VZCZCXRO4878
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHKU #0942/01 2480522
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 040522Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2065
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000942 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ECA/PE/C/CU; NEA/PPD (David Benze); R; NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OEXC SCUL KPAO KU
SUBJECT:  KUWAIT REQUESTS PARTICIPATION IN THE RHYTHM ROAD AMERICAN 
MUSIC ABROAD PROGRAM'S NEW SEASON 
 
REF: State 090853 
 
SUMMARY 
- 
¶1. (U): Embassy Kuwait requests participation in the Rhythm Road 
American Music Abroad Program during the winter of 2009, preferably 
at the end of January.  This year, we would like to host a Country 
and Western, or Bluegrass quartet, for a total of three programming 
days.  Our audience will consist of important contacts of the 
Mission, participants in our various youth programs (such as ACCESS 
and YES), alumni of our citizen exchange programs, local educators, 
professionals, as well as local musicians and music aficionados. 
End summary. 
- 
PROGRAM OVERVIEW 
- 
¶2. (U) We propose a three-day program, not counting travel days, 
that would feature the group on the first day performing in a 
combined jam session with local musicians, at a venue that might 
also include some our U.S. military personnel, either in the 
audience or on the stage; with the last two days of the Kuwait leg 
of the tour devoted to one public concert on each evening, and a 
morning visit to a local high school on each day.  The timing of the 
event is important to us as January 31 is the anniversary of the 
murder at the hands of Al-Qaeda of American journalist Daniel Pearl, 
a personal friend of our Ambassador, who would like us to use the 
performances to memorialize this event.  The Hawthorn Hotel, the 
site of our very successful performances of the Exegesis Jazz Band 
last year, will be the public venue.  Our preferred days for the 
concerts would be Wednesday, January 28 to Friday, January 30. If 
these dates are not available, we would like to schedule the group 
on the same days of the week, as close to the end of January time 
frame as possible. 
- 
KUWAIT MSP GOAL NO. 4: EXPAND PROFESSIONAL AND SOCIAL TIES BASED ON 
SHARED CORE VALUES 
- 
¶3. (U) Because of objections by religious conservatives, public 
musical performances have long been a sensitive issue in Kuwait. 
Heretofore, Post has tried various expedients to put them before 
Kuwaiti audiences, such as organizing sudden appearances in the 
shopping malls or hosting them at private residences, but for the 
first time last year, with the Exegesis Jazz Quartet, we programmed 
a musical group in a local hotel, in a nineteenth-floor venue that, 
with its spectacular panoramic views of the Kuwait City skyline, was 
reminiscent of a western-style jazz club experience.  This year, we 
want to repeat this experience with a Country and Western or 
Bluegrass quartet.  In particular, we hope to expand the desire of 
ordinary Kuwaitis for a more relaxed public atmosphere in which 
musical performances can be openly appreciated as well as encourage 
those Kuwaitis who have already gone out on a limb for this cause. 
At our last Rhythm Road event, several Kuwaitis familiar with 
American music expressed great interest in Country and Western or 
Bluegrass music for the next tour. 
- 
INVOLVING YOUNG PEOPLE 
- 
¶4. (U) We were able to attract about ninety young people from the 
ACCESS English-language program to the last Rhythm Road event and 
are optimistic that we can do so again.  These are 14-16 year old 
high school students from less advantaged backgrounds who live in 
the outlying areas of Kuwait.  As youth under the age of twenty-five 
comprise about sixty percent of Kuwait's population, reaching this 
audience while also engaging educators and those who influence 
youth, will allow us to amplify the program's message of cross 
cultural empathy among the next generation of Kuwaitis who have no 
personal memory of the American-led liberation of Kuwait in 1991. 
- 
INVOLVING LOCAL MUSICIANS 
- 
¶5. (U) Last year's Exegesis Jazz Band event was very successful 
because the performers demonstrated their interest in learning about 
the culture of Kuwait and the important role that music plays in its 
traditions.  We hope that the joint session we are planning on day 
one will make the same point.  Involving local musicians in a 
"jam-session" or consecutively interspersed "sets" with our visiting 
quartet would allow us to promote the notion that Americans are 
interested in new styles of music from the Arab world and thereby 
encourage a reciprocating intercultural empathy on the Kuwaiti side. 
 Presenting these types of musical events, which are always 
well-attended by Kuwaitis, will thus allow us to continue to break 
down the anti-western cultural bias of conservatives within our host 
country. 
- 
INVOLVING U.S TROOPS 
- 
¶6. (U) Post is also considering ways to encourage more cultural 
interfacing between the U.S. troops based in Kuwait and the local 
population.  We are hopeful that we can find a way to use this 
program to showcase some of the musical talent in the Country and 
 
KUWAIT 00000942  002 OF 002 
 
 
Western or Bluegrass tradition that may already exist among members 
our military community.  If so, we might ask to have one or more of 
the troops perform with the Rhythm Road quartet in a special session 
on one of the days of their Kuwait tour that would demonstrate just 
how vibrant a contemporary art form this genre of music is. 
- 
ITINERARY 
- 
¶7. (U) The proposed itinerary follows: 
- 
-- Tuesday, January 27: Quartet arrives Kuwait. 
- 
-- Wednesday January 28: Practice jam session and/or alternating 
demonstrations with local musicians and possibly U.S. military 
performers or attendees, in the afternoon or evening. 
- 
-- Thursday, January 29 and Friday, January 30: Both evenings would 
be devoted to concerts at the Hawthorn Hotel dedicated to the memory 
of slain American journalist Daniel Pearl.  We are also considering 
bringing the quartet to local high schools on one or both days, to 
conduct musical workshops and give a talk on their music. 
- 
-- Saturday, January 31: Quartet leaves Kuwait for next post. 
- 
POST SUPPORT 
- 
¶8. (U) Post is prepared to take an active role in the advertising, 
preparation, presentation, security and technical aspects of all the 
events associated with this program. 
- 
A FINAL NOTE 
- 
¶9. (U) Regardless of the musical genre of the next tour to this 
region, we are very eager to host the next "Rhythm Road" quartet. 
 
JONES