CULTURAL DIPLOMACY INSTITUTE
The Cultural Diplomacy Institute bridges the realms of international management and global governance, equipping students with the skills needed to navigate the complexities of our interconnected world. Through a blend of classroom seminars, professional trainings, and interactions with experts from various fields, students delve into international relations, economics, politics, and more
Cultural diplomacy is the exchange of ideas, information, art, and other aspects of culture among nations and their peoples in order to foster mutual understanding. Cultural diplomacy is the best example of the so-called soft power, i.e. the possibility of communicating, via the conduit of culture, values and ideas. Cultural diplomacy implies the involvement of the instruments of government in the business of projecting a favourable image of a nation to the public (broadly defined) of other nations. Cultural diplomacy is the business of winning friends and influence through culture.
The Creative Economy is one of the most dynamic sectors of the world economy and international trade, generating revenues, jobs and export earnings, while promoting social inclusion and human development
ACTIVITIES
1. Developing a shared strategic vision in each country, through dialogue between creative clusters and U.S. Delegations, consultations with local stakeholders, the identification of
common goals and priority actions, and the continued support for U.S.-Africa cooperation on culture in headquarters (i.e. in the global or regional programmes of America, AU Member
States).
2. Developing a joint cultural relations training framework, through the opening up of individual training programmes to the participation of other stakeholders and the development of a joint training programme.
3. Professionalising the partnership, through the appointment of ‘cultural focal points’ and capacity building in U.S. Delegations and permanent coordinators within AU clusters, regular
meetings at country level, etc.
4. Designing and implementing projects together, through well-defined, stronger governance of the U.S-AU partnership at country level, while respecting the principle of ‘variable geometry’ and variable co-financing models, better communication of joint activities, etc.
5. Defining a monitoring and evaluations approach, which uses existing expertise within U.S. institutions and AU members and enables evaluation both of the results of individual projects and of the impact of cultural relations.