U.S. museum visitors, who may not be intimately familiar with the Arab world and its gender dynamics, stand to gain a new understanding from viewing works by Arab women artists. The same would go for works by artists in any region that viewers don't know well. But there is a particular need within the Arab world for outsiders to see "beyond news headlines and night-vision photographs," says Sarah Hassan, a New York writer.

Dancers in love with tango's passion bit their nails and hit the floor as more than 700 couples from far and near converged on Buenos Aires....for the qualifying round of the 2015 World Tango Championship. The championships, held every year since 2003, have drawn international enthusiasts from Britain, South Korea, Canada, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Mexico.

Six international artists in North Carolina this week demonstrate that international diplomacy can come in many different forms. While many may imagine diplomats wearing business suits and sitting in conference rooms, these artists paint a drastically different picture.

The Power of the Diaspora Networks conference, highlighted the importance of Ethiopian diaspora networks in promoting trade and investments in the region. Focusing on Jewish  experience, Powers of Diaspora forcefully argues that diasporic communities exercise a distinct form of cultural power in order to maintain powerful networks to empower the Horn of African states.

"Culture is the bridge for enhancing mutual understanding and trust between nations. China and Kenya share similar cultures that emphasize the importance of peace, harmony and friendliness," said the Chinese ambassador. [...] Kenyan officials hailed the martial arts’ prowess of Shaolin Monks and underscored the role of the ancient practice to promote cultural diplomacy.

Unlike Yo-Yo Ma’s ongoing Silk Road Project, which since 1998 has celebrated the Silk Road’s melange of cultures and history of exchange through chamber music and educational programs, the China Philharmonic’s tour takes a traditional approach to cultural diplomacy. The orchestra is playing Chinese and Western repertory and effectively showcasing its strengths to China’s not-so-distant geographical neighbors.

More than two months after many visitors at the Vietnamese stall at the ongoing 2015 Expo Milan in Italy complained about its "offensively" poor and careless interior displays, Vietnamese authorities have finally moved to fix the problems. In fact, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam House's organizers only acted after a Vietnamese national recently wrote on her Facebook page about how "ashamed" and "upset" she felt about her recent visit to the stall that supposedly cost VND57 billion (US$2.6 million).

Cuba’s Los Van Van are a force in their home country. And the ensemble is prepping for its fifth tour in the United States. [...] In addition to the Los Van Van concert, a Cuban film series has been airing at the NHCC.