Pine Forest Charter School’s Cedar Avenue campus became a center of cultural exchange Friday when 25 young African leaders visited the campus for a day of community service. The African visitors are recipients of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, part of President Barack Obama’s Young African Leadership Initiative. The program selects 1,000 applicants, between ages 25 and 35 from various countries in Africa to attend a seven-week program in the United States.

President Richard Nixon’s historic 1972 trip to China is being remembered with an exhibit at South Coast Plaza that shows its historic importance and what it did to open the doors of cultural exchange between the countries. [...] The 2,300-square-foot multimedia exhibit features archival photos and videos of the 1972 trip to China, declassified documents, Nixon’s yellow writing pads and a video that tells the story of how Nixon was able to open communications with China.

What began two and half years ago as a dream cultural connection between Harlem and Havana, Cuba, is practically a reality.[...] Lloyd Williams, president and CEO of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, said, “We have worked out an agreement with the Cuban Ministry of Culture that on an annual basis, in winter, it will be Harlem going to Havana … and during the summer months, it will be Havana coming to Harlem. During that appearance here, they will participate in Harlem Week.”

Last October, the Institute of International Education led a delegation of college and university officials from the United States on a cultural immersion trip to Cuba, the first of what officials hoped would be many following the return of diplomatic relations with the country. Since then, thousands of students and dozens of officials from U.S. institutions have traveled to the island in the expanded version of cultural exchange agreements between the two nations. 

The United States must pursue a different approach in helping stabilize Somalia following the appointment of the first U.S. Ambassador to Somalia in more than 25 years, said a former Somali diplomat and respected foreign policy analyst. Abukar Arman, the former Special Representative of Somalia to Washington, said Wednesday the United States has been weak in using “soft power” in its effort to support the government attain security and political stability.

As he nears the end of his presidency, Barack Obama continues to enjoy a broad degree of international popularity. A new Pew Research Center survey conducted in 10 European nations, four major Asia-Pacific countries, Canada and the United States finds that half or more of those polled in 15 of 16 countries express confidence in the American leader. 

For the inaugural Korean Theatre Festival in New York 10 years ago, founder Du-Yee Chang performed an original one-man show based on one of Franz Kafka’s novels. [...] Chang sees the event as a sort of cultural exchange to introduce American audiences to traditional Korean theater.