Cultural Diplomacy in Latin America (CDLA)

Introduction to Cultural Diplomacy in Latin America

“Latin America” is a European term coined in the nineteenth century, initially employed to differentiate the Spanish and Portuguese speaking societies from the Anglo-American world. Hence, it has cultural, geographical and historical implications. As the Webster’s New World college Dictionary defines it: “the part of the Western Hemisphere, south of the U.S., in Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and South America, where Spanish, Portuguese and French are the official languages”. Such definition emphasizes the European cultural heritage of the Latin American region, which has had a great impact on the region’s development and autonomy, as well as posing as a dangerous classification because it does not put light on the region’s diversity. In fact, Latin American states vary widely in terms of geography, demography, ethnic composition and economic development.

Latin America is one of the richest and most diverse regions in the world and, with an area of approximately 22,000,000 km2, the 45 countries that make up Latin America and the Caribbean comprise 14.1% of the earth’s total land surface area and 8.6% of its population. According to the World Bank report on the growing South, the 21st century has witnessed the fast transformation of the region, where better access to quality education, reliable safety nets and sound economic policies have had an important role in lifting Latin Americans out of poverty and into the middle class. In fact, for the first time ever, the number of people belonging to the middle class surpassed the number of the poor in the region, where “more than 70 million people lifted out of poverty and 50 million joining the ranks of the middle class between 2003 and 2011”. The 2013 United Nations Human Development Report has shown the incredible improvement of the South, as great transformations took place in the public health, education, transportation, telecommunications and civic engagement in national governance. Although Latin America has witnessed a steady economic growth in recent years, with leading economies of countries such as Brazil, the region still has the most unequal wealth distribution in the world, with an exceptionally large economic gap between rich and poor.

Culturally speaking, the region is characterized by several ethnic groups and races, and has been influenced by a mixture of many cultural expressions worldwide. The definition of culture, as defined by Edward Hall, refers to “the way of life of a people, the sum of their learned behavior, attitudes and material things; a country’s culture reflects its history, knowledge, experiences, beliefs, values and tradition. It accumulates over time and is shaped by many factors. Therefore, Latin American cultural diversity and its modern status have to be understood within the framework of continuity, the power of the past and the rhetorical or exceptional qualities of change. In this context, the promotion of national values, ideas and of a country’s cultural identity is key for the strengthening of relations amongst states and the fostering of a good country brand abroad. The course of action these exchanges are based on is defined as cultural diplomacy. The use of cultural diplomacy helps to promote national interests in a sustainable way, making the links amongst countries or civil societies stronger in order to enhance cooperation and mutual understanding. When talking about the importance of Cultural Diplomacy in Latin America, it is necessary to highlight the prominent role of culture in society. The exchange of ideas and cooperation between societies in the filed of culture play a central role in the dialogues amongst different societies and states. Moreover, the role of the government has always been very important as it has for a long time been the protagonist of dialogue and exchange of cultural cooperation. Governments, along side other social agents such as institutions, companies, artists, students, etc. work together to make cultural cooperation a reality.

Why is Cultural Diplomacy important? Cultural diplomacy is a key tool to avoid and prevent stereotypes, combat discrimination, transform prejudice into respect and unite men and women from different background. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge that any democratic model should be able to include and respect the diversity of identities and strengthen the particular characteristics of the same traditions . The way in which cultural diplomacy is supported in Latin America has been, among other tools, the establishment of institutes, whose support for culture is still today a present policy. For example, on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Brazil, the institutes are presented as non-profit entities that - despite being autonomous - "fulfill a cultural mission in coordination with the diplomatic and consular missions of the jurisdiction in which they are situated". Consequently, those institutes fulfill an important role as they contribute to the signing of agreements between countries, such as the Cultural Institute of Brazil-Argentinean cooperation, which offers language courses, lectures, literary competitions, publications and other activities, in order to promote understanding and knowledge between different countries.

The purpose of cultural diplomacy is to create and strengthen unions of cooperation and mutual understanding, which can then be projected in future joint creations of new leadership and actions. It is in this context that Latin America poses as good example of interesting social and political processes, in the aftermath of that symbolize the rupture of the dominant hegemonic paradigms and the creation of new ones. Culture also contributes to economic development, job creation and competitiveness. In this way, cultural diplomacy increasingly takes advantage of the real potential that countries have as producers of cultural goods, which are used to promote their image around the globe and effectively export their products in the international arena. The application of cultural diplomacy in Latin America shows an increasing integration of cultures through the application of several strategies for development, which give a new vision for cultural diplomacy. This vision becomes a tool to strengthen this integration and goes far beyond the association between culture and image, emphasizing the connections between culture and social cohesion, poverty reduction and democratic governance.

