Cultural diplomacy encompasses the use of cultural elements, such as arts, language, education, and heritage, as instruments to foster understanding, promote cooperation, and build positive relationships between nations and peoples. It is a form of soft power that focuses on the exchange of ideas, values, traditions, and expressions to create a favorable image and influence perceptions at the international level. Cultural diplomacy aims to bridge cultural gaps, overcome stereotypes, and cultivate mutual respect. Here are some key aspects of cultural diplomacy:
Governments and organizations promote cultural exchange programs that involve the exchange of artists, scholars, students, and professionals. These programs facilitate direct interactions, enabling individuals from different cultures to learn from one another.
Moreover, promoting the learning of a country’s language is a common cultural diplomacy strategy. Language is a powerful tool for communication and understanding, and proficiency can enhance cross-cultural dialogue.
Hosting or participating in international arts and cultural events, such as festivals, exhibitions, and performances, provides a platform for showcasing a country’s artistic and cultural achievements. It helps in creating a positive image and fostering cultural understanding.
Establishing cultural institutes, such as language schools, libraries, and cultural centers, can serve as hubs for cultural exchange. These institutions provide resources for learning about a country’s culture, history, and language.
Efforts to preserve and promote cultural heritage, including historic sites, monuments, and traditional practices, contribute to cultural diplomacy. Shared heritage can serve as a unifying force between nations.
Cultural diplomacy is often a component of public diplomacy efforts, where governments engage with foreign publics to build goodwill, enhance understanding, and shape perceptions through cultural initiatives.
Tourism serves as a vehicle for cultural exchange by exposing visitors to the traditions, customs, and lifestyles of different cultures. Positive tourism experiences contribute to a favorable international image.
Cultural diplomacy can play a role in conflict resolution by promoting dialogue and understanding between nations with historical or political differences. Shared cultural experiences can build bridges and promote reconciliation.
Cultural diplomacy recognizes the power of culture to transcend national boundaries and connect people on a deeper level. It is an effective means of building relationships, promoting cooperation, and fostering a sense of global interconnectedness.
The development of cultural diplomacy in Ethiopia in her relations with foreign countries is an activity that is as old as the formation of modern state in the country
Although not properly managed and utilized over time, for over half a century cultural diplomacy was practiced in Ethiopia through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and specialized commissions like Ethiopia Tourism Commission and the Ministry of Culture. As well as private and public tourism operators like the NTO.
Ethiopian embassies and consulates overseas conducted cultural diplomacy through cultural attaches that were assigned to the nations missions abroad. During the Derge administration, a national cultural group composed of persons of arts and musician skilled in traditional dances toured many countries across the world, Europe and the USA to introduce the multi-ethnic cultural dances of the country to the rest of the world.
Ethiopian persons of creative arts and painters need to be encouraged to widely engage in art exhibitions in foreign lands and in Ethiopia. This is very important because Ethiopian painters have been engaged in painting right from ancient times to the present time. It must be acknowledged that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has remained to be a custodian of religious paintings and art works that are yet to be introduced to the rest of the world.
Ethiopia continues to enjoy stronger cultural diplomatic relations with the Korean Republic, Japan and India. India inn particular played a major role in shaping up modern education in Ethiopia over the past several decades.
The community schools established in Ethiopia can foster deeper cultural relations as support institutions for promoting cultural diplomacy between Ethiopia and the rest of the world.
Given the potentials that Ethiopia possesses in tourism Ethiopia and the development of eco-tourism projects in the country, the nation can benefit more by combining cultural diplomacy with tourism and modern marketing and communication activities in the various sub-sections of cultural diplomacy. The practical reciprocity between cultural diplomacy and Tourism Ethiopia provides the nation with comparative advantages of promoting public diplomacy to enhance Ethiopia’s policy of peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial socio-economic development.
For instance, sport federations like Ethiopian Athletics Federation, Ethiopian Football Federation can take active part in promoting both cultural and tourism development by devising applicable and strong band forms of marketing on Tourism Ethiopia. Ethiopian promoters need to work on programs like visit Ethiopia in cooperation with a number of Premier League football teams in the UK and similar federations in Spain, Brazil, Germany and Italy.
Although not properly exploited, local trade fairs and international exhibitions that were conducted in Ethiopia and abroad have provided a modest opportunity to promote FDI inflow which needs to be further expanded by using Ethiopia’s membership in BRICS and other international alternative economic unions.
Nonetheless, it is also very important to mainstream tourism development in the major economic sectors in focusing on foreign export trade and development.
Language development to foster cultural diplomacy is another area in which Ethiopia is being introduced to the rest of the world. For instance, the Geez language is being taught in several higher institutes of learning and universities in Germany while Oromo ethnographic and cultural studies are popularly studies in the same country. In the Russian Federation, Amharic is being taught in schools across the country. All the above mentioned theoretical and practical analysis indicates the extent to which Ethiopia can employ cultural diplomacy for peace and reconciliation and stability in the Horn of Africa and the entire continent.
Although Ethiopia is on the right track in recognizing and using cultural diplomacy, there is still more to be desired in combining Tourism Ethiopia with the basic elements of cultural diplomacy being implemented by the country. Special strategies and action plans need to be devised and implemented to widen and deepen the nations over all diplomatic efforts in the African region and across the world. Concerted institutional approach will help to bring about the desired results in the nation’s foreign policy and diplomatic objectives.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
BY SOLOMON DIBABA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 14 MARCH 2024
