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.
Africa: Slideshow Paris Fair Fights Stereotypes of Africa
Around 20,000 visitors paid a visit to the African Fair, held the weekend of 5-7 April in Paris. The fair promoted business and cultural exchange and took the opportunity to celebrate a continent often misunderstood by Europe. The fair's creator, Marc Yao, says many Europeans think of Africa only in terms of stereotypes. "The African fair is a platform for African countries to show the wealth of resources they have to offer to Europe," says Yao.
Margaret Thatcher’s Soft Power?!
Many will have written on Thatcher's legacy and contribution to the development of conservative ideas and the creation of a conservative transatlantic relationship, but equally important was her role in ending the long and devastating reign of Communism over the peoples of Eastern Europe. She was among the few leaders of Europe to seriously care about and engage early with the "captive nations" of Central and Eastern Europe.
Confucius schools prep for new sites
The opening of Confucius Institutes this week in New York and Washington brings a key part of China's "soft power" initiative to the United States. On Tuesday, administrators at Columbia University will cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Confucius Institute at the Ivy League school in Manhattan. A day later, it will be George Washington University that does the honors, on a campus within walking distance of the US State Department and blocks away from the White House and Capitol Hill.
Beyoncé Cuba trip was ‘fully approved by US government’
Americans are not allowed to go to Cuba for tourism but can obtain licences for academic, religious, journalistic or cultural exchange trips. The visit by the couple was authorised by the US Treasury Department and involved meeting Cuban artists and musicians, a children's theatre group, and going to several nightclubs where live music was performed.
What kind of public diplomacy does China need?
Zhao Qizheng, former chairman of the foreign affairs committee of China's top political advisory body, said we tended to speak too much "philosophy" and principles when foreign exchanges. Actually, telling Chinese stories can touch people and Chinese features lie in the stories. Zhao make the remarks during the sub-session of the Boao Forum for Asia, Boao dialogue: public diplomacy and intercultural communication, in Boao, south China's Hainan province on Sunday.
INDIAFRICA: Promoting Indo-African entrepreneurship
Extracting drinking water from air, building low-cost bamboo toilets, creating an SMS app to inform about water shortages. These were some of the ideas which emerged at the first 'INDIAFRICA' collaborative workshop organised on April 4 and 5 by the Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with design and strategy company, IdeaWorks, for Indian and African students aspiring to become entrepreneurs.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Visits Georgia
On April 12 a meeting of bilateral working group on democracy in frames of U.S.-Georgian strategic partnership charter will be held, according to the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi. It’s one of those four inter-agency bilateral groups, which were established to address priority areas of the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Charter, which was signed in January, 2009. Other areas of cooperation identified by the charter are defense and security, economic and people-to-people relations.
Jet Tila Appointed Thai Cuisine Ambassador
Jet Tila has been appointed the first Culinary Ambassador of Thai Cuisine by the Royal Thai Consul-General in Los Angeles, tasked with spreading awareness nationwide and making official his unofficial -- and longstanding -- role as a guide to the cuisine. Tila was tapped for the position after a meeting with the Consul-General, who sought his feedback on promoting the cuisine last month. The chef's duties will include touring the United States on behalf of the Thai government, giving food demonstrations, making media appearances and coordinating events.
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