Case Studies - The use of Cultural Diplomacy in Latin America

a. Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic (República Argentina), is a federal republic located in the southeast of South America. Its people have had to struggle with military dictatorship, a lost war over the Falkland Islands, and severe economic difficulties for decades. Argentina features richness in resources, and exhibits a well-educated workforce. Furthermore, it is one of South America’s largest economies, although it has also fallen prey to a boom and bust cycle. The economic collapse of 2001 left more than half of the population living in poverty and triggered unrest, leaving the country to struggle with record debt defaults and currency devaluation.

Being a very culturally rich country, Argentina serves as a good example for the use of cultural diplomacy. It has great capacity to attract people from abroad through its vast offer of cultural events, and the promotion and spread of the local culture enjoys great attention. Compared to other countries of the world, Argentina scores above average when it comes to national music, art, film and other festivals; hosting international summits and sport events; and the number of Argentinean embassies abroad. Several schools of fine arts in Argentina, and especially Buenos Aires, offer instruction in visual arts, theatre, dance, and music. Amongst the most important cultural institutions of the country is the National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales), which promotes the Argentine film industry by funding qualified Argentine film production companies. The Argentine cinema and film industry enjoyed a ‘golden age’ in the 1930s through the 1950s and released many production that are today considered classics of Spanish-language film. More recent films from the “New Wave” of cinema starting in the 1980s also achieved worldwide recognition and have contributed to the spread and promotion of Argentine (film) culture globally. Internationally important film festivals are, amongst others, the Mar del Plata Film Festival and the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema. In Argentina, the per capita number of screens is one of the highest in Latin America, and viewing per capita is the highest in the region. Furthermore, Argentina is considered important in the international music festival scene and attracts people from all over the world on this level, too. Amongst the most significant national music festivals are the Pepsi music festival held annually since 2003, hosting the most important national, and notable international, rock stars; the Cosquín Folk Festival, being the most important folk music festival in the whole of Latin America; the electronic music festival Ultra, hosting world-class international DJs and hence attracting and uniting people from all over the world; and the Buenos Aires Jazz Festival. Worth mentioning is also Argentina’s recognition of the significance of the use of social media campaigns to promote its nation brand and tourism: the country’s main nation branding program, “Argentina late con vos” (Spanish for “Argentina beats with you”) turned out to be very successful in promoting Argentina abroad and also created a very personal link between the traveler and the country. Today, Argentina is positioned strongly as a tourist destination of excellence around the world. Moreover, being the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage, Argentina officially and strongly promotes its image of being respectful and open to gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transsexuals, who can enjoy a vast LGTB culture and diversity within a frame of integration and respect. Furthermore, it advertises with its gastronomy and wine repertoire; the intimacy, passion and poetry of its tango culture and its vast nature resorts. Especially tango, the music and lyrics (often sung in a form of slang called lunfardo), is Argentina's musical symbol and enjoys worldwide popularity. Thus, Argentina has great capacity and potential in attracting and uniting people from around the world on the basis of cultural events and is hence a valuable example for successful implementation of cultural diplomacy, when it is understood as a line of action that employs the exchange of cultural aspects such as ideas and values to promote national interest and cooperation amongst countries.

b. Brazil Another good example for a country implementing cultural diplomacy is Brazil. Officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in Latin America. Brazil is South America's most influential country, an economic giant and one of the world's biggest democracies. It is one of the rising economic powers - otherwise known as BRICS nations - together with Russia, India, China and South Africa. Over the past few years it has made major strides in its efforts to raise millions out of poverty. As the host of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics Brazil is under a global spotlight. Furthermore, Brazil’s development throughout the last two decades and its increasing involvement in the great international themes, are supported by a foreign policy that aims at an increasing inclusion in the international arena. To that effect, Brazil has enjoyed a mostly positive reputation over the years and the number of international partners grows every day. Despite its well-known problems with regards to poverty, violence and corruption, Brazil’s image does not appear to be largely damaged by it and in terms of tourism the country scores quite high in comparison to other South American countries . According to Bignami (2005), the most common associations with the image of Brazil are the ones relating the country to Carnival, football, beautiful landscapes, sensual women, indigenous culture, and hospitable people. Brazil has great capacity and potential in attracting and uniting people from around the world on the basis of cultural events and is hence a valuable example for successful implementation of cultural diplomacy, when “described as a course of actions, which are based on and utilize the exchange of ideas, values, traditions and other aspects of culture or identity, whether to strengthen relationships, enhance socio-cultural cooperation or promote national interests”. Brazil’s culture is very attractive in terms of its music, literature, cuisine, and sports amongst others. Amongst its most famous and popular offerings are the country’s annual festival of Brazilian Carnival; the Sao Paolo International Film Festival; the Corona Music Festival of Rio de Janeiro; and the Ultra Music Festival. Furthermore, important cultural institutions exist abroad, such as the Brazilian Cultural Center (Centro Cultural Brasileiro), which aims at promoting Brazilian culture and cultural policy all over the world.

