In Trinidad and Tobago news, “Trinidad and Tobago, like most other Small Island Developing nations is challenged in its limited access to a wide platform on which to present our brand on an international scale.
Therefore, cultural diplomacy plays an integral role in presenting our truest selves to the world”.
This was the central message of Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Garvin Nicholas, when he delivered the keynote address at the 2013 International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in the UK on Friday 12th July.
The event took place at the Romanian Cultural Institute in London. The theme of the day was “Cultural Diplomacy throughout the Commonwealth of Nations”.
Speaking from his experience as accredited Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioner to the Commonwealth, Nicholas shared his insight on the importance of creating a strong brand identity and promoting identifiable aspects of a country’s culture in order to foster enhanced visibility in world affairs.
“A country and its people must have a clear concept of who they are and what they want to represent to the world in order to achieve a strong standing in the international arena,” he stated.
The International Symposia on Cultural Diplomacy 2013 is the world’s largest event in the field of Cultural Diplomacy.
Proceedings this year include large-scale events taking place in different major capital cities in cooperation with governments, leading academic institutions and civil society organizations throughout the months of May – July 2013.
This year’s International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in the UK brought together speakers from a diverse range of fields to debate the issues surrounding Great Britain and the Commonwealth.
The Symposium focused on effective implementation strategies for the New Charter of the Commonwealth, placing particular emphasis on the role that Cultural Diplomacy can play among the organization’s members in achieving greater cooperation and collaboration, thus promoting prosperity and stability for all.
In his address, the High Commissioner also highlighted the rich culture and extraordinary diversity of Trinidad and Tobago.
“Trinidad and Tobago’s society consists of a unique melting pot of peoples and cultures, whose diverse backgrounds have created a harmonious fusion of creativity and ingenuity,” Nicholas declared.
“Centering on our Carnival, Trinidad and Tobago has carved out a distinctive niche in the global creative and cultural sphere. We are keen to position ourselves firmly in the global imagination as a rapidly developing nation with a rich heritage and a dynamically advancing economy”.
Nicholas has certainly made cultural diplomacy central to his role as High Commissioner. The Trinidad and Tobago High Commission hosts regular cultural events in the UK, including last year’s explosion of Trinidad and Tobago’s culture at the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn, and this year’s hugely successful Trinidad and Tobago exhibitions at “The World on Regent Street” and Ip-Art Festival which both drew crowds numbering in the thousands.
The High Commissioner also led an envoy to Liverpool in May, where he met with the Lord Mayor and various business entities to promote trade and tourism opportunities in Trinidad and Tobago.
As he noted in his address, “As diplomats, it is our utmost duty to ensure that we utilise our relationships in the international sphere to make manifest the best elements of our countries and bring a comprehensive understanding of our values and philosophies to the rest of the world”.
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