Cultural diplomacy is a type of public diplomacy and soft power that includes the "exchange of ideas, information, art, language and other aspects of culture among nations and their peoples in order to foster mutual understanding". The purpose of cultural diplomacy is for the people of a foreign nation to develop an understanding of the nation's ideals and institutions in an effort to build broad support for economic and political goals. In essence "cultural diplomacy reveals the soul of a nation", which in turn creates influence. Though often overlooked, cultural diplomacy can and does play an important role in achieving national security efforts.
Instituto Cervantes is a worldwide nonprofit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), the author of Don Quixote and perhaps the most important figure in the history of Spanish literature. The Cervantes Institute is the largest organization in the world responsible for promoting the study and the teaching of Spanish language and culture.
The National Arts Council (NAC) is a statutory board established on 15 October 1991 to oversee the development of arts in Singapore. It is under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. The NAC provides grants, scholarships, awards and platforms for arts practitioners, as well as arts education and programmes for the general public.
Dance in Singapore comprises traditional and contemporary forms. It has a relatively short history of creative, artistic and professional dance. The range of dance reflects the cultural diversity of Singapore. There is a consistent struggle between the rejection and acceptance of western dance influences and the re-emphasis of ethnic cultures from time to time. The Singapore identity through dance is a challenging one often on an outward looking perception rather than the acceptance and recognition of indigenous/original creativity. Notable non-profit artistic dance legacy include ECNAD and Arts Fission Company.
Xinyao is a genre of songs that is unique to Singapore. It is a contemporary Mandarin vocal genre that emerged and rose to fame in Singapore between the late 1970s to 1980s. Xinyao songs are composed and sung by Singaporeans and it is an outlet for them to express their thoughts and feelings around themes like friendships or love stories. Xinyao is a Chinese noun comprising two words: Xīn (新) which is an abbreviation for Singapore, and yáo (谣) for song. The extended form is Xīnjiāpō gēyáo (新加坡歌谣), which simply means "Singapore songs".
Liberatum is an international cultural diplomacy organisation, multimedia and cultural content company founded by Pablo Ganguli in 2001. It creates and presents multidisciplinary artistic platforms and promotes contemporary arts, film, media, literature and culture worldwide through its own festivals, films, summits and other programming. Liberatum champions human rights, freedom of expression and women in creativity through its platforms across the world.
Kuo Pao Kun was a playwright, theatre director, and arts activist in Singapore who wrote and directed both Mandarin and English plays. He founded three arts and drama centres in Singapore, conducted and organised a number of drama seminars and workshops, and mentored Singaporean and foreign directors and artists.
Goh Soo Khim is a Singaporean ballerina and a doyen in Singapore’s dance scene. She is also the co-founder and artistic director of Singapore Dance Theatre, and the elder sister of late ballet maestro Goh Choo San. She is also credited for the development of ballet in Singapore, and for nurturing many successful dancers under her tutelage, to become successful dancers, soloists and even choreographers over the years.
Czech Centres is an organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic consisting of offices in 22 countries throughout three continents. It was established for the promotion of the Czech history, culture, language, tourism and trade abroad. It is considered an active instrument of foreign policy of the Czech Republic through public diplomacy.
The Istituto Italiano di Cultura, the Italian Cultural Institute in English, is a worldwide non-profit organization created by the Italian government. It promotes Italian culture and is involved in the teaching of the Italian language. The creation of the institute was in response to the desire for a deeper understanding of Italian culture throughout many continents. By organising cultural activities it supports the work carried out by the Italian Embassies and Consulates. There are 85 Italian Cultural Institutes throughout major cities around the world.
Iskandar Jalil is a Singapore ceramist. He was awarded the Cultural Medallion for Visual Arts in 1988.
Jeremiah Choy is an actor, writer, director and choreographer.
Korean Cultural Centers are non-profit institutions aligned with the Government of South Korea that aim to promote Korean culture and facilitate cultural exchanges.
Petra Štefanková is a Slovak illustrator, digital artist, designer and art director. She has worked in the animation, advertising and publishing industry.
Sun Chan is a self-taught artist who is known for his unique Chinese character motifs. Born in Lima, Peru, in 1932 to an overseas Chinese family, he was brought back to Fóshān, Guǎngdōng China to study the Chinese language at the age of five. At this time Chan first became fascinated with Chinese characters. He has always loved calligraphy and painting but was unfortunately deprived of an education after the second grade due to the break out of the Pacific War. He went through considerable hardship in the subsequent years and later moved to Hong Kong, where he worked his way from the ground up and established himself as a successful entrepreneur.
Iskandar Mirza Ismail was a prominent Singaporean musician who worked as a composer, arranger, conductor, music director, recording producer, performer and educator in his long career. In recognition of his extensive contributions to the music scene of Singapore, he was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 2008.
The World Cities Culture Forum is a network of local governments and cultural sector leaders from 39 world cities.
