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

170714Z Jan 06

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 000277 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ECA, NEA/PPD, NEA/ELA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO OEXC SCUL JO
SUBJECT: REINVIGORATING PUBLIC DIPLOMACY CULTURAL AND 
SPORTS PROGRAMS - RESPONSE FROM JORDAN 
 
REF: STATE 222516 
 
¶1. Amman strongly endorses Washington's wish to support 
more cultural and sports programs.  These are bridges of 
communication that are extremely effective 
notwithstanding the nature of  political relations or 
perceptions. Because of its popular appeal, basketball 
has opened doors for the U.S. in Jordan in recent years. 
The performing arts, while often associated exclusively 
with elite audiences, can  serve as a bridge to mutual 
understanding with non-traditional audiences, especially 
when youth in high schools/university settings are 
targeted with appropriate programs.  Even straightforward 
discussions between Americans and Jordanians on various 
topics can have a tremendous impact if broadcast on those 
T.V. or radio outlets with high viewer/listener-ship. 
Broadcast media are the most potent form of communication 
in Jordan, and can become our most powerful tool if 
twinned with  mass-appeal U.S. culture and sports 
content. 
 
¶2.  Amman recommends continued sports outreach and 
untraditional cultural presentations such as street 
theater or performance art.  We encourage Washington to 
consider funding an occasional extravaganza.  If 
carefully chosen, a tour of a grand show with popular 
appeal would reflect through its originality and 
creativity the freedom of American society.  It would 
have enormous impact in the region.  The Blue Man Group, 
a performance art group that combines comedy, multimedia 
art, and audience participation, may fit the bill 
perfectly.  In the often hostile Middle Eastern setting, 
we sometimes have to reaffirm Arabs' and Americans' 
common humanity if we are to have any real chance of 
maintaining local credibility in our support of homegrown 
efforts aimed at transforming the region.  Few things 
achieve that as easily and quickly as arts and sports. 
Blue Men would help open ears for when the time comes to 
seek support for our official positions. 
 
¶3. There are rare occasions when a cultural presentation 
can carry a direct political message.  Post is planning a 
classical piano recital next July at the Radisson-SAS 
Hotel.  As a concert for the reopening of the 
reconstructed ballroom of the Radisson-SAS hotel, it will 
be an unmistakable message to those responsible for the 
Amman bombings on November 9 that Jordanians and 
Americans stand united against terrorism.  We are hopeful 
that local and/or regional TV stations will record and 
broadcast this concert.  Our RSO will work closely with 
the Jordanian services to ensure the safety of the venue. 
 
¶4. Whether programs such as the examples cited above or 
others yet to be developed, Post will focus on ensuring 
that cultural and sports programming occurs in a way 
that supports the growth of the still nascent private 
sector media in Jordan.  Through granting exclusive 
broadcast rights and offering appealing programming we 
can stimulate the growing private TV and radio stations 
serving Jordan. 
 
¶5. In response to the questions posed in reftel: 
 
Question A.  Which of your mission objectives benefits 
from cultural programs or could be better supported by 
cultural programs, including sports programs? 
 
¶A. Cultural and sports programming supports almost all of 
our mission objectives.  An important part of our Public 
Affairs focus in recent years was to continue outreach to 
groups that we do not normally engage with, specifically 
young people, non-elite audiences, and communities 
outside of the capital. 
 
--Cultural Programming: 
Certain cultural programs allow us access to audiences 
that we would not normally reach, e.g. disadvantaged 
youth, and women.  We schedule a part of our cultural 
programming in marginalized communities, in and outside 
the capital Amman. 
 
--Sports Programming: 
This has allowed us to engage with youth with whom we do 
not usually interact.  In February we hosted two 
Georgetown University basketball player-coaches as part 
of the Culture Connect Cultural Envoys program.  Working 
closely with the Jordanian Basketball Federation (JBF), 
the envoys held nine workout sessions with both young 
boys and girl's basketball teams, interacting with both 
the players and the coaches.  Their activities received 
wide media coverage, from the opening reception to the 
practice sessions to the charity game.  A relationship 
with young people, basketball clubs and their coaches was 
established that engendered warm feelings toward 
Americans.  The JBF has expressed eagerness to continue 
working with the Embassy in bringing more expertise in 
the form of players and coaches to Jordan.  The visit 
served as impetus for a charity basketball game involving 
a Jordanian team and an international team made up of 
international players, including the two Envoys.  More 
than 2000 young fans turned out.  Later that summer one 
of the two Georgetown player-coaches returned and served 
on contract for eight weeks with the Federation, 
conducting training all over Jordan. 
 
