 
programs help create a more receptive environment for the 
completion of Mission goals by deepening understanding of 
U.S. society and exposing audiences to aspects of American 
culture that they perhaps had not experienced before.  For 
example, cultural programs help us access Ecuador's public 
universities, where significant currents of anti-Americanism 
make policy-based programming difficult. 
 
¶4.  Through our arts programs, we often target young, 
disadvantaged audiences who otherwise have little or no 
contact with the USG.  When we organized a concert and 
workshop by a group of Afro-Latin musicians from New York, 
we brought together an ethnically diverse audience of young 
people from several provinces who are involved in anti- 
delinquency projects.  Similarly, we have expanded on a 
cultural preservation project funded through the 
Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation to create a 
series of performances called "Dialogues of Liberty."  Under 
PAS-sponsorship, the amateur actors who portray important 
historical figures from Quito's past have traveled to almost 
every province to present the "Dialogues" to high school 
students.  Speaking as Ecuadorians, they address many of the 
key issues important to the Mission (e.g. strengthening 
democracy, equal opportunity, individual liberty). 
 
¶5.  Question B.  What kind of specific cultural or sports 
programs or initiatives are, or would be, most effective in 
supporting those objectives? 
 
¶6.  We have found one our most simple tools to be among the 
most effective: paper shows.  We have worked successfully 
several times to program various IIP paper shows in high 
schools, small communities and other venues.  In each case, 
we work with a local partner to organize a series of debates 
or discussions (usually among students) on the topic of the 
paper show.  Recently, we organized a month-long series of 
debates based on the Human Rights paper show, which was 
displayed in three major public high schools serving 4,500 
students.  In a closing event in which the Ambassador 
participated, the students presented their conclusions as to 
the most important human rights. 
 
¶7.  The best cultural programs are often specifically 
tailored to Ecuador.  For example, one of our most 
successful post-initiated arts programs was an Earth Day 
photo contest entitled "My Galapagos."  Every high school 
senior on the three inhabited islands of the Galapagos was 
given a disposable camera and asked to photograph something 
he or she felt was important to the future of the islands 
and to write a short essay explaining why.  The 20 winning 
photos that became part of the final exhibit depict the 
range of issues confronting the Galapagos, from protecting 
the rich environment to controlling pollution to increasing 
economic opportunity (all Mission themes). 
 
¶8.  We see good potential to reach our target audiences - 
including those most opposed to our policies - through the 
medium of film.  A well-selected series of independent and 
less-commercialized U.S. films would be a powerful way to 
refute misconceptions and stereotypes about the U.S. 
Washington's help in "curating" such a series and handling 
logistical arrangements would be invaluable.  We would also 
be interested in offerings of newer performing art forms -- 
not those aimed at art school mavens, but rather at mass 
youth -- such as Spanish-speaking DJ artists or hip hop 
performers. 
 
¶9.  But we have found that visual and performing arts 
programs that feature high-concept, vanguard forms of 
expression are less useful in Ecuador.  Often, they have the 
most appeal within a narrow segment of the arts community, 
or reach an elite audience that already has a great deal of 
exposure to the U.S.  For example, one local partner with 
whom we worked to bring an artist to participate in an 
international art show commented that the artwork was too 
"experimental" and asked us to bring a more traditional 
painter for the next festival. 
 
¶10.  To best use our cultural programming resources, we 
carefully design our programs to reach our target audiences 
of young people, indigenous and other minority groups, 
economically disadvantaged people, etc.   We have found the 
best way to do that is to design a program that is more 
interactive rather than exhibits and performances that tend 
to be less participative.  We have not had much recent 
experience with sports programming, but believe it may be 
very effective here.  A planned program in early 2006 will 
give us a good feel for the potential for that kind of 
programming. 
 
¶11.  At the same time, there is strong value in associating 
ourselves every year or two with top-flight, marquee talent 
that draws elites and extensive media coverage.  A recent 
example was the concert in Quito by renowned U.S. violinist 
Joshua Bell.  With a modest grant, we were able to 
distribute some tickets and host a reception in his honor 
attended by the kind of top cultural and social elites that 
would never turn out for less-known talent and only notice 
our cultural diplomacy when it happens at this level. 
 
¶12.  Question C.  What constraints does your mission face in 
effectively utilizing cultural, arts, and sports programs? 
 
¶13.  Our main constraint is capacity - both the capacity of 
the local community to absorb and benefit from cultural 
programs and our own staffing capacity to organize these 
events (we have one FSO and one programming FSN, both of 
whom have other responsibilities).  In addition, our local 
partners require a great deal of financial and logistical 
support in order to ensure a program or event is completed 
successfully.  There are very few organizations that have 
sufficient staff or logistical capability to carry out major 
programs. 
 
¶14.  Question D.  How have you been able to partner with the 
private sector to sponsor cultural/sports events or to 
overcome resource constraints? 
 
¶15.  We often give grants to support the participation of 
U.S. visual and performing artists in events organized by 
local arts organizations.  In return, we ask that the event 
organizers include our target audience (e.g. youth, 
minorities, underprivileged), that they expand the program 
outside Quito, and that they foster interaction between the 
artist and the audience.  For example, we recently gave a 
grant to an American music teacher at a local university to 
bring four jazz musicians to Ecuador for concerts and master 
classes.  He organized the events with our assistance -- PAS 
assisted in promoting the events, expanded the master class 
invitation list to include representatives from our target 
audience, gave tickets to our contacts, arranged press 
interviews, and put the grantee in contact with partners 
outside the capital that could organize activities in that 
city. 
 
JEWELL