US embassy cable - 04PARAMARIBO527

UNCLAS  PARAMARIBO 000527 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
WHA/PD - APRUITT, MJOHNSON, ECA/PE/C/CU - SROUSE, WHA/CAR - 
MSEIBEL 
POSTS FOR PAOS/CAOS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, SOCI, NS 
SUBJECT: JAZZ AMBASSADORS THRILL CROWDS IN SURINAME, HELP 
EMBASSY SEND THE MESSAGE THAT SURINAME MATTERS TO THE U.S. 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  On July 8-11, the Embassy hosted Jazz Ambassadors 
Deborah Davis and a Few Good Men in the first ever visit of 
a Jazz Ambassadors group to Suriname.  The dynamic quartet 
thrilled school children in a workshop entitled "What is 
Jazz?," invitees to a private concert at the Ambassador's 
residence, patrons of a local nightclub with a guest 
appearance, and the wider public during a Saturday night 
concert.  Judging from the tremendous outpouring of support, 
the Jazz Ambassadors visit was a tremendous success that 
left audiences craving for more Embassy-sponsored cultural 
programs.  In turn, the Jazz Ambassadors welcomed the 
opportunity to experience Suriname's cultural diversity with 
a visit to a Maroon village.  End Summary. 
 
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FIRST-EVER VISIT OF JAZZ AMBASSADORS TO SURINAME 
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2.  Jazz Ambassadors Deborah Davis and A Few Good Men paid a 
visit to Suriname on July 8-11, the first ever such visit of 
a Jazz Ambassadors group.  Paramaribo was the first stop in 
a seven-country tour, which also includes stops in Guyana, 
Venezuela, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. 
Surinamers eagerly awaited their visit as interest in jazz 
is growing; last year, the country held its first jazz 
festival.  In addition, Surinamers have long urged the 
Embassy to carry out more cultural programming and have 
repeatedly expressed their regret over the closing of USIS 
in the mid 1990s. 
 
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REACHING OUT TO THE SUCCESSOR GENERATION 
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3.  On July 9, the first day of their two-day program, the 
Jazz Ambassadors conducted a workshop entitled "What is 
Jazz?" for fifty music students and teachers from two junior 
high schools, Calor and Asin, with which the Embassy has an 
active outreach program.  The group provided an informal 
overview of the history and elements of jazz and explained 
the importance of improvization.  The Jazz Ambassadors also 
impressed the students with several songs, which led one 
student who believed that jazz is meant for mature audiences 
to declare, "I never knew jazz sounded like that."  To the 
Embassy's delight, one radio announcer present at the 
workshop expressed his amazement at the group's high caliber 
over the air. 
 
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WOWING THE CROWDS 
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4.  Later that evening the Jazz Ambassadors performed a 
concert for 80 of Suriname's most prominent government 
officials, politicians, entrepreneurs, and other notables, 
including First Lady Liesbeth Venetiaan.  At the 
Ambassador's residence, their presentation elicited nodding 
heads, tapping feQ, a standing ovation, and rounds of 
applause from those assembled.  Many invitees later 
expressed their gratitude to the Embassy for the rare treat. 
A prominent surgeon who is a jazz aficionado stressed that 
it was important for Surinamers to hear what music of the 
highest caliber sounds like so that they can aspire to 
perform at that level.  Others echoed his sentiments at 
Rumors, Suriname's premier jazz club, during the Jazz 
Ambassadors' guest appearance there. 
 
5.  The following night the Jazz Ambassadors performed for a 
maximum crowd of 550 at the Torarica hotel.  According to 
the group, the crowd's positive reactions exceeded their 
expectations.  They noted that, when Davis indicated that 
the show was over, the crowd chanted "no" several times and 
remained standing in place until Davis and the group 
returned to the stage.  Given this tremendous outpouring of 
support, Davis and the group performed an additional three 
songs and shared with the crowd their appreciation for the 
crowd's support, which they said made the visit to Suriname, 
their first stop, memorable. 
 
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VISIT TO A MAROON VILLAGE 
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6.  Before their departure, the Jazz Ambassadors visited 
Santigron, a Maroon village located one hour away from the 
capital.  (Note:  Maroons are descendants of slaves who fled 
into the jungle to escape slavery.  End Note.)  The group 
toured the village, listened to an impromptu drum 
presentation, and saw a traditional dance performed by 
children.  The group met with a singer and a village captain 
and his wife who asked Davis to sing for them.  For her 
efforts, Davis received approval and a bear hug from the 
captain's wife.  The group welcomed this unique experience, 
which one member described as a visit within a visit -- an 
unexpected stop in Africa here in Suriname -- and expressed 
general wonder at Suriname's culturally diverse population. 
 
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COMMENT 
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7.  The Jazz Ambassadors' visit to Suriname was an 
unqualified success.  At a time when the U.S. is pressing 
the GOS to take a number of actions which do not have public 
support, e.g. Article 98, road realignment, this display of 
"soft power" was a welcome indication that the U.S. cares 
about Suriname.  Suriname remains a somewhat difficult 
public diplomacy environment given Surinamers' tendency to 
oppose U.S. foreign policy and to question U.S. motives. 
Suriname is of particular interest to us given its sizeable 
Muslim population, its membership in the Organization of 
American States, and its potential energy reserves, Embassy 
would like to make a Jazz Ambassadors visit an annual event. 
It is a good investment.  Embassy highly recommends Deborah 
Davis and a Few Good Men for future State Department- 
sponsored appearances given their musical talents and their 
ability to mix well with locals.  Embassy also thanks Sandra 
Rouse, Audrey Pruitt, and WHA/PD for making the initiative 
possible.  End Comment. 
 
BARNES 
 
 
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