Cultural exchange and commercial transactions between whalers, traders and missionaries, and island women, have been occurring since the 18th and 19th centuries. Food, water and commodities were often exchanged for female companionship. In 1962, the changed status of Guam's security clearance requirements, and the budding tourism industry, spurred the striptease industry.

A Japanese contemporary art exhibition themed ‘Yayoi Kusama- Obsessions’ will be held at the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Hanoi from May 25-July 28 to mark Japan-Vietnam Friendship Year 2013.

A one day cultural and musical exchange program under the theme ‘Building relations through music’ was held today at Senapati Mini stadium organized jointly by the Senapati district students association (SDSA) and Kuki Students organisation (KSO) Sadar Hills in association with Student Mobilization Initiatives Learning through Exposure.

American philanthropist Susan Lehrman has received the Fulbright Award for contributing to international diplomacy, specifically Russia-US cultural ties. A month ago, her efforts were warmly saluted by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Mawazine Festival strives to reveal and showcase the cultural diversity of Morocco and the rest of the world. The rich program of this 12th edition, within the same spirit, will dedicate the best part to the meetings between the public and the artists through many initiating workshops.

The two Narromine residents are part of a 28-person exchange program to all parts of New Zealand. This is a cultural exchange program that has been running for 24 years and the program has been used by several Narromine students during this period. Local Rotarian and mentor for the students, Geoff Smith, said the students would attend school as part of their exchange and they would be exposed to several experiences only available in New Zealand.

Looking back over 50 years of the Union, 'cultural diplomacy' has a greater chance of creating understanding between peoples than what I will call for the purposes of this article, 'conventional diplomacy'. As such, over the next 50 years, we should throw down the challenge to the AU to put cultural diplomacy at the top of its agenda.

Rita Csapó-Sweet grew up a first-generation Hungarian-American. Her parents came to the United States after World War II. Because of her ethnic background, she felt a little out of place growing up in America. But a college trip to Hungary remedied her feelings of alienation and carved out a path that saw her become a cultural ambassador of sorts.