Discovering Cuba Through Its Culture

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Art by Michel Mirabal.

Despite Cuba’s geographic proximity to the United States, historical circumstances have served to widen the distance between our two countries. As both nations begin to turn the page towards a future of greater closeness and cooperation, leaders from both sides of the straits are seeking ways to increase understanding and develop relationships between our countries. In April of 2016, led by Ambassador Stuart Holliday, a distinguished group of members of Meridian International Center’s Board of Trustees and other supporters, undertook a trip to Cuba. Consistent with Meridian’s mission to “understand global issues and cultures, exchange ideas, collaborate on solutions,...

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Interns’ International Experiences Enhance Cultural Exchange

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Meridian welcomes the Spring 2016 GlobalConnect interns!

A combined total of 20.5 years abroad in 15 different countries. Eight foreign languages spoken. GlobalConnect division’s five new interns embody the diversity of backgrounds and cultural experiences Meridian emphasizes as the foundation for global leadership. Exploring Cultural Outreach through YLAI YLAI (Young Leaders of the Americas) Program  Intern Alexandria Anderson also understands the importance of cross-cultural communication in community development. As an undergraduate at Spelman College, Anderson studied abroad in Cochabamba, Bolivia in a field studies-based program focused on multiculturalism, globalization, and social change. From potato farming with her host family to participating in a welcoming ceremony in...

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Guatemalan Indigenous Leaders Visit to the U.S.

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Participants standing in front of the U.S. Capitol

¡Bienvenidos! This was the word used all over DC as flashes of sky blue, deep indigo, and rich red were seen in the Senate, by the Monuments, in the House of Representatives, and even a local Subway. Seeing traditionally dressed Guatemalan Indigenous Leaders standing in line at Subway was definitely a site for onlookers, but it was a part of the experience that these leaders signed up for.     There was a moment when Officer of Press and Community Affairs, Municipality of Santo Tomas, Julio David Diaz Chay, discussed what December 21st 2012 really meant to the Mayan people which to the Western belief marked the...

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Soft Power: The Monthly Roundup (September edition)

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Events this month took place in Colombia, Italy, Toronto, and Shanghai, among others.

The end of September brings with it the kickoff of autumn, pumpkin-spice madness, and, of course, the latest edition of the Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy’s Soft Power: The Monthly Roundup. The following selection highlights nine notable cultural diplomacy projects that took place around the globe this month. Continue  

Soft Power: The Monthly Roundup (July edition)

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Featured projects last month happened in Africa, Singapore, New York, Cuba, and Brazil, among other locations.

Welcome to the twelfth edition of the Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy’s Soft Power: The Monthly Roundup, a feature that aims to explore unique cultural diplomacy initiatives from around the globe. With the temperatures peaking and summer in full swing, this post travels to nine cultural diplomacy events and celebrations that took place in the month of July:

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