November 8

"No, I am not a postman."

--Vladimir Nabokov, when asked whether his novels contained a message; Nabokov image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Secretary Clinton Announces Civil Society 2.0 Initiative to Build Capacity of Grassroots Organizations Marrakech, Morocco November 3, 2009 - U.S. Department of State: "In her remarks today to the Forum for the Future, Secretary Clinton announced Civil Society 2.0,

which will help grassroots organizations around the world use digital technology to tell their stories, build their memberships and support bases, and connect to their community of peers around the world. Building the capacity of grassroots civil society organizations will enable them to do the work that, in the past, Western NGOs and governments have done. With increased capacity, communities are better able to initiate, administer and sustain their own programs and solutions to shared problems." Image from

"Foreign bureaucracies should not manufacture messages of democracy" - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy – Elliott comment on article by Cynthia P. Schneider and Nadia Oweidat, “Where are the moderate voices from the Arab world?” Global Arab Network, 4 November 2009:" "The administration can condemn censorship and encourage internet access until it is blue in the face, but regimes such as those in Iran, Burma, and Zimbabwe won't comply until those regimes are replaced. International broadcasting must therefore step in to provide news and information to places where that information is denied. A lack of government fingerprints is good, whenever possible, but with limited commercial potential for international broadcasting in languages such as Persian, Pashto, Burmese, and even Arabic, government funding must be provided, coupled with the necessary guarantees of autonomy. As for the 'failure' of 'al-Hurrah' (Alhurra), see previous post."

Iran blames latest unrest on international broadcasts - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

Assorted stories of RFE/RL's past and present - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

Edward Norton, Forest Whitaker, Sarah Jessica Parker, More Sign on to President Obama's Arts Committee - Christina Lee, Paste Magazine: "As Variety reported Monday, the White House appointed a total of 25 arts and entertainment personalities to serve in its Committee

on the Arts and Humanities. ... To further promote the arts, the committee will communicate with federal cultural agencies, in addition to public and private sectors. It will address cultural diplomacy, economic revitalization and education matters in the arts and humanities vein." Image from

Obama Names Picks for President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities - Steve Delahoyde, mediabistro.com (blog): "While President Obama was busy rocking it with his new Google Glasses on, we assume one of the things he got up to while looking so nerd-cool was selecting the members of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the list of whom has just been released. And what an odd list it is. The ones the celebrity watching outlets will pick up on are Yo-Yo Ma, Vogue's Anna Wintour, Edward Norton, and Sarah Jessica Parker (no doubt for her efforts pitting artists against one another). For those whose interests lie elsewhere, you'll be pleased to hear that starchitect Thom Mayne also made it in, as did designer/architect Christine Forester. It's a strange

group of people, for sure, and if you're a little unclear as to how they'll all be working together (we'd like to see a Norton vs. Wintour argument the most), here's a brief synopsis of the committee: Our committee focuses on arts and humanities education, cultural diplomacy, economic revitalization through the arts and humanities and special events dedicated to recognizing excellence in these areas. Since our members include government agencies and private individuals, we provide a dynamic link between the public and private sectors. All of our efforts are collaborative, and we work primarily with the White House and our cultural partners, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Update: The LA Times' Christopher Knight has a few more things to say about the group's makeup, like why aren't there any visual artists included?" Image from

Anna Wintour joins Obama! - Grazia: "So this is a nice 60th birthday present. Anna Wintour

is joining Obama in the White House! Kind of. The US Vogue editor-in-chief has just been appointed honorary chair on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, which will focus on ‘arts and humanities education, cultural diplomacy, economic revitalisation through the arts and humanities and special events dedicated to recognising excellence in these areas, and for the promotion of really great shoes’ (OK, we made that last bit up). The committee will basically advise the President on how to elevate the role of the arts in society." Wintour image from article

Obama's Art Gurus - Jessica Bumpus - Vogue.com: "Anna Wintour and Sarah Jessica Parker have been recruited by president Barack Obama to advise on the arts. The American Vogue editor and Sex and the City actress

are among a group of Hollywood and fashion figures - which also includes a cellist, a theatre and film producer and a ballet dancer - who have been given the task to bring attention to education, cultural diplomacy and economical development through the arts. First Lady Michelle Obama holds the role of honorary chairperson to the 25-member arts and humanities committee. 'The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it,' she said. The committee was set up in 1982 during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, reports The Daily Telegraph." Jessica Parker image from article

What is Obama's policy on the arts? - Marianne Combs,Minnesota Public Radio: "[W]ith all this talk about health care and the economy, you may not know just exactly what President Obama has planned for the arts (I certainly couldn't point to any projects off the top of my head). Well I did a quick search and found this from his campaign trail days, when candidate Obama needed to have talking points on every issue out there. In summary, our President has promised America the following [among them]: … - To promote cultural diplomacy. By that he means put more money into U.S. embassy programs that send American artists on tour around the world. - To attract foreign talent. Since 9/11 it's been difficult, if not impossible to get a visa to perform in the United States. President Obama has promised to streamline the visa process so artists and art students can make their way here more easily."

