US embassy cable - 05DJIBOUTI291

UNCLAS DJIBOUTI 000291 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE PASS TO AF; AF/E; AF/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: DJ, ET, KPAO, KQ, PREL, PTER, YM 
SUBJECT: ENGLISH CONVERSATION GROUPS: WHY WE CARE 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Public Diplomacy's effort to implement 
weekly conversation groups in each of the city's 12 private 
night schools, has revealed not only the strong desire of 
Djibouti's youth to learn English, but also the importance of 
engaging these students who span ethnic, religious, economic 
and gender groups and geographic boundaries in the Horn of 
Africa. END SUMMARY 
 
2. (U) In the past several years, Djibouti has seen a surge 
in numbers of students enrolled in English classes at the 
city's private night schools. School directors believe this 
is a direct result of the increased American presence in 
Djibouti and the potential associated economic benefits for 
those who can speak English. Students at these schools, which 
are located in most neighborhoods in the city, are a diverse 
mix of neighborhood residents, and generally fall between the 
ages of 17 and 40. 
 
3. (SBU) In January PD began to implement a plan to establish 
English conversation groups at each of these schools in 
response to requests made by a wide range of Djiboutians for 
the American Embassy to provide some means for Djiboutians to 
practice English. The PAO began by engaging directors at each 
of the schools through her contacts with the English 
Teacher's Association of Djibouti, a non-profit professional 
group nurtured to maturity through cooperation between the 
Public Diplomacy section and USAID. In addition, PD 
approached Camp Lemonier and requested CJTF-HOA develop a 
list of volunteers willing to participate in these groups as 
native English speakers. The PAO and the Office of Strategic 
Communications at CJTF-HOA (J3) have been working to address 
force protection and security issues that accompany this plan. 
 
4.(SBU) In addition to providing native English speakers for 
each of the groups, PD chooses reading materials, generally 
simple articles from Voice of America, and provides copies in 
advance to each of the groups to serve as conversation topics 
for the following weeks. In this way, the US Embassy directs 
the topics covered in the groups in a way consistent with US 
policy and goals. PD is currently negotiating with Radio 
Television Djibouti to develop an English language radio show 
which highlights the same topics on the same schedule to 
maximize the project's reach. 
 
5.(SBU) Post believes the English conversation groups serve 
three primary MPP goals. First, they encourage mutual 
understanding and promote a positive American image in the 
community. Second, they encourage additional interactions 
between the American Embassy Officers, U.S. military 
personnel and Djiboutian citizens. Third, they subtly promote 
American beliefs, values and policies, not only in the course 
of conversation but also in the reading materials. 
 
6. (SBU) Post notes that these schools are an excellent entry 
into a diverse Djiboutian society. During one group, it was 
revealed in the course of conversation that three of 
the 13 students at the group are also students at the Yemeni 
Madrassas (Koranic schools), five routinely spend summers 
with their families on the Ethiopia/Somalia border, and one 
is deaf but lip reads English. Very few other Embassy 
projects can reach such a diverse audience and at no cost. 
RAGSDALE