State Department

2006-07-05T22:22:00.000-05:00

In response to
http://uscpublicdiplomacy.com/index.php/newsroom/pdblog_detail/060705_public_diplomacys_mid_year_report_card/

I agree that State is failing in its Public Diplomacy initiatives and I have seen budgets dwindle dramatically over the past three years in particular. I have been working in the Cultural Diplomacy field with USIA and now State in over 85 countries since 1991. My rich experience in contributing to Public Diplomacy through cultural programs, American music and dance specifically, (www.americanvoices.org for the curious) leaves me with the opinion that outreach through mass media is good, but we need much more exchange, cultural and speaker programs to be truly effective.

In my line of work , we encounter rapturous receptions for our jazz, hip hop, country western, Broadway and classical programming in countries like Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon and Syria. During our programs, one would never suspect that the U.S. is not admired.

I lobby for more labor-intensive programs bringing artistic, cultural and academic exchanges to all countries where the U.S. feels it needs to create dialogue with the larger public. Such contact between artists and audiences through workshops, joint performances and public events reminds audiences of the human values of not only our nations, but our common humanity and shared experience. It is hard work, does not come cheap, but ultimately has an important ripple effect in communities, countries and in both disadvantaged and influential segments of the communities where we teach and perform.

When we performed our Jazz Bridges program bringing together an American jazz quartet with 8 Afghan traditional and pop musicians, we had television coverage by every channel in the country. Press and radio were unanimous in their praise of the first such collaboration for Afghan audiences in over 25 years. The comment that I heard over and over was 'this concert makes us feel normal again in Afghanistan'.
It may have been a drop in the bucket as far as the U.S. Public Diplomacy program in Afghanistan is concerned, but it was a drop that generated quite a ripple effect.

Culture and the performing arts may not be the manna that most Americans live and breathe, but these programs are hugely effective in countries where the performing arts play a bigger roled in daily life (former USSR) or are rarely offered (Afghanistan, Syria). We should not underestimate their value in communicating essential information about the U.S. and our culture.

American Cultural Diplomacy

2006-04-18T18:56:00.000-05:00

I would like to share with all of you my experiences in the field of Cultural Diplomacy. My organization, American Voices, has been taking American music ranging from Classical and Jazz to Country and Hip Hop to countries like Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Lebanon for many years now. We think the American performing arts are a great way to enhance security and mutual understanding in the long term. Please visit our website, www.americanvoices.org, for more information about where we go and what we do.

John Ferguson is a pianist and executive director of American Voices, a
not-for-profit organization based in Houston, bringing American cultural
diplomacy to over 80 countries worldwide with a focus on the Middle East,
Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America. www.americanvoices.org