Ambassador Cretz on International Jazz Day

As we celebrate the world's first recognition of International Jazz Day, I take time to marvel at the amazing bonds of humanity that are made through music and that reverberate in other places as well. Being a diplomat and being away from home most of the time, it's not often that I get to listen to and share American music. Just last month, we had the pleasure of hosting Matuto, who played an organic brand of folk, jazz and indigenous music that uplifted anyone in earshot, and brought all to their feet by the time they finished their sets.

The most inspirational moments of their performances came when after just a few hours and at times —minutes — that they'd had to practice with Ghanaian musicians – Bigshot, students from the John Teye Memorial School, MUSIGA artists or Nana Boroo. The lessons that come as a result of raw, honest exchange of talent are the moments that we all treasure. In the weeks that followed their departure from Accra, I find myself looking for areas we have –and could apply the same principles to the diplomacy, educational exchanges, and business we conduct with Ghana on a daily basis.

When Americans and Ghanaians bring their well-developed talents to the table, much can be accomplished, no matter the area of interaction. We see this when tech developers sit down with farmers to get raw data about conditions out in the open for governments, academicians and civil society to analyze, such as what happened in this week's Agriculture Open Data Initiative in Washington, DC, where Ghana lead the charge in shedding light on its nation's data. We see it when American businesses like Belstar Development Corp. and Odulair, LLC specially equip mobile health clinics to try to improve access to basic care to thousands of Ghanaians, based on identified needs.

Through shared trust and confidence developed through our gifts such as music, we solidify the knowledge that our cultures are inextricably linked and that we have much to offer each other. Matuto achieved everything that musical ambassadors should-and much more. For Americans, Louis Armstrong led the charge back in 1956 when he first visited President Nkrumah in Ghana. Ghanaians welcomed him with thunderous applause and Ghanaian musicians joined in with dance, rhythm and harmony. Long live the enriched relationship that music has forged between our nations. Let us use what we achieve through musical exchange as a model for what we can do in other areas to enhance our mutual understanding.