VZCZCXRO5288
RR RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #0257/01 0641207
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 051207Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8486
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 000257 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY) 
INFO SCA/PPD (VAN DE VATE), IIP/G/NEA-SA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO PREL TX
SUBJECT: POST OUTREACH IN TURKMENISTAN'S UNCERTAIN JANUARY 
 
REFERENCE A: ASHGABAT 00059 
REFERENCE B: ASHGABAT 00168 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (U) Post outreach in January 2007 took place in an atmosphere of 
uncertainty because of the recent death of President Saparmurat 
Niyazov.  In addition to regular post programming and post's annual 
Alumni Reunion, post hosted a number of official visits by U.S. 
Government officials, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of State 
for South and Central Asia Evan Feigenbaum, post's Information 
Resources Officer Mary Nell Bryant, and an interagency assistance 
delegation -- nearly all of whom took part in post outreach 
activities [reftels A,B].  End Summary. 
 
Information Resources Officer Meets with Alumni, Government 
------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Regional Information Resource Officer Mary Nell Bryant 
jump-started talks between the assistance delegation and the 
Ministry of Culture with her January 23 presentation on library 
partnerships at the National Library.  In the first meeting between 
post and the library's new director, Bryant introduced 20 Library 
staff to the potential of bi-national and community level library 
partnerships to help develop libraries as knowledge as well as 
community centers.  Using locally relevant examples, Bryant showed 
how libraries can partner with health organizations, businesses, 
museums and media to expand their services and broaden their reach; 
she also suggested suitable U.S. libraries for partnership with 
Turkmenistan.  The National Librarian spoke on the background and 
collections of the library and its plans for relocation to the huge 
new National Cultural Center.  IRC Assistant Azat Myradov presented 
the Library with a collection of materials from the American Library 
Association's Story Lines America program.  The Library staff's 
follow up questions revealed an enthusiastic interest in Bryant's 
ideas.  The PAO offered technical cooperation in Internet training 
(the new Center is slated to have 118 public access terminals), and 
encouraged the Director to think about possible future International 
Visitor Leadership Programs for herself or Library staff.  The event 
helped strengthen the existing ties with the National Library, at a 
key time of government transition in Turkmenistan, and provided 
several leads for follow up contact with the new Cultural Center. 
 
¶4.  (U) During her visit to Turkmenistan, Bryant also visited the 
Mary and Turkmenabat American Corners.  In Turkmenabat, the site of 
ongoing and significant harassment of Corner patrons and staff by 
local authorities, Bryant and Public Affairs Officer Andrew Paul met 
with the Head of the Lebap Region Education Department and two 
representatives of the Lebap Region governor's office in order to 
encourage a new cooperative relationship between the American Corner 
and local government, much as the U.S. policy has looked at "turning 
the page" in its relationship with Turkmenistan as a whole. 
 
¶5.  (U) Bryant used her experiences at the Corners to develop her 
presentation at the U.S. Government-sponsored Alumni Reunion held 
27-28 January in Ashgabat (septel).  There she gave a presentation 
to over 100 alumni on how to use the Information Resources Center 
and the American Corners to conduct research for alumni programming 
and grants development, and to help alumni achieve academic and 
professional development goals.  Many Reunion participants did not 
know the extent of the services available through the American 
Corners -- because post cannot advertise freely in Turkmenistan. 
This Reunion, which has become almost an annual event in 
Turkmenistan, emphasized the value of peer mentoring and community 
initiatives, while still revisiting such goals as the registration 
of a national alumni association. 
 
"Warm Springs" Engages Local Youth on Politics, Religion, and the 
Power of Will 
--------------------- 
 
¶6.  (U) "Without legs he was able to stand up for his country," 
commented one of the 13 viewers of the documentary "Warm Springs," 
screened at the Public Affairs Section on January 30.  In a 
post-film discussion moderated by English Language Fellow John Mark 
King, viewers highlighted Roosevelt's physical and spiritual 
endurance and faith in himself.  The film also spurred participants 
to reflect on Turkmenistan's first ever multi-candidate presidential 
election campaign (the election occurred February 11) as well as 
presidential elections in the United States.  One viewer noted that 
Roosevelt's comment, "the only thing we have to fear is fear 
itself," reminded him of the Prophet Mohammed's teaching that fear 
was the enemy.  Post's movie afternoons at the Public Affairs 
Section -- of which there are up to 10 each month -- provide a 
consistent and non-threatening atmosphere for discussions considered 
too risque for most public venues. 
 
Turkmenistan FLEX Alumni Mark Martin Luther King Day 
------------------------ 
 
ASHGABAT 00000257  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶7.  (U) Recent FLEX Alumni in Turkmenbashy and Mary held events to 
commemorate Martin Luther King Day on January 15.  Twenty Mary 
American Corner visitors came to hear a presentation on the Civil 
Rights Movement and participate in a discussion about the Movement 
and about the life of Dr. King.  The FLEX alumna organizing the 
event also read aloud Dr. King's "I have a Dream" speech, with 
participants reading along, in English, on handouts.  A Turkmenbashy 
FLEX alumna presented the history behind Martin Luther King day to 
seven local youth at the city's polyclinic, where many of the 
American Corner activities have been taking place.  Her presentation 
focused on the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott and other social 
action campaigns that defined the Civil Rights Movement.  FLEX 
alumni regularly give presentations at the American Corners to 
commemorate U.S. holidays and national figures, which serve as a 
historical-cultural lesson for local youth but also give the alumni 
and their peers a chance to practice their English. 
 
