With only a year to go before the opening of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the organizers vow to enrich the global sports event with cultural elements. For the past five years, the South Korean government has been working not only to build and shore up infrastructure for the games, but also to prepare to show Korea's soft power.

Representatives of seven Cleveland cultural and educational institutions met Cuban counterparts face to face and saw firsthand evidence of the rapprochement with Cuba started under President Barack Obama in 2014. The visit also provided a snapshot of Cuban life at an unusual point after the death of the country's longtime president, Fidel Castro, in November, and the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, who could freeze or reverse the normalization started by Obama.

The partnership was formed in August last year, after the third edition. “We have a large North Eastern community here. We wanted to support their effort to showcase their culture and, in the process, also showcase ours to them. We felt the event can be a cross-cultural exchange platform. Also, Bengaluru has been called the most dynamic city in the world.

The Minister for Sports and Culture Julienne Uwacu has expressed confidence that the Rwanda-China cultural exchanges are growing from strength to strength. [...] “We appreciate the embassy of China in Rwanda for having organised such a wonderful event. Cultural exchanges between Rwanda and China will continue. They (Chinese) will also be inviting our artistes to go and perform in China showcasing our culture there,” she said.

Filipino historians, along with arts and culture professionals, discussed the need to revisit details and connections in history to further deepen relations in countries. The symposium, which was held in Ateneo de Manila University Ricardo Leong Hall and was organized by the Japan Foundation Manila, brought together Fukuoka Prize recipients in the Philippines to lecture on the relations between the two countries going way back to prehispanic times as trade partners.

Sixty years ago, at age 14, Daniel Barenboim made his debut at Carnegie Hall. He played Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in a program called “World Peace Through World Music.” This month, the Argentine-Israeli musician, educator and political activist is back at the New York City venue preparing to conduct the Staatskapelle Berlin, the orchestra of the Berlin State Opera, in a cycle of nine symphonies by the 19th-century Austrian composer Anton Bruckner.

In celebration of the Year of China in South Africa 2015 the UJ's Confucius Institute aimed to promote further expansion and deepening of existing political, economic, scientific, technological and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Relations between the two countries and the respective institutions have strengthened across many fronts ever since.  Prof Jiangao's work is to promote Mandarin language teaching and the Chinese cultural experience for UJ staff and students, the public, business and government. 

The Indian High Commission will hold a “Festival of India-Matri” from January 25 to March 15, 2017  to commemorate 60 years of a strong bond of friendship between India and Ghana. The festival  will be held in collaboration with Ghana’s Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, as well as the governments of both countries.