VZCZCXYZ0028
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPO #0336 2331825
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201825Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0320

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000336 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT WHA/PDA for Chad West and WHA/CAR for Jackie Rosholt and Renee 
Ragin 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OEXC SCUL NS
 
SUBJECT:  The Show Must Go On: Jones Entertains Hundreds Despite 
Personal Tragedy 
 
¶1.  (U)  This cable is a program evaluation for the Performing Arts 
Initiative program bringing Kevin Jones to Suriname. 
 
¶A.  Name of Speaker:  Kevin Jones 
 
¶B.  Dates of Program:  July 2 - July 5 2008 
 
¶C.  MSP Theme Addressed: Goal #1, mutual U.S./Suriname appreciation 
and respect contributing to a more effective partnership. 
 
¶D.  Summary: Kevin Jones traveled to Suriname and performed for over 
800 guests on the 4th of July.  In addition, he met and "jammed" 
with local musicians twice and held an informal tutorial session 
with local teenagers.  Unfortunately, Jones' mother fell ill just 
before his scheduled departure, and he delayed his departure by two 
days to be with her.  Jones' mother died while Jones was in 
Suriname, forcing the cancellation of most of the other events on 
his schedule.  However, Jones went ahead with four other scheduled 
events before departing for the United States literally a few hours 
after his last performance: a joint appearance with 23 Surinamese 
colleagues for an audience of over 800. 
 
¶E.  Audience reached and size:  Jones reached audience members from 
all levels of Surinamese society, and from all age groups from teens 
to senior citizens.  From his small-group session chatting about 
music with local teens, to his performance for hundreds of guests 
including Vice President of Suriname Ramdien Sardjoe, Kevin 
maintained his professionalism despite his personal loss.  The 
Embassy was very grateful to Kevin for his choice to go through with 
his commitment to perform for a large and diverse audience of over 
800 on the 4th of July, and to interact with three smaller, more 
personal groups of between five and twenty-five individuals. 
 
¶F.  Effectiveness of the performer in communicating intended 
messages to target audience:  Selected not only for his musical 
talent but also for his personality, charm, and teaching skills, 
Jones came through on all counts.  Thrust into a group of 
twenty-three percussionists with whom he had never played and asked 
to be the "center piece," Kevin's skills were evident as he 
performed front and center during the concert, and also performed 
multiple duets with members of the band, thereby putting an 
exclamation point behind Post's intended message of diverse cultures 
and nations working together in unison.  In the small group session, 
Kevin demonstrated his personal charm and teaching instincts by 
within minutes coaxing a group of initially hesitant teenagers to 
laugh and chat freely with him.  We would love to bring Kevin again, 
and recommend him to other Posts. 
 
¶G.  Type and Quality of Department support:  Post is very grateful 
to Chad West of WHA/PDA for his assistance in putting this program 
together, and very pleased to have been selected for this 
programming, which was key to our ongoing message. 
 
¶H.  Impact:  For nearly two years, Post has sought to underline the 
message that the United States shares much with Suriname, including 
cultural diversity, and that the "many faces" of the United States 
include an enormous wealth of expertise and cultural inheritance 
that many foreign audiences would not immediately recognize as 
stereotypically "American."  Jones understood this message 
immediately and fit himself into the execution perfectly.  The "hot 
wash" consensus from Post staff on Kevin's performance was that many 
of those who attended his performance enjoyed it because it was 
"something different" -- exactly the point.  Thus, through Jones' 
interactions with everyone from the movers and shakers of Surinamese 
society to young people and musicians, the Embassy was able to 
cement its reputation -- and by extension the reputation of the 
United States -- for performance excellence, inclusivity, and 
diversity. 
 
SCHREIBERHUGHES 
 
 
 
 
S:\POL-ECON\Cables\Cables\2008 cables\2008-08-18 Cable PAI 
Jones.doc