VZCZCXRO6942
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHKU #4654/01 3500643
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160643Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7893
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004654 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR R, NEA/PPD (DBENZE), ECA/A/S/A, ECA/A/L, IIP/G/NEA 
(SLECHTENBERG-KASTEN), IIP/T, NEA/PI, NEA/P, NEA/ARP (BJACKSON) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC OEXC KPAO SCUL OIIP XF KU
SUBJECT: WINNING MASS AUDIENCES - THE U.S. PRESENCE AT THE 2006 
KUWAIT INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR 
 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY: On November 21, the Ambassador participated in the 
opening ceremony of Kuwait's 31st International Book Fair.  Embassy 
Kuwait was the sole Western presence during the 10-day exhibition 
that attracted tens of thousands of Kuwaiti visitors.  Public 
Affairs offered more than 120 RBO, IIP, and ECA titles, 
English-teaching materials, American titles in Arabic and English on 
U.S. history, culture, business, and government and provided 
information on study in the U.S.  Hundreds of teachers, 
professionals, and students of all ages visited the U.S. booth until 
it closed on December 1, presenting the Post with an ideal public 
outreach opportunity.  END SUMMARY 
 
¶2.  COMMENT: Embassy Public Affairs staff mounted an exhibit of 
American titles at the 31st Kuwait International Book Fair, November 
21 through December 2.  The Embassy's presence at the international 
book fair was significant for both cultural and political reasons. 
The conservative Islamic publishing houses had a far greater 
representation at the book fair than any other group.  Over the past 
10 years, Kuwait has been witness to a notable increase in 
conservatism and censorship, including the banning of American 
titles for the book fair in prior years.  The U.S. presence at the 
annual Kuwait international book fair is desirable and necessary to 
offer Kuwaiti readers an alternative to the offering of mounds of 
conservative Islamic publications from regionally based publishing 
houses. 
 
Presenting a Buffet of Educational Materials 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  The Embassy's 15-meter-square booth at the 2006 International 
Book Fair in Kuwait, set up next to the display arranged by the 
Republic of China, was twice as large as the previous year's space. 
Post's representation featured two attention-grabbing six-foot tall 
banners underscoring the "Study in the U.S." and "See You in the 
U.S." themes as well as a "Discover America" backdrop.  The American 
Embassy's display, installed by Public Affairs staff on November 21, 
included attractive samples of IIP's "Outlining America" series, 
InfoUSA CD-ROMs, the last remaining copies of "Hi" magazine, and 
colorful reproductions of the popular e-Journals "See You in the 
U.S.A." and "College and University Education in the United States." 
 Arabic translations of American titles from Regional Book Offices 
(RBOs) in Amman and Cairo served as an attractive and effective 
stage set for Embassy staff distributing locally produced bookmarks 
touting web sites for Al Hurra, Radio Sawa, and USInfo.  Others 
handed visitors Study in the U.S. brochures and Web resources cards. 
 Meanwhile, Embassy and AMIDEAST PowerPoint presentations ran in the 
foreground explaining the visa process, displaying attractive scenes 
of America, highlighting current Embassy programs, and encouraging 
study at American colleges and universities. 
 
An Auspicious Beginning 
----------------------- 
 
¶4.  The Secretary General of the National Council for Culture, Arts, 
and Letters, Mr. Beder Al-Refay, accompanied by the Ambassador, 
inaugurated Kuwait's 31st International Book Fair with a press 
conference followed by a special visit to the U.S. Embassy booth. 
This was a major change from the prior year, when the Minister of 
Commerce and Industry cut the ribbon with little fanfare--suggesting 
a diminished profile for the fair.  In 2006, however, the press 
conference and VIP lounge on the opening day of the fair, 
accompanied by a speech and visit to some of the high profile booths 
by the Secretary General implied a larger importance and public 
profile for the Book Fair. 
 
English and Arabic Best Sellers 
------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  The Embassy booth sold 582 books - 515 Arabic translations of 
American titles and 67 books in English and English teaching 
materials.  The three most popular American titles in Arabic were: 
 1- "The American Revolution" 
 2- "Ella Enchanted" 
 3- "Politics and Religion in the United States" 
 
The "Outline" series remained a fast-moving product in both Arabic 
and English. 
 
Engaging and Influencing Target Audiences 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  Of the 50-65,000 visitors to the Book Fair, hundreds were 
students on field trips bused to the fair by Government schools each 
morning.  Normally inaccessible to Embassy programs, public school 
students perused titles, collected bookmarks and brochures, sought 
educational counseling and stood glued to the PowerPoint 
presentations.  One 13-year-old girl whose father studied in America 
spoke at length with an FSN and stated that her dream was to obtain 
her doctorate from a university in the U.S.  This annual fair 
 
KUWAIT 00004654  002 OF 002 
 
 
provides Public Affairs with entree to thousands of potential 
students and travelers to American destinations.  The event is an 
excellent opportunity to influence and engage multiple target 
audiences in Kuwaiti society, especially in academia and the media. 
 
Each One Teach One 
-------------------- 
 
¶6.  The early morning school visits organized by the Government of 
Kuwait provided an opportunity to reach both students and teachers. 
The teachers requested a variety of English language teaching 
resources and sought additional English language teaching materials 
for younger students.  For the teachers unable to attend in the 
morning with their students, the evenings and weekends provided 
further opportunities to gather materials for their classrooms.  The 
most popular books for English teachers were "Talking English," 
"Something to Crow About," and "Changing Perspectives." 
 
Target of Opportunity 
--------------------- 
 
¶7.  Six hundred back-issues of "Hi" magazine obtained from the 
regional distributor were freely offered to customers, including 
conservatively dressed women with covered faces, who appeared quite 
curious about the information available in the magazine.  The book 
fair also provided an opportunity to encourage study, travel, and 
business opportunities in the U.S.  The Public Affairs Section 
staffed the booth, answering frequently asked questions regarding 
short- and long-term educational and business opportunities as well 
as tourism in the U.S.  Visitors would have been well rewarded for 
their efforts had there been a presence from Consular Affairs, the 
Foreign Commercial Service and AMIDEAST.  Unfortunately, budgetary 
pressures did not permit the additional staff during the book fair. 
 
 
Looking Toward the Future 
------------------------- 
 
¶8.  The international book fair provides insight into expanding the 
services and materials of Public Affairs.  The English and Arabic 
versions of U.S. maps, InfoUSA CD-ROM disks, Mosques in America 
posters, and the IIP "Outlining America" series appealed most to 
Kuwaiti customers, whereas, they found the three-year-old copies of 
the brochure "Muslim Life in America" outdated and disappointing. 
The questions most frequently asked of the Public Affairs staff were 
"How do I study in the U.S.?", "Where are the best tourist 
destinations?", and "How do I get a U.S. visa?"  In preparing for 
the book fair next year, Post intends to expand this outreach 
opportunity, offer a wider variety of products, and invite greater 
participation by Mission and AMIDEAST colleagues. 
 
Tueller