Cultural Diplomacy
Following the recent public diplomacy review, now seems like a good time to revisit what we mean by cultural diplomacy and the ways in which culture helps to deliver Britain’s foreign, developmental, and sustainability objectives. This project asks what this means for cultural institutions and whether they could play a role in fostering public debate and engagement. It also set out a new and practical framework for policy makers and practitioners in the UK and beyond.
300 and the Real World
at 3:10pm on Friday, 16th March 2007
In Cultural Diplomacy, we talk about the defining characteristics of a new era in which 'the ability of individuals to reap the benefits of globalisation and connect with other people on a truly global level'.
One recent example of the effects that this can have was the speed with which incidents in the UK's Big Brother house fuelled outrage on the streets of Indian cities, forcing a response from Chancellor Gordon Brown.
A similar situation is brewing this this week in relation to the film, 300. The film is about the battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas of Sparta led a force of 300 against Xerxes and his Persian army. However, it has led to a good deal of criticism from Iran, much of which is voiced on blogs. The film is also the subject of criticism in the Washington Post. Quoted on the BBC website, the journalist Omid Memarian has said of the film that 'Not only does it give the wrong outcomes to battles, it grossly misrepresents the Persians and their civilization ... It is unfortunate that very few curriculums in the US cover world history and it is very easy to misdirect the general public on historical facts'. He addresses his blog post (9/03/2007) 'to all Iranians, and all those who know and respect ancient Persian history and culture', adding a petition to boycott the movie. At the time of writing, there are some 12,792 signatures.
This is clear instance in which culture has a major influence on international affairs and in which individual voices are making themsleves heard in very public contexts. Still more interesting is the action taken by one Iranian blogger in Canada, campaigning against the film by trying to use Google rankings to divert searches for 300 to information about Iranian culture and history.
Not only is this a very 21st century means of protest, but it is also highly significant that the response to international misunderstanding and offence is to offer the opportunity to engage with, relate to and understand a nation's art, culture and history. Again, from the BBC website:
'Mr Yousefi, who is upset with the way ancient Persians have been depicted in 300, has called on Iranian cartoonists and artists to send him work that will help educate people about the Persian empire. A number of artists have obliged and some 600 Iranian blogs and websites have established permanent links to Mr Yousefi's site.'
One recent example of the effects that this can have was the speed with which incidents in the UK's Big Brother house fuelled outrage on the streets of Indian cities, forcing a response from Chancellor Gordon Brown.
A similar situation is brewing this this week in relation to the film, 300. The film is about the battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas of Sparta led a force of 300 against Xerxes and his Persian army. However, it has led to a good deal of criticism from Iran, much of which is voiced on blogs. The film is also the subject of criticism in the Washington Post. Quoted on the BBC website, the journalist Omid Memarian has said of the film that 'Not only does it give the wrong outcomes to battles, it grossly misrepresents the Persians and their civilization ... It is unfortunate that very few curriculums in the US cover world history and it is very easy to misdirect the general public on historical facts'. He addresses his blog post (9/03/2007) 'to all Iranians, and all those who know and respect ancient Persian history and culture', adding a petition to boycott the movie. At the time of writing, there are some 12,792 signatures.
This is clear instance in which culture has a major influence on international affairs and in which individual voices are making themsleves heard in very public contexts. Still more interesting is the action taken by one Iranian blogger in Canada, campaigning against the film by trying to use Google rankings to divert searches for 300 to information about Iranian culture and history.
Not only is this a very 21st century means of protest, but it is also highly significant that the response to international misunderstanding and offence is to offer the opportunity to engage with, relate to and understand a nation's art, culture and history. Again, from the BBC website:
'Mr Yousefi, who is upset with the way ancient Persians have been depicted in 300, has called on Iranian cartoonists and artists to send him work that will help educate people about the Persian empire. A number of artists have obliged and some 600 Iranian blogs and websites have established permanent links to Mr Yousefi's site.'
LOGIN to add comments
Comments