“Saudi Arabia has been a riddle wrapped in an enigma available to view only in the abyss of the world stage. To the rest of the world we are a very big question mark,” Hafez explains, meaning the world is eager to know this country beyond the stereotypes generated by 9/11 and as the “oil capital of the globe.” According to him, the first way to discover a country is by looking at its cultural elements – literature, poetry, cinema, TV, and paintings. 

“In our country, we don’t just measure progress by the height of our buildings, the size of our airports, or the impact of our investments. Art has always been at the heart of Emirati society.” These were the opening remarks by UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaeba at the unveiling of Past Forward: Contemporary Art from the Emirates, a one-of-a-kind exhibition of Emirati artwork, at a reception on May 21st at the Meridian International Center.

In a meeting between President of the Children's Cultural Center of Serbia Olivera Ježina and Iranian Cultural Attaché in Belgrade Mahmoud Shalouei, the two officials inked an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which is supposed to pave the ground for promotion of cultural relations.

I never thought I’d see Saudis dancing at Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo, the business center and largest city in Brazil, but that’s exactly what I witnessed last Sunday. These dancers, all men, were part of the Saudi Cultural Days event organized by the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information.

A number of Turkish artworks have been presented during a cultural exhibition held in Tehran’s Saba Art and Cultural Institute.  Turkish Ambassador to Tehran, Umit Yardim, President of the Yunus Emre Cultural Institute, Hayati Develi, and the Director of the Iranian National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), Ahmad Mohit-Tabatabaei, attended the opening ceremony of the festival.

American author and poet Maya Angelou, who is best known for her groundbreaking autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," has died at age 86 in North Carolina, her publisher confirmed on Wednesday.  "Dr. Angelou was a national treasure whose life and teachings inspired millions around the world, including countless students, faculty, and staff at Wake Forest, where she served as Reynolds Professor of American Studies since 1982," the university said in a statement.

An £18m fund is being earmarked to encourage international collaboration and cultural exchange, and generate more money by sending the best of English arts and culture overseas. 

Eight weeks ago, a dozen victims or potential victims of sex trafficking each were given a digital camera.  On Monday the work from eight weeks of training in photography and writing will be on display in an exhibition at Columbia College for the world to see.  The project was thought up by Columbia College student Bronte Price, who is also a photographer for Getty Images, as a way to give victims a voice.