Cultural Diplomacy
Amid a pre-event torrent of child-friendly animations of China's upcoming world's fair —expected to draw 70 million visitors—and images of the Expo's fingerless blue mascot, called Haibao, Israel's seashell-shaped pavilion has garnered more than its share of attention.
Mini-Australian Film Festivals have recently taken place in countries as diverse as Nepal, Malaysia and Ghana, as part of the Screen Australia/Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Embassy Roadshow program.
Last month, just before the release of the Bollywood film My Name Is Khan, a message generated in Pakistan on the microblogging site Twitter was massively retweeted in Mumbai, India: "You might want to come to Karachi to catch MNIK's first day, first show!"
When Mario Resca, the former head of McDonald's Italy, was appointed by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to manage the country's 450 museums and archeological sites, he began by launching a bold - and controversial - campaign.
The first international Indian classical dance festival (indiclad) 2010 was held in Manipur with an aim to revive the traditional devotional performing arts amongst the youth and to promote peace and harmony in the region.
There are probably few places left on the planet where people shrug their shoulders and have no opinion when asked what they think about America's role and image in the world. The US is everywhere, be it militarily, culturally through movies, news media, television and advertising...
APDS Blogger: Erin Kamler