VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHNR #0024/01 0061343
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061343Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8144
INFO RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0384
RUEHDJ/AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI 5515
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM 6293
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 3122
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 2276

UNCLAS NAIROBI 000024 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PPD ANYASO, EHRNMAN, WHITMAN, KELLEY; ECA/PE/C/CU 
BARROSSE; IIP/SV BANDLER 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: OEXC SCUL KPAO
 
SUBJECT: Cultural Programs Keep Embassy Nairobi Busy in 1st Qtr 
 
1) Summary.  Embassy Nairobi's Public Affairs Section began the new 
fiscal year with robust programming, despite fiscal constraints and 
intense planning for the huge embassy November elections program. 
Programming touched on multiple genres - dance, music, education, 
film, cultural preservation, press workshops, and more - and reached 
a wide audience, with a large concentration on youth. The seemingly 
"soft" programming supported major post priorities including 
counterterrorism; transparent, accountable democratic institutions; 
education and health; and mutual understanding with a special focus 
on youth audiences.  Virtually all the cultural events received wide 
media coverage in TV, radio, and print media.  While our efforts 
have helped extend our reach this quarter, we have done so with 
human rather than fiscal resources.  If future funding does not meet 
our human expenditure we will be forced to rein in our programming 
in the very near term. End summary. 
 
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DIALOGUE AND DEMONSTRATIONS OF DEMOCRACY - 6,000+ REACHED 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
2)  Leading up to the elections, PAS organized an outreach program 
that sent Mission staff from several agencies and departments to 
high schools, universities, civil society, and institutions around 
the country to engaging Kenyan students and professionals (including 
USG exchange program alumni) in discussions about the U.S. 
elections.  Mission personnel spent 2-3 hours on each visit 
answering questions, listening to opinions and challenging 
misconceptions about American society and democracy through the 
unique lens of the Obama campaign. Coordinated by the Information 
Resource Center (IRC) team, officers reached over 6,000 young people 
in this first-ever, embassy-wide public diplomacy effort. 
 
3)  Embassy elections outreach culminated in an audience of 
thousands of students, educators, businesspeople, government 
representatives, foreign diplomats, and more crowding the 
Ambassador's residence from 5 a.m. to watch the historic election 
returns on numerous big screens. A PAS-driven mission-wide effort, 
the elections program was a bubble of activity: several big TV 
screens broadcast live returns, aired IIP DVDs about the candidates 
and pre-recorded campaign debates; students took part in interactive 
webchats and webcasts on special workstations; embassy staff used a 
huge electoral map to explain the process as it unfolded; and 
hundreds of voters (all Kenyan) waited in line to cast their ballots 
in two authentic-looking voting booths.  Over 500 voters, including 
many of the students, Nobel Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, Cabinet 
ministers and others cast their ballots in our straw vote, almost 
unanimously for their "native son," reflecting the general euphoria 
that "one of their own" would be President.  This entire al fresco 
classroom on democracy at work was in stark contrast to the violence 
that had erupted following Kenya's controversial elections in 2007. 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
HUMANITY IN HARMONY: COUNTERING TERRORISM THROUGH ARTS 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
4) On October 25, Embassy Nairobi sponsored local arts center Paa Ya 
Paa's 7th annual Daniel Pearl World Music Days celebration.  This 
year the Embassy encouraged Paa Ya Paa to broaden its guest list and 
artist participation, which resulted in a magnificent display of 
music and art. Over 250 people showed up to watch several bands, a 
child trumpeter, poets, and dancers perform in celebration of 
"harmony for humanity."  Guests also enjoyed an art exhibition 
inspired by the theme.  Two days later, Paa Ya Paa showed the film 
"A Mighty Heart," that recounts the story of Daniel Pearl's life and 
death.  PAO and CAO were interviewed on two different radio 
stations, and two TV stations covered the event on their arts 
magazines, citing the need to overcome the hatred that caused Daniel 
Pearl's death and out mutual and worldwide efforts to find harmony 
in our diverse cultures and beliefs. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
AMERICAN CULTURE COMES ALIVE THROUGH MUSIC, DANCE 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
5)  From November 13 to 20 the U.S. Air Force Central Expeditionary 
Band, "Dune," entertained thousands of Kenyans of all ages 
throughout Nairobi and in several nearby towns, earning rave reviews 
from all who had this rare opportunity.  Ambassador Ranneberger 
hosted an eclectic mix of embassy contacts, including several young 
artists and performers from Nairobi's slums.  In a gesture of 
friendship and mutual understanding, Dune shared the stage with the 
Kenyan Army Band for a few numbers, and a local Kenyan artist sang 
Tina Turner's "Respect," as the crowd got to its feet and danced the 
night away.  The band then went on tour playing for: 300 students in 
Machakos, a town south of Nairobi; 200 students at Kenyatta 
University in Nairobi; 200 slum youngsters at a youth program in 
downtown Nairobi; and to over 1,200 students at Egerton University 
in Nakuru in the Rift Valley.  Two band members and the CAO took 
full advantage of interviews on the Kenyatta U student radio station 
to explain America's interest in engaging with Kenyans on a variety 
of levels to advance mutual understanding and friendship. 
 