Mary American Corner Hosts Gender, U.S. Politics Discussions 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶8.  (U) On January 19, three Mary FLEX alumni hosted a seminar on 
"Women's Roles in Turkmenistan," for 27 visitors to the American 
Corner.  The seminar began with a review of historically significant 
Turkmen women and continued with a discussion on gender issues in 
Turkmenistan.  Alumni described how their attitudes toward gender 
issues changed after living in the United States, and how 
differently gender is perceived in America.  One of the alumni 
involved in organizing the seminar also holds a regular U.S. 
Government class at the Corner, where he incorporated discussion 
from the seminar.  The alumnus typically researches a topic of U.S. 
Government prior to the class, makes handouts on the topic and then 
leads a class and discussion.  On January 24 the alumnus focused on 
the U.S. legislative process, and explained the concept of "checks 
and balances."  Participants later discussed differences in the 
government structure of the United States and Turkmenistan. 
 
Turkmenabat Youth Debate Hard Versus Soft Sciences 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶9.  (U) On January 16, Turkmenabat Alumni Assistant Sabina 
Hojakuliyeva (FLEX '05) organized a debate club for 14 American 
Corner visitors.  After receiving information about debates and the 
rules of the club, the participants were divided into two teams and 
asked to prepare the topic, "It is more important for students to 
study history and literature than it is for them to study science 
and mathematics."  After the conclusion of the debate the teams' 
performances were discussed and the winning team was recognized. 
Result: As a result of this activity, students had a chance to 
develop their critical thinking, teamwork, public speaking, and 
English language skills. 
 
Lebap Geography and Current Events Classes Fill a Void 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶10.  (U) FLEX Alumni and two American Corner volunteers conducted 
their regular Geography and Current Events classes at the 
Turkmenabat American Corner, each of which draws about 10 local 
youth per session.  During the January 22 Geography class, the 
alumni led the participants in a trivia contest about world 
geography, which tested on such questions as the biggest countries, 
the highest population, the longest rivers, and the highest 
mountains.  The alumni then showcased one country -- Finland this 
time -- discussing its topography, population and a number of 
notable geographic and demographic features.  The January 23 Current 
Events class began with clips from BBC and Euronews (in English) 
played on the television at the American Corner.  Participants 
discussed the news they had just watched: terrorist acts in Israel, 
protests in the Czech Republic, and climate change.  Both the 
Current Events and Geography classes provide education not available 
in state schools.  The alumni and volunteers who organize the 
classes develop their leadership and English language skills while 
their "students" learn how to listen, debate and use the resources 
of the American Corners. 
 
English Language Fellow Conducts Online Lesson Plan Training 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (U) On January 29, nearly 20 secondary school teachers from 
Ashgabat, Dashoguz, Mary, and Turkmenabat participated in a live 
online workshop led by post's English Language Fellow, John Mark 
King, on how to write and use effective language presentation 
dialogues.  Teachers throughout the country and King have already 
posted 75 messages on the theme at Turkmenistan's Educational Portal 
(http://gcetm.net).  King explained in the forum how to tailor the 
dialogues used in teacher's manuals and textbooks for local 
students, and stressed the value of simplicity and repetition in 
English instruction.  King finished the 90-minute live session by 
asking teachers/students to create their own dialogues and he 
directed participants to materials for further study.  King will 
 
ASHGABAT 00000257  003 OF 003 
 
 
continue to lead the forum in a non-live format for English teachers 
throughout Turkmenistan. 
 
English Language Fellow Trains New ACCESS Program Teachers 
------------------------------ 
 
¶12.  (U) In mid-January, King held a teacher training workshop for 
the nine teachers involved in Turkmenistan's ACCESS English 
Microscholarships Program, a two-year English language scholarship 
for underprivileged youth in countries with large Muslim 
populations.  The primary source of materials for training were five 
modules selected from the Office of English Language Programs' new 
teacher training course, Shaping the Way We Teach English: 
Successful Practices Around the World.  King implemented the 
following from the course: Critical and Creative Thinking, 
Integrating Skills, Pair/Group Work, Authentic Materials and 
Contextualizing Language; King had modified the first two lessons to 
better suit local conditions.  The workshop also addressed the 
program's extracurricular component: participants planned 
out-of-classroom activities that could be accomplished near the 
location of instruction and with limited materials.  King and the 
teachers also discussed sources of additional assistance, including 
Peace Corps volunteers, the local American Corners and each other. 
The Public Affairs Section, through the English Language Fellow, 
remains the focal point of assistance and support for the ACCESS 
teachers, with the American Corners serving as the students' "second 
home" for programming. 
 
Students from Turkmenistan Join U.S., Uzbek Students in Online 
HIV/AIDS Forum 
------------------------------- 
 
¶13.  (U) Over 25 secondary school students from Ashgabat, Dashoguz, 
Mary, and Turkmenabat, Turkmenistan concluded a three-week online 
project with U.S. (Amherst, Massachusetts) and Uzbek partners at the 
Global Connections and Exchange (GCE)-Uzbekistan portal in a live 
forum on January 17 
(http://www.connectuz.net/index.php?showtopic =777).  The Integrated 
Lesson project introduced many local students to the challenge 
HIV/AIDS; local officials continue to claim only one case of the 
disease in the country's history, while independent actors suggest 
the rate is high and rising rapidly.  Students first researched the 
way the epidemic has affected African countries by visiting the 
websites of such organizations as the World Health Organization, 
Health Global Access Project, UNAIDS, and Medecins Sans Frontieres, 
and then created collages using their research and skills they 
gained from a GCE course on graphics editing.  Participants in the 
forum agreed on the need for urgent, focused prevention efforts for 
at-risk groups, as well as a public awareness campaign to help 
encourage official transparency on the topic and break down 
discrimination against people infected with AIDS.  Since October 
2006, 78 students and 13 teachers from Turkmenistan have completed 
online projects with their American counterparts under GCE. 
 
¶14.  (U) Dushanbe minimize considered. 
 
BRUSH