US embassy cable - 05MUSCAT675

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 000675 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR ECA/PE/C/CU, NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, SCUL, MU, U.S.-Oman Relations, Public Affairs 
SUBJECT: AFRICAN-AMERICAN INGENUITY IMPRESSES OMANIS 
 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1. Embassy Muscat brought a New York-based historical 
exhibition entitled "Black Inventions: Made in the USA," to 
Oman for its international debut, first in Salalah and then 
in Muscat.  The collection of original artifacts and 
replicas of items invented by African-Americans reminded 
audiences of the ethnic and racial diversity of the United 
States and tangibly demonstrated the unique contributions 
that African-Americans have made to the scientific, 
economic, and cultural development of the U.S.  Media 
coverage of the exhibition was abundant and very positive, 
with four of the six principal Omani newspapers publishing 
articles on the exhibition.  End summary. 
 
------------------------------ 
A TRIBUTE TO AFRICAN-AMERICANS 
------------------------------ 
 
2.  Following two years of intensive effort, the Embassy, in 
collaboration with the Department and the Omani Society for 
Fine Arts (OSFA), organized two viewings of the New York- 
based exhibition "Black Inventions: USA" in Salalah and 
Muscat from March 26-30 and April 2-6, respectively.  This 
was the first time the exhibition had ever been shown 
outside of the U.S.  It contained original artifacts and 
detailed replicas of items invented by African-Americans 
mostly from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as well 
as documentary films on the lives of selected inventors. 
James Ince and Steve Guine, curators of the exhibit, 
explained to groups of high school and college students 
visiting the exhibition the historical, social and cultural 
contexts in which the inventors worked. 
 
------------------ 
MAKING WORK EASIER 
------------------ 
 
3.  The exhibition, which consists of over 100 items 
designed and created by African-American men and women, 
included the traffic light invented by Peter Walker in 1925; 
the lawn sprinkler invented by J.H. Smith in 1897; the horse 
shoe invented by Oscar Brown in 1892; the pencil sharpener 
invented by J.L. Love in 1897; and the ironing board 
invented by Sarah Boone in 1882.  The curators of the 
exhibition described how many inventions grew out of 
attempts to ease the toil of labor and in other cases to 
fuel the hopes of freedom from slavery and the dream of 
escape from poverty.  Omanis also learned that most 
inventors received little benefit from their inventions. 
Many failed to patent them; others sold their ideas for 
small amounts convinced that whites would never purchase an 
item invented by an African-American. 
 
---------------------- 
MORE THAN ENTERTAINERS 
---------------------- 
 
4.  One high school student commented after viewing the 
exhibition, "Before today, I only thought of Black Americans 
as good singers, dancers, and athletes.  Now, I understand 
that they their skills and accomplishments are as important 
and varied as those of any other group."  Another student 
lamented, "It is sad that many black Americans had to sell 
their inventions for almost nothing because white people 
would not acknowledge that items invented by black people 
could be of value." 
 
--------------- 
EDUCATING YOUTH 
--------------- 
 
5.  Exhibition Curator James Ince remarked "Our aim is not 
only to give credit to the inventors, but also to inspire 
students to create, to let young people know that they can 
do anything they put their minds to."  Omani educators 
responded to this by organizing student field trips to both 
the Salalah and Muscat viewings of the exhibition to observe 
the artifacts and listen to the curators' presentations on 
African-American history.  Students from Rustaq Teachers 
College, Dhofar University, Sultan Qaboos University, the 
American International School, Muscat Private School, and 
Azzan Bin Qais School visited the exhibition.  Many of the 
students were enrolled in U.S.-related courses and saw the 
exhibition as an opportunity to enhance their understanding 
of their coursework. 
 
-------------- 
MEDIA COVERAGE 
-------------- 
 
6. Press coverage of the exhibition was ample and very 
positive including extensive quotations from the 
Ambassador's opening remarks at both the Salalah and Muscat 
openings. The English daily "Times of Oman" (circulation 
25,000) published article on the exhibition on March 26 
entitled, "Exhibition of African Items," and on April 7 the 
same newspaper ran a story, with a photograph of the 
Ambassador, entitled "Black Inventions Exhibition a Dream 
Come True For U.S. Envoy."  The English daily Oman Tribune 
(circulation 20,000) of March 26 carried an article with the 
title, "Exhibition to Shed Light on African-Americans' 
inventions."  On April 19, the English daily Oman Daily 
Observer (Circulation 20,000) printed a full-page article on 
the exhibition, which included photographs from its opening 
in Muscat, under the title "Bright and Black."  Arabic daily 
"Oman" (circulation 38,000) published a photograph of the 
exhibition opening in Salalah. 
BALTIMORE