Connecting cultures - Don Aucoin, Boston Globe: "During a visit to Boston two years ago, King Abdullah of Jordan heard the Boston Children’s Chorus perform at the Harvard Club and was bowled over. The king told chorus executive director David Howse

to let him know if there was anything he could do for the chorus in the future. Howse had an idea: Why not bring the chorus to Jordan? After all, part of the mission statement for the multiracial ensemble, founded six years ago by Hubie Jones, is that the singers 'proudly represent the city of Boston as ambassadors of harmony.’ Working with the Royal Court in Jordan, the US State Department, and cultural organizations in Jordan, Howse laid the groundwork for what eventually became a two-week visit to Jordan in July by 65 members of the chorus. Ranging in age from 11 to 18, the chorus members gave a total of seven performances in the city of Amman and in rural towns. Call it cultural diplomacy, chorus-style." Howse image from

First Lady Presents After-School Arts and Education Awards - press release, Media Newswire: "Mrs. Obama ... [is] the honorary chairman of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH), which sponsors the Coming Up Taller awards in partnership with three federal agencies. The PCAH focuses on arts and humanities education, cultural diplomacy and economic revitalization through the arts and humanities. The committee includes both government officials and private individuals. It works primarily with the White House, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services to connect the people of the United States with each other and with the rest of the world through dance, music, literature, painting, sculpture, and heritage and cultural tourism."

The British Museum brings the dead to life: The British Museum's Day of the Dead celebrations did more than offer a joyous take on Mexico's annual spectacle. It revived its own standing on the cultural landscape, too - Jonathan Jones, guardian.co.uk ‎: "The Day of the Dead at the British Museum on Sunday was the ultimate consummation of Neil MacGregor's transformation of the Bloomsbury collection into a meeting place of world cultures. This autumn's theme at the museum is Mexico. … But the sheer scale of this festival was mind-blowing.

The crowds were so huge and joyous, the events such an artful cocktail of entertainment – skeleton parades, macabre ballets, those stiltwalkers – and education. The crowds didn't just gawp; we listened to erudite talks as well. And there were the two Mexican exhibitions to make part of your visit, adding up to a revelatory cultural encounter. As it happens I was in a debate the other day on the theme of museums as agents of cultural diplomacy. Dr Tiffany Jenkins, a trenchant critic of the British Museum's global vision of itself as cultural melting pot, was another speaker. There was no one from the BM on the panel, so I found myself defending it, pointing out how rich the aesthetic rewards of its 'cultural diplomacy' have been. But in light of yesterday, it needs no defender." Image from article

Leading article: Cultural diplomacy - Independent: "Sino-British relations have had their share of ruptures over the centuries, from the Opium Wars to the disturbed progress of the Beijing Olympic torch through London's streets a few years ago. And until yesterday it looked as though The X-Factor had created another awkward diplomatic incident. There were reports that the Chinese ambassador, Madam Fu Ying, had been annoyed by the noise from the fans of the ITV show's contestants (who are being housed near Madam Fu's London residence). But not a bit of it. The Ambassador has made it known that she is actually very pleased to be 'caught up in X Factor fever' and even claims to be a fan. It used to be said that 'an ambassador is an honest man sent to lie abroad for his country'. But who could doubt the sincerity of Madam Fu's admiration for Stacey, Jamie and, of course, Jedward? We say: a new era of sweet harmony between our two great nations begins here."

Benjamin R Barber: Cultural diplomacy doesn't change how countries do business - Independent : "The trouble with cultural diplomacy – don't get me wrong, I like cultural diplomacy – is that it is redundant. Culture is diplomacy. Why? Because the medium in which the arts swim is not really words or deeds but imagination.

