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Viewing cable 09YEKATERINBURG13, AN EVENTFUL EVENING OF AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY IN THE URALS

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09YEKATERINBURG13 2009-03-02 05:37 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Consulate Yekaterinburg
R 020537Z MAR 09
FM AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1254
INFO AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 
AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG 
AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 
AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG
UNCLAS YEKATERINBURG 000013 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OEXC SCUL KPAO RS
SUBJECT: AN EVENTFUL EVENING OF AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY IN THE URALS 
 
1.  ConGen Yekaterinburg's Public Affairs Section sponsored an 
evening of African American Poetry at the Urals Literary Museum 
on Wednesday, February 25.  PAO kicked off the event with an 
IIP-produced Powerpoint presentation on Black History Month. 
The presentation provided an introduction to African American 
culture and history as a setting to the poetry readings. 
Professor Galina Babich, Dean of the International Relations of 
the Urals Pedagogical University followed with an introduction 
to African American literature.  Regional English Language 
Fellow Vino Reardon then gave an overview of Maya Angelou's 
life.  Professor Babich's English students had translated a few 
of Maya Angelou's poems into Russian that were printed in a 
booklet distributed to the audience of fifty, mostly students 
and teachers.  The students also read the original and 
translations, including "Why the Caged Bird Sings," "A Million 
Man March," and "A Phenomenal Woman." A choir of young women 
then sang a spiritual called "Feeling Good." 
 
2. Next was a live DVC with African-American poet Thylias Moss, 
who appeared from a college classroom at the University of 
Michigan in Ann Arbor where she teaches English literature.  The 
audience had a fascinating encounter with Ms. Moss who shared 
intimate details of her life story, her philosophy of poetry, 
and a reading of her poem, "I Want To Be."  The DVC connection 
held out reasonably well, despite the fact that the internet 
signal in the nineteenth century wooden museum was coming 
through a cellphone modem plugged into a laptop plugged into a 
projector, camera and speakers.  The technology came through to 
provide a stimulating, creative interaction between the Russian 
audience and the African-American poet.  Many of the students 
were moved by Ms. Moss' poignant life story and the profundity 
of her poetry and philosophy.  At one point the Skype connection 
lost sound but a local translator volunteered to read a poem by 
African-American poet Marilyn Henson, who had visited 
Yekaterinburg the year before.  This provided a good lesson to 
have backup material in case the technology fails.  After the 
DVC, the audience witnessed two of Ms. Moss' video "poams" 
(Products Of Acts of Making) featured on You Tube. 
 
3. Following the event a Ministry of Culture representative and 
the Museum Director expressed their appreciation for this 
in-depth introduction to African-American culture, which is 
little understood in Russia.  Participants also conveyed their 
surprise at the avante garde character of the program. 
 
SANDUSKY