Welcome to the fifth installment of the Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy’s Soft Power: The Monthly Roundup.
In addition to cultural diplomacy projects that launched this past month, for this last post of 2014 we’re also highlighting some notable efforts from this past year:
On January 19, Meridian’s Global Service Leaders (GSL) team will honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy and vision with a day of service locally in Washington, DC and around the world. Addressing Dr. King’s challenge, “What are you doing for others?”, Meridian and GSL will build upon the success of last year’s Warm Up, DC program, and collect, donate and share items to be distributed by the International Rescue Committee in Silver Spring. IRC offers education, nutrition, clothing, and family support programs to newly arrived refugees and their families To achieve this goal, Meridian will be partnering with...
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This blog was written by American mural artist Christine Kuhn.
From November 17 through December 10, I had the opportunity to travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as part of the Community Engagement through the Arts program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
Truth be told, I was looking forward to the premiere of The Interview this Christmas season. And it’s not because the buzz surrounding the hacking of Sony, in what seems to be a direct act of retaliation for financing and producing this movie. It wasn’t even because of all the media attention the movie got as a result of this controversy. And most certainly, it was not because of the artistic value one may find in certain cinematic creations – which was probably not the case here anyway. I simply wanted to see the movie because I was curious to see how realistic the movie portrays the reality of North Korea. Continue
In late November, Meridian International Center and the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Press Center warmly received a cohort of ten Chinese “netizens” (a portmanteau of “internet” and “citizens”) who displayed a deft awareness for the power of the blogosphere.
The netizens expressed their appreciation and satisfaction with what they all agreed was a very well designed and relevant program. They were particularly pleased that they were able to participate in such a wide range of activities; saying that the visit did much to increase their understanding of the United States and both the differences and similarities between the two countries. Continue
