U.S. Department of State Supports Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs provided advice and facilitative assistance through its cultural attaches and consular officers in embassies and consulates throughout the Silk Road region of Central Asia and the Caucasus to ensure that the many elements needed for the festival, including performers and artisans of traditional arts and crafts received visas, and the necessary equipment and goods arrived in time. It also contributed substantial financial assistance to bring 23 performers and artisans from Central Asia, and paid for the shipment of two yurts (felt tents) from Kazakhstan, which can be visited on the Mall.

The State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs brought performers and artisans from the Central Asian region including a bead maker, a carpet weaver, a performer of the traditional Magam music, a story-telling bard, and a seven-member ensemble of traditional music from Badakshan in northern Afghanistan led by Musavar Minakov.

In addition, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs provided a grant to support performances by eight members of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble.

The Bureau of Public Affairs' Office of Broadcast Services is producing a mini-documentary on the Silk Road for placement overseas. The program will focus on American visitors experiencing the cultural and historical influences of the Silk Road region against the background of the U.S. Capitol. The Office of Broadcast Services also will assist foreign television correspondents in the production of reports and feature stories on the Silk Road by making available footage, camera crews, and technical resources.

The Bureau of Public Affairs' Foreign Press Center organized the Silk Road Reporting Tour that is bringing leading cultural journalists from 10 countries along the Silk Road (China, Mongolia, Turkey, Syria, Nepal, Italy, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, India, Georgia, and Bangladesh) to the United States. Their two-week tour begins with coverage of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, with subsequent stops in Chicago and New York to cover American culture and life.