At the very private lunch that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had for the visiting Duke and Duchess of Cambridge earlier this month, the cuisine had an “Anglo Indian touch”. This deviation from the tried and tested official menus that generally feature cream of almond soup and insipid north Indian curries and kebabs was certainly welcome. But more interesting was the attempt to reach out to the guests via food.

Two months of film screenings, performances, pop-up sales and exhibits celebrating Haitian arts and culture kicks off this weekend in the city, according to organizers from the Crown Heights-based non-profit Haiti Cultural Exchange.

Indie moviemakers often take on other roles—entrepreneur, advocate, teacher. Add cultural ambassador and diplomat to that list for some of America’s top cinematic thinkers.

Iran has been hosting an annual “New Horizons conference,” which it established to address emerging global concerns [...] as a means to create “a relationship based on culture, diplomacy and revolution.”

China, South Korea and Japan held a three-way forum on public diplomacy here in Beijing today. [...] The forum aimed to promote cooperation among the three nations. It had three sub-forums separately focusing on political, economic and cultural cooperation.

Indie moviemakers often take on other roles—entrepreneur, advocate, teacher. Add cultural ambassador and diplomat to that list for some of America’s top cinematic thinkers. “Cultural diplomacy is a powerful tool, and independent filmmakers are ambassadors of culture,” said Evan Ryan, assistant secretary of state for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). “We find that American culture is always welcomed. Film is a way in. It’s an important focus for us.”

Lai Mohammed, the minister of information, culture and tourism disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the national summit on culture and tourism in Abuja on Thursday, April 27. The minister described Nigeria’s cultural heritage as a “soft power that can confidently take over the world” adding that it could also promote international diplomacy.