The power of culture can often be underestimated as a diplomatic tool, but cultural exchange can not only serve as a universal icebreaker, it can tear down walls and build bridges between the most hardened of enemies. It may not turn foes into instant friends, but it does allow nations to find points of commonality that transcend politics.

The “Africa in Motion” symposium, which took place last Thursday and Friday in the basement of the Northwest Labs, was at once a celebration of Harvard’s recent top-notch scholarship and a sobering reminder of the work that needs to be done to solve the continent’s problems.

But under a new $1 million program being announced this week, the Obama administration is planning to expand its cultural diplomacy programs to include visual artists like painters and sculptors, who will be asked next year to create public art projects in 15 foreign countries.

International artists coming from diverse cultures are currently showcasing their work in a show titled “Other Worlds,” which offers a new definition of modernity at the Siemens Art Gallery in [Istanbul].

Meridian International Center in Washington, D.C. has announced it will present an exhibition of Ukrainian sacred images from the 11th to the 19th centuries titled The Glory Of Ukraine.

Along with the music and native dancing, African art and fashion are on display. And it is not just the sounds and sights of Africa, but the tastes as well, Adwoa Hagen-Mensah says the food of her home country is a hit.

"Embodying the Holy," a new exhibition at New York City's Rubin Museum of Art, brings to light striking similarities between Orthodox Christian icons and traditional Tibetan Buddhist painted scrolls.

A Gandhi topi, a traditional Nigerian riga robe, a Baluchi turban, Inuit (Eskimo) stone sculptures from northern Canada, Bengal’s “pata chitra” and rare snapshots of historic Delhi are some of the highlights of the collective soft power of Commonwealth arts and culture on display in the capital.