6) From October 25 to 29, three solo contemporary dancers engaged 
Kenyan dancers in a series of workshops that took place at two major 
arts centers in Nairobi.  Anna Glass, Brooklyn's 651 Arts Manager, 
accompanied the group and facilitated a conversation with 40 artists 
about contemporary dance, arts management, and international 
opportunities for artists. The four-day program culminated in a 
performance where American and Kenyan artists shared the stage for 
performance and post-performance discussion.  Embassy Nairobi is 
grateful for ECA's Performing Arts Initiative (PAI) grant that 
enabled this excellent program to take place in Tanzania and Kenya 
this year.  Anna Glass was featured prominently in a local daily 
article, and many artists felt the Embassy's presence and interest 
in Kenya's dance scene. 
 
------------- 
FIGHTING AIDS 
------------- 
 
7)  On December 1, World AIDS Day, the U.S. Embassy supported the 
first Kenyan screening of "A Grandmother's Tribe," a film that 
documents the plight of aging Kenyan grandmothers forced to raising 
their grandchildren orphaned by the deaths of the parents from AIDS. 
 Through PEPFAR funding, the Embassy helped the filmmakers bring 
this moving documentary back to Kenya, premiering it first in a 
local movie theatre, and then back to where it was filmed, in 
Kibera, Kenya's largest slum, and Mudoba Village in western Kenya. 
Over 3,000 people attended the screenings, which received excellent 
print coverage.  Private TV station Citizen broadcast the film on 
national television on Christmas day.  The Ambassador, PEPFAR 
Director, and CAO were interviewed for a follow-on feature length 
film due to come out next year. 
 
----------------- 
ACADEMIC OUTREACH 
----------------- 
 
8)  With our new Alumni Coordinator on board as of September, 
Embassy alumni programming has increased exponentially!  Events 
kicked off with a Humphrey-Fulbright Alumni Association reception in 
September, where over 30 people gathered, many for their first ever 
alumni event.  In October, over 30 alumni gathered for a lively 
pre-U.S. presidential elections panel discussion.  On November 19, 
Fulbright alumni at Kenyatta University launched an alumni chapter, 
and in early December, Fulbright alumni on the coast gathered in 
Mombasa to discuss opening their own chapter.  In every case, there 
was a dynamic mix of young and older alumni sharing their 
experiences and looking for more opportunities to engage with the 
Embassy and with their colleagues for the Embassy. 
 
9)  On November 24, Education USA's Educational Advisor, Mari Nelson 
organized an International Education Week program at the 
International School of Kenya.  Students from a school in the 
Mathare slum joined international students to listen to Kenyan and 
American music performed by a local choir and a band from the coast. 
 They also took part in the open-ended discussion of the value of a 
U.S. education, in which students were encouraged to use the 
Education USA services to look into the possibilities of studying in 
the U.S. 
 
10)  Meanwhile, U.S. Fulbright scholars and researchers trickled in 
from August through December, with a few more scheduled to arrive in 
the New Year.  The CAO hosted American Fulbrighters at her home in 
November for an opportunity to share experiences and challenges. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
NURTURING CULTURE: ENVOYS, GRANTS, AND MEDIA OUTREACH 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
11) One would assume that culture is natural to all societies but 
highlighting and preserving it sometimes takes a little mote time, 
money and effort. Robert Bangiola worked for a month with the staff 
of the Trust for African Rock Art (TARA) helping develop their 
potential as purveyors of a specific part of Kenyan culture.  A 
sensitive, engaging personality, Bob immersed himself in TARA and 
the great Kenyan cultural community to ensure that his counsel was 
context specific.  Offline, Bob made consulted with other arts 
centers in Nairobi and with the CAO, sharing advice and suggestions 
on how better to manage arts organizations in Kenya.  Bob's impact 
was felt beyond TARA, and his easy manner and giving nature 
furthered USG interests for promoting mutual understanding in Kenya. 
 Embassy Nairobi is grateful for the ECA Cultural Envoy program, 
which enabled us to expand our engagement with the art world and put 
it on an even more solid foundation for future activities. 
 
