Twelve distinguished figures, including eight foreigners, received awards Friday from the Cultural Affairs Agency for their efforts in cultural exchange and promotion of Japanese culture abroad. At a ceremony in Tokyo, Agency Commissioner Seiichi Kondo presented seven of the recipients with the “commissioner’s awards,” which commend the work of individuals involved in long-term promotion of Japanese culture overseas.

A new vista will be opened in the country’s culture and tourism annals on Thursday when ‘Fascinating Nigeria’, the nation’s new brand identity is launched in Abuja. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation is blessed with a rich culture, the main driver of tourism. From north to south, east to west, Nigeria is a study in cultural diversity that sadly, has not been properly harnessed over time to generate money and create jobs.

The Australian High Commission has given support to Bran Nue Dae, a musical comedy to feature in the Inaugural Accra International Film Festival to share the values of forgiveness and reconciliation with its Ghanaian counterparts. A statement signed by Mr Walter Kudzodzi, Public Affairs Officer at the High Commission, copied to Ghana News Agency on Friday, said: “Bran Nue Dae is a coming-of-age musical comedy that celebrates family, forgiveness and reconciliation, set against the spectacularly beautiful Australian landscape”.

Buddhist associations from both Taiwan and the Chinese mainland were involved in a gesture heavy with symbolism on Thursday. Taiwan’s Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society brought a Tara Guanyin statue to Putuo Mountain, one of China’s four Buddhist mountains. A total of 27 monks and 374 pilgrims from Taiwan accompanied the statue which is a smaller version of Ling Jiou Mountain’s iconic Guanyin statue. It will be placed in Putuo Mountain, and the gesture marks deepening exchanges.

On Saturday, after several weeks of preparation, six student poets from the D.C. Youth Slam Team and three adult poetry teachers are scheduled to leave the District, bound for Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, then on to the city of Tshwane, where they plan to participate in a two-week cultural exchange focused on poetry and social justice. The students and teachers are scheduled to meet youth poets, activists and writers in South Africa who are engaged in the movement to build a better society.

The handsome young man in the bow tie fell to his knees and kissed the ground. Just a few moments later he was composed in front of the camera. “A revolutionary is not just the one carrying the rifle,” he said. “It is the paintbrush of an artist, the scalpel of a surgeon, the axe of the farmer.” Talent show winners are not known for the wisdom of their metaphorical outpourings. But the winner of this year’s Arab Idol had more to say than the usual contestant.

Ten Saudi artists will be among 365 others from around the world who will be part of an attempt at creating the world’s largest painting in Morocco later this year. Artists from 26 countries will travel to Morocco on June 29 to take part in brainstorming sessions and discussions about the proposed painting, which will run until July 7. The Saudi artists are being sponsored by Arabian Wings in partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives (ALJCI).

Chinese officials have lifted a ban on Tibetan monks displaying photographs of the Dalai Lama at a prominent monastery, a rights group said on Thursday, an unexpected policy shift which could ease tensions in the restive region.