 
Question B.  What kind of specific cultural or sports 
programs or initiatives are or would be most effective in 
supporting those objectives? 
 
¶A. We plan to use the American Corners, of which there 
will soon be three, as a venue for cultural activity. 
Two of the Corners, one at the University of Jordan in 
Amman, Jordan's largest university, and the other at the 
Hashemiya University in Zarqa, have begun to do their own 
programming, primarily using on-campus speakers.  As the 
Corners become more established, they will increase their 
cultural offerings.  For instance, the Corner at the 
University of Jordan is planning a film series beginning 
in January.  The Embassy is planning musical performances 
in the spring and summer, and hopes to use these venues 
to reach wider audiences. 
 
We have high hopes that the Opus Akoben Hip Hop jazz 
group, which comes here in February, will appeal to young 
Jordanian audiences. 
 
There are four other developments worth noting: 
 
¶1. We are considering a series of sponsored televised 
debates between American and Jordanian/Arab youth as a 
means of promoting the transformation agenda. This series 
would bring together American and Arab youth who have 
shared a common experience. For instance, a group of Arab 
students studying in the U.S. could interact with 
American students studying in various Arab countries. 
Each group would carry out a series of open discussions 
(in focus group fashion) about their expectations from 
their experiences, and the changes in perceptions, if 
any, as well as points of commonality and differences. 
We would seek out sponsorship from one of the popular 
satellite TV stations - Al-Jazeera or Al-Arabiya, with 
their large audience share. Ideally, a major American 
network or cable channel would run the program 
concurrently, both educating the American public and 
sending a strong message to Arab audiences that the U.S. 
public is interested in hearing what the Arab community 
is saying. 
 
¶2. Young film-makers are becoming very active.  The cost 
of videography being so much lower than film, much 
documentary and fictional material is being produced. 
There are avenues for collaboration with the growing pool 
of talented young Jordanian filmmakers organized in the 
Amman Film-makers Cooperative.  We also work with the 
Royal Film Commission, and would like to bring in a 
specialist for technical training for these young film- 
makers. This should help private T.V. stations, once they 
get up and running, to obtain locally made content. 
 
¶3. We will repeat successful High School Summer Arts 
Camps organized with AMIDEAST.  This exchange received 
rave reviews from the participants.  The plan is again to 
choose 10 students and two instructors to participate in 
a two-week summer program in the arts for talented 
students.  The program is geared towards underprivileged 
youth.  It has to be said that the cultural gap is harder 
to bridge, but when the program succeeds, it has a 
lifetime effect. 
 
¶4. Theater and Drama in Education.  We would like to 
support the production of a play that can be performed in 
classrooms at private and public schools in Jordan.  The 
idea is to bring an American playwright and later a 
producer and a couple of actors to Jordan to work with 
the Performing Arts Center.  The parties would jointly 
produce a play that addresses cultural and family values 
in both societies.  We envision that the play will 
provide understanding of American society and values. 
Performances, especially if broadcast on T.V., will have 
a multiplier effect both on the Jordanian actors as well 
as the general youth audiences.  The American artists 
will have the chance to learn about this part of the 
world which will be reflected in their future work. 
 
Question C.  What constraints does your mission face in 
effectively utilizing cultural, arts and sports programs? 
 
¶A. There are serious monetary constraints as well as PAS 
staffing constraints.  Jordanian institutions with which 
we co-sponsor events suffer from a want of organizational 
expertise; they rely on the PAS staff to help implement 
their end of the program. 
 
Time is another constraint at our busy post.  In order to 
reach non-elite audiences we should get out of the 
capital.  Organizing an event far from Amman and taking 
American visitors there is not always feasible, even if 
everything else falls into place. 
 
Question 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? 
¶A. In terms of cultural events we cannot boast of having 
overcome these constraints:  There is not a long 
tradition of private sector support for the arts.  The 
number of companies that do support the arts is small. 
We will have to invest a lot of careful work to secure 
sponsorship for events.  The same can be said of sports 
activities; only a small number of companies are 
involved.  The assumption is that the United States 
Embassy makes grants rather than requesting them.  We 
have found a public entity, the office of the mayor of 
Amman, an exception to the rule:  City Hall often comes 
through with substantial in-kind support, and the staff 
really does its organizational share of co-sponsored 
events. 
 
Hale