12)  On the last day of the 8th Annual Lamu Cultural Festival, which 
PAS continues to fund, Ambassador Ranneberger presented Kenya's 
National Museums chairman with a $47,241 Ambassadors Fund for 
Cultural Preservation (AFCP) grant in a ceremony at the Lamu Museum. 
 Nicely complementing the festival's commitment to preserving 
Swahili culture, the grant will be used to rehabilitate the Lamu 
Museum building and preserve archaic handwritten Swahili texts. 
Both print and broadcast media covered the event. 
 
13)  On December 11 the Embassy press section hosted 13 journalists 
who often cover cultural programming for a luncheon-workshop with 
former AP reporter Susan Linee, who led the journalists in a 
discussion about the challenges they face in reporting on cultural 
programs.  Cultural events, especially in remote areas, get short 
shrift from editors and reporters are often only paid for their time 
and work IF the editor sees fit to use it. The journalists discussed 
strategies for dealing with editors and discussed the importance of 
treating cultural stories as any other: citing the five "w's" and 
"h;" confirming facts, and finding an angle.  Journalists were 
appreciative that embassy CAO attended, noting that for many this 
was the first time they had met an American cultural attache. 
Participants were enthusiastic about the workshop and very much 
appreciated the opportunity to come together to discuss challenges, 
frustrations, and strategies with a journalism expert and with each 
other. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
INTERAGENCY EFFORTS TO COMBAT GENDER VIOLENCE 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
14) PAS, working together with USAID and the Department of Justice 
(DOJ), led the Embassy's 16-day campaign against Gender-Based 
Violence.  In Kenya, almost half of women, regardless of status or 
ethnicity, are the victims of physical, verbal, psychological, or 
sexual violence.   During the 16-day period, Embassy Nairobi 
launched a series of programs that reached out to all spheres of 
professionals working on combating gender-based violence.  On 
November 24, PAS hosted a seminar for twenty journalists with U.S. 
legal experts to sensitize the media to the issue and to encourage 
focused and responsible reporting.  Two days later, the Embassy 
hosted a DVC connecting a Paris-based expert with Kenyan 
professionals to discuss prevention, best practices for education 
and outreach, treatment and recovery, and law enforcement.  On 
December 9, PAS and LEGATT co-sponsored a workshop aimed at 
assisting the Kenyatta and Nairobi hospitals in their efforts to 
create "one-stop" abuse help centers.  This was part of the Women's 
Justice and Empowerment program, which trains police and prosecutors 
on best practices in the areas of police response, forensics, 
pre-trial measures, and victim and witness protection.  On December 
6-8, PAS placed an Ambassadorial op-ed on the need to combat 
gender-based violence in the top five Kenyan dailies. 
 
-------------------------------- 
FUNDING WOES, BUT OPTIMISM GROWS 
-------------------------------- 
 
Kenya is in the midst of a cultural renaissance, spurred not least 
by the 2007 post-election violence, which opened up new avenues for 
artistic expression.  The possibilities to engage artists, 
performers, educators, students, journalists, and others on 
virtually all our priority themes are virtually limitless - with the 
sad proviso that we haven't the human and, especially, fiscal 
resources to engage as we would like. We are will continue to make 
full use of ECA and IIP funds and resources to bring artists and 
speakers for programming throughout Kenya in the rest of the fiscal 
year.  Our limitation, however, is a lack of post programming funds 
that may well stop our efforts in mid-stride.  We have no money to 
fund local projects that would greatly enhance our relationship with 
both the youth and Muslim communities or even to send personnel 
outside the capital on programs such as a scheduled follow-up 
election/transition speakers tours.  Our lack of an appropriate and 
accessible programming venue also cuts into our ability to bring 
prospective audiences to us.  Nonetheless, we are committed to 
making the most of the funding we have and looking for creative ways 
to reach out to larger numbers of people in the next quarters. 
 
RANNEBERGER