Cultural Diplomacy

A version of Spain’s famous La Tomatina festival has arrived in the Indian capital city of New Delhi. The festival, which is celebrated every year at the end of August in Buñol, Spain, involves people throwing squashed tomatoes at each other. The tomato festival has however, led to a war of words on Facebook and Twitter between Tomatina enthusiasts and others who question the tastefulness of the event.

Historically, the modern Zionist movement has sought to transform the term “Jewish” into a distinctly national category. But it has not fully succeeded. The debate inside Israel over these issues...prevents Israel from articulating a coherent definition of its own identity, let alone one that is accepted and recognized by the majority of its citizens, most of whom are secular and liberal by any Western standard.

As a supporter of the 100,000 Strong Initiative and to highlight the overall importance of educational and cultural ties between the United States and China, will.i.am will direct a concert in Beijing later this year to benefit the Initiative. The Beijing concert will celebrate U.S.-China educational and cultural exchanges and will include performances by will.i.am and other American and Chinese pop stars.

The term “citizen diplomacy” includes an imperative distinction in that it inherently denotes the use of sensitivity and tact in interactions with others to be considered a good “diplomat,” versus simply being a “citizen,” where the only requirement is a birthright.

“We have been doing several cultural exchange programmes with Zimbabwe. This country has strong historical and cultural background. We are very happy to bring a wide range of American artists here to share and learn from Zimbabwe,” he said.

Our relationship with PNG should be a foreign policy priority and requires much closer attention. Surely there is an opportunity to capture their enthusiasm for our sporting stars in a positive way that enhances our bilateral relationship. Sport has the power to transcend social, cultural and language barriers.

Israeli cyclist Roei “Jinji” Sadan, who has spent the past four years crossing 42 countries on six continents, reached his final destination. Sadan, 29, arrived at the Sydney Opera House Thursday afternoon on his 27-gear, custom-built, blue-and-white bicycle sporting the Israeli and Australian flags.

July 28, 2011

Sherine B. Walton, Editor-in-Chief
Naomi Leight, Managing Editor
Tracy Bloom, Associate Editor

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