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DE RUEHPO #0024 0212041
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 212041Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0521
INFO RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY
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UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000024 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
WHA/CAR FOR JROSHOLT 
WHA/PDA FOR CWEST 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL NS
SUBJECT: EMBASSY-ORGANIZED EVENT BRINGS THE INAUGURATION 
EXPERIENCE TO 1000+ SURINAMERS 
 
 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  On January 20, approximately 1,000 
Surinamers (in a country of 500,000) attended the Embassy's 
Inauguration Day event, which included American franchise 
vendors and large-screen broadcasts.  The overwhelming 
positive and widespread media coverage reached even more in 
all corners of Suriname.  In addition, Post received high and 
wide praise for opening the event to the general public. 
President Venetiaan attended and also made unprecedented 
positive remarks about the United States and its new 
President.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Strong Surinamese interest in President Obama as the 
first U.S. African-American President transcended the usual 
Surinamese cynicism of U.S. politics.  Although Suriname 
boasts a multi-racial population, its history of Dutch slave 
plantations fostered a resonance in the public with Barack 
Obama being the first African-American President -- which 
resulted in Surinamese Obama Mania.  Surinamers have high 
hopes and expectations for Obama's presidency, although many 
of these appear to be based more in his being identified as 
an African-American president than with his proposed 
policies.  Leading up to inauguration day, local stores 
carried "Yes We Can" bracelets and Obama T-Shirts, and some 
bookshops carried displays of books on Obama (in Dutch). 
 
¶3. (SBU) Approximately 1,000 Surinamers, in a nation of 
500,000, attended Post's free Inauguration Event.  Suriname 
has a very small American expatriate community, and the 
majority of the attendees were Surinamers.  When Obama was 
sworn in as President, the Surinamese crowd stood up en masse 
and applauded loudly.  In addition to Obama T-shirts and 
caps, some in the audience waved American flags or carried 
pictures of Obama.   Several vendors sold, provided coupons, 
or donated American products to the audience. 
 
¶4. (SBU) President Venetiaan, who shows little warmth 
publicly for the United States, remarked at the event "it was 
a special moment when Obama presented himself as the 
President of the United States, a nation of unity, but we do 
not forget the history of black people on this continent, or 
the history of black people in the United States  of America. 
 Therefore, this is a special moment because we have seen the 
peaceful transition in unity of power of the President of the 
United States from George Bush to Barack Obama, from a white 
man to an African-American, expressing to us that we have 
reached a state in this hemisphere that the power can be held 
by any person, a great example also for our nation, Suriname. 
 We congratulate the United States of America.  Today, we, 
together with all the Americans, celebrate this moment and 
look forward and pray for the success of this man, Barack 
Hussein Obama, not only for the success for his nation, the 
United States of America, but for our world."  President 
Venetiaan's remarks were carried by both the print and 
television media. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The U.S. inauguration dominated the print media on 
January 20 and 21.  Post's event "localized" the U.S. 
inauguration, and three of four newspapers featured Post's 
event on the front page.  The remaining newspaper used the 
local event as its "centerfold" story.  A January 21 morning 
tally showed that 13 of 48 photographs, and 7 of 21 articles, 
were generated by the local media. 
 
6.(SBU) The Ambassador and other officers' flurry of 
interviews also generated abundant television coverage of the 
inauguration and Embassy event.  Although Post did not 
complete a final tally of all television inauguration 
coverage, all five of Suriname's major television channels 
(ATV, Sky, Apinti, STVS, and ABC) dedicated most of their 
newscasts to the inauguration and the Embassy event.  Two 
channels additionally covered the event in their current 
affairs programs.  The daily Ten Minute Youth Journal devoted 
its program entirely to the inauguration, and included an 
interview of the Ambassador as well as interviews of children 
who attended Post's event.  Post's LES PD Assistant was 
featured in one special broadcast as well. 
SCHREIBER HUGHES