Cultural Diplomacy in Brazil is also implemented through its nation branding campaigns. The main governmental institution responsible for the administration and promotion of the image of Brazil is the EMBRATUR (Brazilian Tourism Institute), a federal, state-owned agency that reports to the Ministry of Tourism . It is exclusively in charge of the promotion, marketing and support of the commercialization of Brazilian products, services and destinations around the world. Throughout the last decades, Brazilians have been conveyed as a joyful, hedonistic and effervescent people, who are not timid about their sensuality. However, since the 1990s, the country’s brand strategy has shifted considerably, moving away from the overt emphasis of sexuality and the woman’s body. The new nation brand strategy highlights Brazil’s culture and promotes it as an ecotourism destination, which was further encouraged by the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) taking place in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Important past campaigns were amongst others “Beware Brazil is watching you” – referring to an initiative against sexual tourism – the “Live this passion” campaign under the slogan “If travelling is your passion, Brazil is your destination” – emphasizing the country’s diversity, cultural heritage and openness.

c. Colombia The constitutional republic of Colombia also stands as a good example of a country that benefits from the application of cultural diplomacy. In spite of the difficulties presented by

serious internal armed conflict, Colombia’s market economy has grown steadily in the second half of the twenty-first century. In recent decades Colombia has sought a greater degree of cultural awareness among the international community. As a result of Colombia’s diverse regional cultural traditions, cultural diplomacy has played an important role in improving mutual understanding with other states. Art is considered one of the defining features of Colombian culture. The art sector is strongly supported by private individuals and foundations, such as the Telefonica Foundation, the Chamber of Commerce of Medellín; the Tobacco Company of Colombia and the Bank of the Republic of Colombia. which supports the world renowned Museum of Gold. The government, through the Ministries of the Interior and Education, also provides substantial support for numerous museums, theaters and libraries throughout the country. Among the government supported institutes are the National Museum of Colombia and the Colombian Institute of Culture, both of which support artists while striving to preserve Colombia's rich history. In addition to these traditional institutes, local governments and private transportation companies support local artists by hiring them to decorate city and town buses in colorful styles.

The projects to promote cultural diplomacy come from a range of different areas: from educational projects to the promotion of arts, literature, and intercultural dialogue through festivals. In recent years the Ministry of Culture of Colombia has been increasingly effective in supporting national culture and heritage, and there have been more projects promoted in the last five years by the Ministry than by any other institution.

One of the tasks of Colombian cultural institutions is their fight against illicit trafficking in cultural property. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture and the Colombia Institute of Anthropology and History ICANH, works to protect the cultural heritage of Colombia and supports efforts by the national government in the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property. This work is being conducted by the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, which maintains through Colombia's diplomatic missions abroad, clear communication channels and strong ties of mutual cooperation with other States, in defence of the cultural heritage of nations.

Conclusion

To conclude, when we talk about Latin America, we are talking about a unique region that is comprised by several very different countries that share many commonalities amongst them. In fact, many Latin America countries have shared throughout the centuries a similar history of colonial rule and the strive for cultural and political freedoms; their status of ex-colonies has influenced and still influences their current political and cultural establishments. The Latin American region is worldwide famous due to its natural resources, landscapes, friendly environment and cultural diversity, which attract every year thousands of curious tourists. As we have seen from the examples provided, Cultural diplomacy is a very strong tool used by Latin American states to promote their culture abroad, and in doing so, their image. The 21st century has witnessed the substantial growth of Latin American economies and their transformation in several sectors such as public health, education, and civic engagement in national governance. Although wealth inequality, poverty and crime are still very serious issues in the region, the application of cultural diplomacy through the direct promotion of a country’s cultural heritage and tradition values have helped greatly to improve the image of developing countries abroad, like in the case of Brazil, proving to be a successful tool for inter-state relationships and civil society exchanges.

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