Cultural Diplomacy
The first museum dedicated to the Muslim victims of the Khmer Rouge regime is scheduled to open in a Cambodian mosque next year. The museum in the Mabarak Mosque will introduce visitors to the stories of Muslim survivors of the Khmer Rouge, as well as to the language and culture of Cambodian Muslims, known as the Chams.
Burma's oppressive military government has for decades spurred activists across the globe to protest to politicians and in front of Burma's embassies. Demonstrations inside Burma are rare as they carry heavy penalties. However, one group of young activists is taking risks to encourage their generation to push for democracy.
The first graduate program in Kurdish language and culture is a rare bright spot in Turkey's initiative to improve the cultural rights of its Kurdish minority, whose language was banned for decades.
World governments are increasingly excited about the economic power of the arts and the value of cultural exchange in a changing world. Because the prodigious levels of government support in Europe and Asia are diminishing, they want to better understand our American advocacy techniques.
The film was inspiring and profound, and presented the true colors of citizen diplomacy as a connecting force between people of different nations, cultural systems, and religious identities.
Many South Koreans are now coming to the Philippines to learn Spanish. Jose Rodriguez, Instituto Cervantes-Manila director, said the number of South Koreans enrolled at the Spanish-language school in Manila has dramatically rose to almost 7,000 students.
Kurt Blum, the general manager of Swiss Art Gate UAE, said: "I came up with this idea to set up Magic Lantern throughout the Emirates over the next three to four years." Swiss Art Gate is a non-profit group that aims to promote cultural ties between Switzerland and the UAE.
Many believe that America's greatest export is its culture; from blockbuster Hollywood films and TV series to jeans and iPods, there is little doubt that American cultural products have profound dissemination and market consumption around the globe. But few would have imagined that one day Turkish citizens would be cheering on pro-wrestlers in Istanbul.