A curated selection of public diplomacy-relevant news from a global cross-section of English-language media outlets, including independent, corporate-owned, and state-sponsored sources. The stories featured don't necessarily represent CPD's views nor have they been verified by CPD.
Australia & Ghana Exchange Cultural Values
The Australian High Commission has given support to Bran Nue Dae, a musical comedy to feature in the Inaugural Accra International Film Festival to share the values of forgiveness and reconciliation with its Ghanaian counterparts. A statement signed by Mr Walter Kudzodzi, Public Affairs Officer at the High Commission, copied to Ghana News Agency on Friday, said: “Bran Nue Dae is a coming-of-age musical comedy that celebrates family, forgiveness and reconciliation, set against the spectacularly beautiful Australian landscape”.
Buddhists in Symbolic Cross-Straits Exchange
Buddhist associations from both Taiwan and the Chinese mainland were involved in a gesture heavy with symbolism on Thursday. Taiwan’s Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society brought a Tara Guanyin statue to Putuo Mountain, one of China’s four Buddhist mountains. A total of 27 monks and 374 pilgrims from Taiwan accompanied the statue which is a smaller version of Ling Jiou Mountain’s iconic Guanyin statue. It will be placed in Putuo Mountain, and the gesture marks deepening exchanges.
D.C. Youth Poetry Slam Team Travels to South Africa for Cultural Exchange
On Saturday, after several weeks of preparation, six student poets from the D.C. Youth Slam Team and three adult poetry teachers are scheduled to leave the District, bound for Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, then on to the city of Tshwane, where they plan to participate in a two-week cultural exchange focused on poetry and social justice. The students and teachers are scheduled to meet youth poets, activists and writers in South Africa who are engaged in the movement to build a better society.
Shakur, Snowden, and the State Department: Is Cuba a State Sponsor of Terrorism?
On May 30, the State Department submitted its annual report on terrorism (“Country Reports on Terrorism 2012”) to Congress, notably maintaining Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism along with Iran, Sudan, and Syria. Cuba was designated as a state sponsor of terrorism on March 1, 1982. It has remained ever since on the list of states that Washington accuses of repeatedly providing support for international acts of terrorism.
Pop Culture Diplomacy
The handsome young man in the bow tie fell to his knees and kissed the ground. Just a few moments later he was composed in front of the camera. “A revolutionary is not just the one carrying the rifle,” he said. “It is the paintbrush of an artist, the scalpel of a surgeon, the axe of the farmer.” Talent show winners are not known for the wisdom of their metaphorical outpourings. But the winner of this year’s Arab Idol had more to say than the usual contestant.
Chinese “Soft Diplomacy” Enters South Africa’s Media Space
The Chinese have been growing their media presence in Africa in recent years as part of a "soft diplomacy" strategy — using culture and information to spread its influence and counter what it views as unfair treatment in global media. A paper on this topic by Yu-Shan Wu at the South African Institute of International Affairs describes soft power, or ruanshili to use the Mandarin term, as an "important instrument to help a state achieve its most desired goal with the least objection".
Yao Ming Hailed as Most Successful Case of Public Diplomacy
Professor Jin Canrong with Renmin University of China said that non-governmental participation is the best way of doing public diplomacy, and Yao Ming is the most successful case of public diplomacy as he has greatly improved the image of Chinese people in the world.
Saudi Artists in Bid to Create World’s Largest Painting
Ten Saudi artists will be among 365 others from around the world who will be part of an attempt at creating the world’s largest painting in Morocco later this year. Artists from 26 countries will travel to Morocco on June 29 to take part in brainstorming sessions and discussions about the proposed painting, which will run until July 7. The Saudi artists are being sponsored by Arabian Wings in partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives (ALJCI).
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