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Jazz Appreciation Sessions

On May 9-8, 2008, U.S. Embassy Malabo, in cooperation with the Spanish Cultural Center, celebrated "Jazz Appreciation Sessions" with the first-ever event of its kind in Equatorial Guinea; a celebration which involved several secondary schools, and local media (Horizontes).  Staffing challenges during the month of April led the mission to postpone events related to Jazz Appreciation Month. Our Jazz Appreciation Sessions were conducted as a substitute and aimed primarily for the youth audience.  As part of the celebration, Embassy Malabo organized two symposiums which were held in the concert hall of the Spanish Cultural Center. The first symposium was included showing of the Clint Eastwood film, "Bird," about the life of famous jazz musician Charlie Parker. During the second symposium, Embassy staff and an American citizen (Peter Dougan, DAI staff) presented students with a program entitled, “Jazz: made in America with African Roots,” accompanied by famous jazz numbers such as John Coltrane's “Love Supreme,” “Round 'bout Midnight” by Miles Davis, and “Strange Fruit,” by Billie Holyday.