Cultural Diplomacy

November 15, 2015

Founded in 2011, Żigużajg International Arts Festival for Children and Young People has become one of the most anticipated happenings in Malta’s jam-packed cultural calendar. In essence, many assume it to be solely for children and teenagers but, while they are the target audience, the themes tackled in the plays, concerts and art exhibitions that make up Żigużajg can be both timeless and universal.

November 13, 2015

The Texas Embassy Cantinastood near Trafalgar Square in London from 1995 to 2012. This Tex-Mex restaurant was the closest thing to an authentic Texan experience that London had to offer, with everything from Lone Star beer to chicken fried steak. [...]  [It] was far more than a mere kitchen; it was a destination spot for both London locals and visitors from Texas and beyond. 

Headlines this week explore the role of cultural diplomacy and exchanges in facilitating cross-cultural understanding and engagement.

These heavy hitters all stand to benefit the most from the government's “Cool Japan” initiative, which has less to do with cultural diplomacy than promoting exports of Japanese “contents.” [...] Yasushi Shiina in a Toyo Keizai Online interview. He describes the festival's role as “conveying Japan's appeal internationally through film,” rather than celebrating global cinema.

Young people and youth leaders in Derry have taken part in an innovative cultural arts project which deals with the human stories behind the transition of Northern Ireland’s police force from RUC to PSNI.

The best and brightest students and faculty from around the world are drawn to the Los Angeles and the broader Southern California region, home to six major research universities […] In figures compiled by the Institute of International Education (IIE), higher education institutions in Southern California enrolled some 72,762 international students in 2013-2014. 

November 11 is commemorated as Veteran's Day in the United States. But in the UK, France, and other nations, it's remembered as Armistice Day, the day in 1918 when the pointless carnage of World War I came to a halt. This connection to a conflict that killed 17 million people, and accomplished nothing positive as a consequence, makes Armistice Day an appropriate time to reflect on the human costs of war.

November 12, 2015

Art, as typically viewed in austere galleries, labyrinthine museums or collectors’ homes, is incredibly removed from its raw materials—nature. [...] It’s a type of denial of nature, even though humanity’s advanced culture is still part of nature. But with her series inconsequence / in consequence, artist Alison Moritsugu brings the natural world back into the gallery with new works that [...] highlight environmental urgencies.

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