A cultural exchange show promoting the beauty of Vietnam’s land and people took place at the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan on the evening of October 8, drawing great public attention. The event featured performances of Vietnamese traditional dances and songs sung in Japanese. Hoang Thi Minh Ha, the wife of the Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan, introduced the cuisine of her home country. 

There have been wonderful, detailed accounts of this historic visit, and its function (cultural diplomacy), nature (friendly and collaborative), and outcomes (artistic and financial commitments), so I won't rehash those here. What I'll focus on instead is the immeasurable component of art itself in the rebuilding of relationships at a people-to-people level. 

A Cultural Festival of Turkic-Speaking States will be held in Seoul, Korea, from November 8-13. The festival will bring together cultural figures from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Azertac reported. The opening ceremony will take place at the National Museum of Korea on November 8.

German silent film musician and composer Pierre Oser is coming to Manila for the 3rd time this year to grace the 9th International Silent Film Festival, until Aug. 30, at the Edsa Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City. Working with Pierre for this gig is Filipino virtuoso Jaimar Palispis, associate director of the group KontraGaPi, an official ethnic music and dance ensemble of the University of the Philippines, Diliman.

An international touring group will bring one of the most traditional Korean love stories to life Sunday, July 17, on the Sunnyside High School stage. The performance of “Choon-Hyang,” a love story vaguely resembling “Romeo and Juliet,” will be performed by Theater Seoul, an English-language youth theater group whose members travel the world to sing and dance.

Thousands of people descended at the Regency Hotel on Wednesday as Africans, Kuwaitis and expatriates celebrated Africa Day in a colorful style. The event featured lots of cultural displays – with each African country showcasing its rich tradition and cultural heritage in their respective booths. There were food fair, bonanza, free gifts and traditional dances. This is a good avenue to showcase African diversity and success. 

A dancer, choreographer, art administrator, organiser of Delhi Art International Festival and a writer with a mission, Pratibha Prahlad, was honoured with Padma Shri this year. In conversation with Geeta Sahai, she talks about the importance of cultural diplomacy, managing cultural scenario and encouraging the promotion of arts and art forms.