KOMPA! MAGAZINE

[Karl Kreyol]

U.S. Department of State Welcomes Haitian Performer BélO to the United States, Brings Cultural Diplomacy to Main Street America


Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
October 18, 2012


The U.S. Department of State announced today that from October 21- November 17, 2012, Haitian musician BélO will travel from Pétion-Ville, Haiti to communities across America as part of a cultural diplomacy initiative, Center StageSM. This tour will take BélO to Washington, DC; Northampton, MA; Roxbury, MA; North Adams, MA; Boothbay Harbor, ME; Rockport, ME; Portland, ME; New London, CT; Gainesville, FL; and Palm Beach, FL.
Building on Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton’s emphasis on utilizing “smart power”, Center StageSM brings performing artists from Haiti, Indonesia, and Pakistan to the United States to interact with American audiences in 60 medium and small-sized towns and cities, using the performing arts to create opportunities for greater understanding. For a full list of artists and performance dates, click here.
BélO will kick off his tour on Sunday, October 21 at 6 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. The performance is free and open to the public. It will also be broadcasted live here.
Center StageSM is a public diplomacy initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It is administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts in cooperation with the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, with support from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the Asian Cultural Council, and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. General management is provided by Lisa Booth Management, Inc.
For more information, contact Katie Leasor, U.S. Department of State at Leasork@state.gov


PRN: 2012/1666

U.S tour date
Sun, October 21 @ 6-7pm -Washington, DC


Thu, October 25 @ 7:30pm -Northampton, MA


Fri, October 26 @ 8pm- Roxbury, MA


Tue, October 30 @ 7:30pm -North Adams, MA

Fri, November 2 @ 7:30pm -Boothbay Harbor, ME

Sat, November 3 @ 7:30pm-Rockport, ME

Sun, November 4 @ 7pm -Portland, ME

Fri, November 9 @ 8pm-New London, CT

Tue and Wed, November 13 and 14 @ 7:30pm- Gainesville, FL

Sat, November 17 @ 7:30pm --West Palm Beach, FL

As always you search for More info using the BelO APP or His Facebook account.

Thank you

BelO Team

[Da Partnerz]

Thanks Pat for letting us know and to Belo and Management! Big up to you Belo. I am so proud of Him and where we are from. Croix-Des-Bouquets for Life...I know that you will rep us big.. one love Haiti!!
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kompa Direct is a baby and we as fan are the Parents, we need to take care of him, so he could grow healthily.

[Deutch]

CONGRATS BELO...BON BAGAY
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...... A LA KANA GEN PLUME SA .......

*** LOBE'Y LA PRAN LARI ***

*** MWEN KANPE AN DIFISIL SOU GRIMEL YO***

[1Lov']

So HAPPY for BELO...
Keep making us Proud..
I'll sure watch the DC session on line..
Looking forward to American Media's Reviews..
Go, Go BELO..God Bless
Thanks KM for Sharing the Good News
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" KM" 1Lov's Hometown Newspaper..

[RICKY]

This is a good look for Belo.. Continue the work

[FANMKONESE]

Bon Bagay
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Personally, I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught."

--Winston Churchill

[Pitit Ginen]

What does that mean " cultural diplomacy initiative "? and what about : Building on Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton’s emphasis on utilizing “smart power”? Use of "Smart Power''. What is that new concept, they call " Smart Power "? They want to use it for what purpose? The answer seems to create " opportunities for greater understanding ". Create "understanding" around what issue exactly? You can't create understanding around Music. There is no such thing as "create understanding about Music". Music is a universal language as we know. People listen to music that some like and some don't like and others just don't care.

If the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs really wants to promote (or create "understanding") [about] Haitian Music, I assume it is about Haitian Music, the true way to do it is to make sure Haitian music is played regularly on the main stream media airwaves across the US. That's the way you expose a people to any influence (musical or else).

People from around the world know about Rap. This is not by chance! It is because huge sum of money is invested in the promotion of American music around the world to create that so-called "understanding". The same thing happened (that huge promotion thing) that made Bob Marley that Megastar he became. You can say the same for all Third world artists who become International Megastar from Jimmy Cliff, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Youssouf Ndour, Koffi Olomide and the rest. Why that doesn't happen to Konpa artists? It would take some serious research to answer that question.

When the US invaded Irak and Afghanistan, their first action was to take over the media in those countries via local laqeys (sell-outs). Why they did that? For obvious reason. To control people's mind with their own message. Actually, they're doing the same thing in Haiti now with some success.

Once again I repeat if the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs wants to promote Haitian music they know how that is done. When an official US invitation handed to Belo suddenly makes the headline, I wonder what that USDSECA initiative is really about? Is it about Haiti's interest or does it hide some sort of secret agenda : to have Haitians to clap their hands for the US that care so much about our culture.

[Deecute]

Belo is no joke men keep on paving bother
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Haiti is wonderful, But we Haitian need to be creative!

[belfam]

Great good job and good luck
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music is my life