Which is to say, cultural diplomacy cannot pretend to change how countries do business and probably should not even try. … The truth is that democracy needs the art more than the art needs democracy." Barber image from

The Liberal vision: A cultured Canada - Pablo Rodriguez, National Post: "Michael Ignatieff was in Montreal last week to meet with theatre, television, film and video industry stakeholders, as well as representatives of Quebec's museums. ... Our Liberal leader is ... committed to ensuring stable funding to CBC/Radio-Canada, allowing long-term planning so the broadcaster can continue to offer unique, quality programming, as per its mandate as a Crown corporation. Lastly, Michael Ignatieff promised to re-establish and improve cultural programming cut by the Conservatives, especially programs that develop our role in international markets as well as initiatives in cultural diplomacy (like the scrapped PromArt and Trade Routes programs)."

The flute gathers dust - Rahul Ghai, HardNews Magazine: "Encouraging people in rural regions to develop traditional forms of livelihood based on cultural resources should be considered an investment in development. Such a development would go a long way in fulfilling the promise of preserving our cultural heritage. It would also provide solace to the arid and parched urban sensibilities."

Eastern Promises - Baladas Ghoshal, Times of India:

"Strategic objectives need not be promoted through projection of hard military power alone, as the 'realist' school would have it. Exercise of soft power could be more effective. The liberal institutional approach emphasises culture, ideology and institutions. Soft power strategies rely on common political values, peaceful means of conflict management and economic cooperation to achieve common solutions. India's objectives in its Look East policy and visibility in South East Asia can be furthered through areas education (human resources development), democracy and culture where it has a comparative advantage over other Asian countries. Indian and Indonesian cultures and values, for instance, are closely related. Civilisational contact between India and South East Asia spans over 2,000 years. If pursued, cultural diplomacy can further cement the bond between the two regions based on pluralist traditions and belief in 'unity in diversity'. Tourism as a means of people-to-people contact can be an instrument of cultural diplomacy." Image from

Sizzling Entertainment - David Tumusiime, Observer: "Just how much can four years away from Uganda change a person? A lot, if the transformation of The Missing Link (real name Abba Lang) of Klear Kut is anything to go by. … Although he is the programme coordinator on cultural diplomacy in Africa team for The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin, Germany, the Link believes he can still get back to making music. It was one of the reasons that saw him come back to Uganda on August 24, 2009 although he said this was just a visit."

RELATED ITEMS

The President Whose Words Once Soared - Peter Baker, New York Times:

After Mr. Obama gave his speech in Cairo reaching out to the Muslim world, some aides argued that the address itself was responsible for Iranians taking to the streets of Tehran to protest a disputed election. But David Axelrod, the president’s senior adviser, said the White House is realistic. “No one ever believed that the power of communicating was in and of itself enough,” he said. “It’s important to communicate what you’re doing and why. But without the what and the why, the communicating is of little value.” Image from

Obama's unlearned lesson: Treading in Carter's unsuccessful footsteps - Oliver North, Washington Times: Like the Carter administration, Mr. Obama and his advisers apparently are convinced that "engaging" the Iranian regime will somehow make things different. After 30 years, they still don't get it.

For China trip, lose the old baggage - Zachary Karabell, Washington Post: Hundreds of billions of dollars in annual trade, trillions in loans and investments, and two decades of ever-closer integration have transformed both countries, and the mutual dependence has only deepened during the financial crisis of the past year. Another summit-as-usual won't do.

More Official Thoughts on Re-branding Propaganda – China Digital Times: David Bandurski of China Media Project translates “Employing Innovation to Raise the Level of Public Opinion Channeling in Television” by Ma Laishun, vice-chairman at Hebei Television and head of the station’s News Center. A portion of David Bandurski’s introductory remarks to Ma’s article: “Public opinion channeling” seems to encompass an ambitious nationwide project to re-package and modernize propaganda. The piece below refers explicitly to “all-around packaging” and “branding” even as it emphasizes serving the interests of party superiors.

It is crucial to understand that this modernization project seeks to take the boring and the boilerplate out of propaganda, not the propaganda out of news. The emphasis on discipline and the party line is still there. But there is a recognition too that traditional media control tactics, while still crucial, are no longer as effective in the age of modern communications. So to all of you phoning to ask whether the Internet has made a difference. Yes. Of course. But be careful how you understand that change. Chinese media are changing. And so are controls. Image from

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“Wrestling isn’t fake. It’s predetermined. So what?”

--Hulk Hogan

IMAGE


A copyeditor at the Toronto Star greeted the news that union copyeditor jobs were being eliminated in favor of freelancers by heavily editing the publisher's memo announcing same, pointing out all the ways in which the publisher could benefit from editorial aid.

From Boing Boing