Report on ' Europe Meets Latin America, A Forum for Young Leaders '

A weeklong seminar hosted by The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, Berlin.

14 – 19 February, 2010.

John Paul Tiernan, NUI Galway

1.0 Introduction

1.1 The ICD

The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD), an international, not-for profit, non-governmental
organization with headquarters in Berlin, Germany was founded in 1989 by Marc Donfried.
According to Donfried, while a student at Colombia University New York, he identified a gap in the
research relating specifically to international cultural diplomacy. The ICD was thus founded to
conduct activity to facilitate intercultural exchange, undertake research into the theory and
practice of the field of cultural diplomacy, and to work to support the existing governmental and
nongovernmental organizations and institutions active in the area.

The ICD conducts and supports interdisciplinary research into the field of cultural diplomacy and
promotes this to a diverse international audience. This research raises awareness and
understanding of the history and development of the field, and also highlights the range of
different actors conducting cultural diplomacy and their various approaches. Over the past decade
the ICD has grown to become one of Europe’s largest independent cultural exchange
organizations. The ICD’s programs facilitate interaction between individuals of all cultural,
academic, and professional backgrounds, from across the world. (www.culturaldiplomacy.org).

Aside from their own website, there is a paucity of online information referring to or referencing
the institute. This is surprising given the institute’s considerable busy schedule of seminars and
impressive array of expert speakers for such events. According to ICD’s founder, Marc Donfried, it
has been a goal of the institute since its conception to produce a journal presenting research in
the field of cultural diplomacy however to date this has not been realized and remains a future
aim.
1.2 Young Leaders Forums

The ICD Young Leaders Forums are international networks of like-minded individuals with an
active interest in developing and supporting intercultural relations. The first Young Leaders Forum
was developed almost a decade ago and a variety of different bilateral and multilateral forums
that focus on a diverse range of relationships across the world have since been developed. These
forums provide a platform for the next generation of leaders to explore the potential of organized
cultural exchange in the international environment and use the networks they become part of to
organize their own leadership initiatives. The combined ICD Young Leaders Network currently has
over 700 members (www.culturaldiplomacy.org).

1.3 Europe Meets Latin America Forum

Europe Meets Latin America: A Forum for Young Leaders (EMLA) is an active network of young
people from across the world who conduct activity to support and strengthen relations between
Europe and Latin America. The program has been developed in recognition of existing links
between the two regions and to explore relations of increasing geo-strategic, economic, and
political importance to both sides. Individuals can join the EMLA Forum by taking part in one of the
EMLA Weeklong Seminars that are held in Berlin every 4 months. These Weeklong Seminars
include lectures, seminars, and workshops lead by experts from the fields of politics, academia,
and civil society, as well as cultural and social activities. In addition to raising awareness amongst
the participants of the field of cultural diplomacy and salient issues concerning European-Latin
American relations, the week also provides an opportunity to network and experience Berlin
(www.culturaldiplomacy.org).

1.4 Aims of Europe Meets Latin America Seminar

The goal of the Weeklong Seminars is to train and prepare the participants so that they are able to
organize their own programs in the future. Each EMLA Weeklong Seminar will be focused on a
specific theme related to European-Latin American relations and the goals of the Forum.
(www.culturaldiplomacy.org). The Seminar of 14th – 19th February, 2010 had its main focus on
the theme of ' The Bicentenary ' and the ' Legacies of Latin American Independence and the
Opportunities Ahead '.

2.0 Proceedings of Seminar

2.1 Participants

This Seminar hosted participants from Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Chile, Spain, The United
Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, The Czech Republic and Bulgaria. The participants’
backgrounds comprised studies in the fields of international studies, political science, Spanish
philology, translation studies, Latin American history, international law, cultural studies, Latin
American studies, international relations, sociology and journalism.
2.2 List of Speakers and Activities:

Sunday 14th Feb

A welcome session and registration took place at the ICD House of Arts and Culture.

Mon 15th Feb

Mr. Mark Donfried (Director and founder of The Institute for cultural Diplomacy, Berlin) spoke on
the concept of cultural diplomacy, attempts to define the term and examples from his research.

