Fareed Kubanda ("Fid Q") to Visit U.S. to Participate in "Promoting Tolerance through the Arts" Program

Tanzanian "Bongo Flava" artist Mr. Fareed Kubanda, a.k.a. "Fid Q," leaves for the United States of America today, August 13, 2010 to participate in a Three-week project "Promoting Tolerance through the Arts" that will take place from August 16 through September 4, 2010.

Mr. Fareed Kubanda and participants from Argentina, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Finland, Ghana, Haiti, Hungary, India, Kenya, Kosovo, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Singapore, Slovak Republic and the United Arab Emirates will review the importance of the arts as a platform for engagement and a vehicle for promoting tolerance and multi-cultural understanding within American communities. In addition, they will examine arts education and artistic expression by public and private community arts organizations which inspire social change and celebrate the richness in a diverse multi-cultural society. The program will also offer participants the opportunity to explore the cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity in the U.S. and observe how citizens from diverse backgrounds coexist through innovative artistic programming.

In this project, Mr. Fareed Kubanda will visit Washington, D.C. to meet with various arts organizations and receive an overview of the American arts scene and examine the ways in which changing U.S. demographics are shaping artistic communities. He will then travel to New York City, host to some of the nation's best known and highly regarded arts and cultural communities and the birth place of hip-hop music.

Mr. Kubanda will then visit Greensboro, North Carolina, a city that had a role in the struggle for civil rights, to observe how the arts are being used today to instill lessons about the civil rights movement and explore ways in which schools, universities, and the surrounding community interact to promote tolerance through the arts. The program will conclude with a visit to Los Angeles, California, where participants will be exposed to the city's vibrant arts and cultural sectors. In addition, they will see rehabilitation programs for at-risk populations through the arts to promote healing in communities previously affected by conflict.

"Fid Q is a highly popular "Bongo Flava" artist and we are truly honored that he will be participating in this program. His visit will also offer Americans the opportunity to learn more about Tanzania, and will strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation between our nations' artistic communities. We are very proud to welcome him to the U.S." said Roberto Quiroz II, the U.S. Embassy's Cultural Affairs Officer. Quiroz also said that the American people will benefit from meeting Mr. Kubanda during this program, given his extraordinary musical achievements, popularity, and status as a role model for Tanzanian youth.