H E George Hisaeda, Ambassador of Japan to Oman, believes diplomacy is not exclusive to diplomats. “Grassroots or people-to-people diplomacy is increasingly important in the interconnected ‘global village’ of modernity,” he says.

Many attribute Venice’s Aussie invasion to the country’s new cultural policy. The scheme, which launched last August, seeks to promote Australian arts abroad and grow cultural tourism in part by inviting tastemakers like Enwezor to the country.

Inaugurated by Kyungsoo Kim, Consul General of the Republic of Korea, Venu Srinivasan, Goodwill Envoy for Public Diplomacy of the Republic of Korea, and B.S. Seo, Managing Director, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, the Centre launched its arts programme with ‘Ceramic Connect,’ an exhibition of ceramics and paintings by Indian and Korean artists and a concert by E-Do, an ensemble of six talented Korean musicians, whose style blends traditional Korean sounds and jazz with contemporary stage-show dynamics.

In the sometimes rough-and-tumble sport known as American business, there’s a strategy that savvy competitors like to employ. It’s called “soft power" - a way of networking, building relationships, inspiring people to your cause and expanding your power base.

In China, every province has a cultural department with cultural exchange programs that send their local artists abroad. One such is the north eastern China province of Jilin, whose Jilin Art Troupe is the highlight of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Outreach Tour.

An exhibition revealing Turkey’s history as a refuge for those seeking shelter from conflict and oppression has been opened at the UN office in Geneva, after being shown previously in the United States and Canada.