Mr. Peter Rees (Developmental Director at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, Berlin) delivered a
presentation on leadership initiatives with an emphasis on how participants can develop their own
such initiatives with the help of the ICD.

Gonzalo Caceras (Chief Correspondent for Latin America, Deutsche Welle TV) spoke at the
headquarters of Deutsche Welle TV, an international news broadcaster with extensive coverage in
Latin America, on the role of the media in European – Latin American Relations.

Tuesday 16th Feb

Dr Ulrich Brϋckner (Jean Monnet Professor for European Studies, Stanford University in Berlin and
ICD Academic board Member) spoke at the European Commission Building on regional economic
integration and the European Union and Latin America.

Dr. Matthias S. Tantow (Director and Founder of Galerie Tantow) spoke about art as cultural
diplomacy and delivered a guided tour of representations of South America by artists
accompanying the Humboldt expeditions to the continent in the 19th century at the Kupferstich-
kabinnett art gallery.

José Sergio Vinay and Sandro Martin (participants of the seminar) delivered a presentation and
feedback session at The German Parliament on the ' Ruta Bicentario ', a pan-continental journey
they are leading, which aims to deepen the level of understanding of questions arising from the
independence process, the cohesion among Latin American villages and nations and European
relations.

Berlinale Film Screening Participants viewed a 2010 Brazilian film, ' Besouro ', which had its
European premiere at the Berlinale Film Festival.

Wednesday 17th Feb

Dr. des. Oliver Gliech (Professor at Latin American Institute, Freie Universität, Berlin) spoke on
Latin America and Europe – Historical lessons for the 21st century.

Dr. Lucio Renno (Lecturer at GIGA institute, Hamburg) spoke on the causes and consequences of
democratic crises in Latin America between 1996 and 2006.

Mr. Peter Rees (Developmental Director at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, Berlin) led a
workshop on sport as cultural diplomacy in Latin America and subsequently chaired a debate
amongst participants titled ‘This house believes The Olympic Games does more harm than good in
developing nations’.

Thursday 18th Feb

Professor Juan Monroy (Director and Founder of LACCS – Latin American and Caribbean Cultural
Society, London) spoke on Latin America and what we can learn from 200 years of independence.

Pablo Ramos (Celebrated Argentine Author and Recipient of the DAAD Artist Exchange Program
Scholarship) delivered a reading of a portion of his literature and spoke on contemporary Latin
American Literature, its significance in a global context and his experiences as a Latin American
author in Europe.

Mr. Mark Donfried (Director and founder of The Institute for cultural Diplomacy, Berlin)
moderated a discussion on The Power of Art in facilitating European-Latin American Cultural
Exchange.

Friday 19th Feb

Minister Dr. Miguel Angel Padilla Acosta (Encargado de Negocios, Mexican Embassy, Berlin) spoke
on contemporary bilateral relations between Mexico and Germany.

Dr. Federico Foders (Professor at The University of Kiel) Spoke on Latin American Emigration, the
importance of remittance to Latin American society and European Migration policies.

Dr. Marta Moneo Lain (Researcher at Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) spoke on
Climate Change and Development with regard to European-Latin American Cooperation.

All speakers hosted question and answer sessions which in most cases superseded the opening
lecture with respect to duration and the range of issues covered with extensive contribution by all
seminar participants. All events took place at The ICD House of Arts and Culture unless noted
otherwise.
3.0 Summary and Recommendations.

3.1 Summary of Seminar

The events which were realized in the seminar, though not presented as so, can be divided into
two distinct areas:

(1) Theoretical discourse on issues relating to the past 200 years of Latin American
independence and future models for the region.
(2) Tangible or real examples of cultural diplomacy which have been produced and are of
significant cultural value.

