Black History Month Celebrated in the Kingdom
In commemoration of February as Black History Month in the United States, the US Mission in Saudi Arabia sponsored a series of dramatic arts workshops and performances that yielded expressions of surprise and healthy debate over comparisons of US and Saudi cultures. Dramatic artist and educator Ilene Evans traveled on a US State Department Performing Arts-funded public diplomacy tour in early February.
The US Embassy in Riyadh and US Consulates in Dhahran and Jeddah hosted Evans as she conducted train-the-trainer workshops for educators at all grade levels and performed at private venues to introduce Saudis to her unique perspective about the African American struggle for freedom and equality in the US .
The public diplomacy program elicited expressions of deep regret from Saudi audiences about the plight of African Americans. Audiences emphatically called for similar educational and cultural exchange programs about how Americans have persevered throughout the years despite differences in ethnic composition, local community norms and inequality.
The educator workshops mirrored the kind of training Evans conducts in the US as US school teachers undergo extensive and routine staff development training that incorporates methodology, classroom presentation skills, creative means of maintaining discipline, and educators’ career development goals. In addition to educators, artists, social scientists, literary enthusiasts and historians warmed to Evan’s realistic depictions and honest portrayal of sensitive material beautifully choreographed.
The shows barely scraped the surface of the trials and tribulations of African Americans yet played deeply on audience emotions. As one viewer described: “The extraordinary issue is that the reading was done in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia to a multicultural audience. To me, that was an omen and verification of a belief I have had for a long time. Culture works and has always worked as a bond between humans of different races and colors. Through culture man understands what other humans endure in their struggle for their freedom. It is a bridge that links continents and languages without would have stayed apart. I saw this happened on Wednesday night at the Quincy House.”