Cultural Diplomacy

If two countries can respect each other's culture, the possibility of conflict will be vastly reduced, James Leach, chairman of the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), commented in an interview with Xinhua.

October 15, 2010

PDiN Monitor Editorial Staff
Sherine B. Walton, Editor-in-Chief
Naomi Leight, Managing Editor
Marissa Cruz-Enriquez, Associate Editor

Over the years, France, a member of the European Union (EU), has used cultural diplomacy to win over countries and spread her influence around the world. In French-speaking Africa, the European economic powerhouse has sustained her ties, through cultural programmes, whether in cinema theatre, music or fashion.

Berlin DJs Daniel Best and Kalle Kuts are reviving the spirit of 1980s West Germany with their compilation of "the Cold War's hottest music."The project hopes to shed light on the almost forgotten but massively influential GI clubs where US soldiers went to get a taste of life back home.

The Clinton Global Initiative and Qatar Foundation International (QFI) have a unique idea for bridging the American-Arabic cultural gap: An online project aimed at bringing American and Qatari teenagers together through crowdsourced translation exercises.

A group of 1,000 Japanese youngsters will be visiting the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai from Oct 27 to 30, another step toward restoring soured bilateral relations. Originally scheduled on Sept 21, the trip had to be postponed due to the rift between the two countries caused by a boat collision and consequent diplomatic rows.

Korea and India have always had strong cultural ties and in a collaborative effort sponsored by the Seoul city government, artists from both countries put forward a spellbinding performance.

A giant Korean wave has just hit the shores of Jakarta with the city holding a series of Korea-related events throughout the week. Dubbed "Indonesia-Korea Week," Korea's Presidential Council on Nation Branding will host various events in an effort to further strengthen relations between the two countries.

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