Cultural Diplomacy

Protesters demonstrating against the military, which seized power in last month's coup d'état, have been spotted invoking the three-fingered salute used by the oppressed population in the films of Suzanne Collins's young adult science-fiction series.  In the wake of international news channels such as CNN and the BBC being taken off air, as well as HBO and the Disney Channel, it is especially significant that this small but pointed gesture of protest should have sprung from popular culture.

The China Institute will hold its annual gala today, celebrating the 88th year since its founding in 1926 and making it the oldest US-China cultural organization in the United States.  The China Institute in Manhattan was established by American and Chinese educators, including John Dewey, Hu Shih, president of Peking University and China's ambassador to the US, and Kuo Pingwen, founder of the National Southeastern University in China.

A number of Turkish artworks have been presented during a cultural exhibition held in Tehran’s Saba Art and Cultural Institute.  Turkish Ambassador to Tehran, Umit Yardim, President of the Yunus Emre Cultural Institute, Hayati Develi, and the Director of the Iranian National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), Ahmad Mohit-Tabatabaei, attended the opening ceremony of the festival.

The Book of Life trailer made a splash yesterday as it debuted to an Internet keen on visual spectacle and unconventional storytelling. Set in Mexico and featuring gorgeous animation, Book of Life instantly became a hit on Tumblr. Book of Life's director and creator is Jorge Gutierrez, an Emmy-winning Mexican animator and writer best known for creating the award-wining Nickelodeon series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera. Gutierrez wanted to make his film a distinct cultural product that he could share with the world.

The Mexican Consulate in San Francisco looks closer at the PD role of diaspora artists.

Seven students of M S University (MSU) have been selected for the prestigious European Union-funded Erasmus Mundus Fellowships worth Rs 85 lakh. The fellowship programmes are arranged and managed by the Office of International Affairs at the M S University of Baroda.

The Cultural Office of the Bahraini Embassy to the USA took part in the "Passport DC" event, an annual celebration in which more than 50 embassies participate in order to inform the American society about their countries' civilisations, cultures and history.

How an annual Indian festival is forging permanent friendships in Egypt.

Pages