The first area, theoretical discourse, was heavily based on political and economic science and
provoked the most discussion. The accuracy of the description of Latin-America’s previous 200
years as ‘independent’ was challenged vigorously, as was the very term ‘Latin America’ as applied
to the region. The term Indo-American was adapted by some speakers as a more correct
description. So too were the models proposed for future economic success challenged by the
participants with many criticizing the Euro-centric views of many of the speakers. Much of the
provocation of discussion was based on the treatment of Latin America as a concept, with many
arguing that a more realistic view, recognizing Latin America’s real time existence is needed. In this
sense, agreement was found on one definition offered by Prof. Juan Monroy: ' Existe
Latinoamérica '. As my education background does not contain studies on politics or economics, I
found this section useful as a comprehensive overview of the salient issues concerning Latin
America in these disciplines.

The second area, which contained many tangible or real examples of cultural produce such as
literature, art, media and sport, was the more appreciable aspect of the seminar as it filled the
gaps produced by the first section’s content in recognizing Latin-America’s existence, engagement
with the rest of the world and our reception and perceptions of such exchanges. I believe this
section of the seminar suitably fitted the premise of cultural diplomacy.

The examination of the art produced by the acclaimed artists Johann Rugendas, Ferdinand
Bellermann and Eduard Hildebrandt as they accompanied Alexander von Humboldt in his research
voyages around the South American Continent in the early 19th century was an extremely unique
and exciting view of an extraordinary artistic endeavor which aimed to visually portray what was
at the time a ‘new’ continent to Europeans. Their varying styles and perceptions which shaped
Europe’s then perception of the continent highlight many of the challenges still relevant to cultural
exchange between the two continents, be it art, literature, music or other cultural produce.

As a student of the One Year MA in Spanish and having elected to study Latin American Literature,
Translation Studies and Language and Intercultural Communication as optional modules, with a
dissertation in Spanish to English translation in Latin America, I found the seminar served as a
useful educative supplement to the entire course material. A large amount of the issues covered
and the subsequent discourse was particularly apposite to the Latin American Literature and
Language and Intercultural Communication elements of my course.
Regarding Latin American Literature, the opportunity to engage with an emerging and
internationally award winning Argentine author, Pablo Ramos, was an exceptionally insightful
experience, especially as he spoke quite candidly of his life as the context surrounding his writing
process.

Regarding Language and Intercultural Communication, of which a large portion of the course
material dealt with migration models and policies, two speakers, Dr. Federico Foders and Dr Ulrich
Brϋckner were particularly valuable for their expert knowledge in this area. The accompanying
discussions were also valuable as they dealt heavily with practical examples and challenges
relating to Latin American-European migration.

The opportunity to engage in discourse on various topics en español in formal and informal
settings over the duration of the 6 days with a large amount of L1 speakers from Central and South
America and L2 speakers from Europe was particularly welcome with regard to the Español
Avanzado module of the MA in Spanish course.

The conference aimed to develop links between participants as part of a leadership initiative
which would see the participants then use these links to develop their own projects/fora in the
future. This is unlikely to happen however as the majority of the participants did not attend the
seminar with a view to initiating such activities, rather approaching the week as an educative and
informative tool. Thus the objectives of fellow participants are a variable factor in the realization
of this aspect of the seminar.

3.2 Recommendations

As the first representative of The Spanish Department of NUI Galway to attend a ' Europe Meets
Latin America ' seminar at The ICD, I can confirm the utility and relevance of the seminar to those
engaged in Latin-American studies and I recommend future visits by staff and students. The
seminar should be approached as an educative and motivational experience, supporting the
course material already acquired with new and expert discourse and broadening curiosity of the
subject material. While not designed as a platform for presenting research, it may be employed in
this way with prior arrangement as two participants of this seminar presented their research
initiative to the seminar’s participants. This could be useful as a resume building tool and to aid
dissemination of research in a professional environment.

My recommendations directed toward the ICD are concerning the lack of published material
produced by the institute where success of the seminar might be better established in a short
paper detailing the seminar’s proceedings. This paper, were it only presented to the institute as an
internal report, would provide a useful opportunity for the participants, who are all emerging
academics, to begin or supplement a publication record.

www.culturaldiplomacy.org

johnpaultiernan@gmail.com