Introduction

Art as Cultural Diplomacy: A Forum for Young Leaders (ACD) is a platform for students and young professionals who share an interest in exploring the potential of art as a vehicle for Cultural Diplomacy.  In our increasingly globalized world, the need for mutual cross-cultural understanding and positive international relations between countries and cultures has become perhaps more important than at any time before. Given the exponential growth in international dialogue and collaboration, the facilitation of sustainable bilateral and multilateral cooperation has assumed a new global importance. The power of art as a tool for Cultural Diplomacy is often underestimated and set aside in favor of more traditional forms of diplomacy or classical foreign policies.

The conference entitled "Contemporary International Dialogue: Art-Based Developments and Culture Shared between Nations" focused on all forms of artistic media from all over the world and its ability to promote intercultural exchange. The Hon. Erna Hennicot Schoepges, Vice President of the ICD Advisory Board and former Minister of Culture of Luxembourg, opened proceedings by outlining the importance of alternative forms of diplomacy in areas of potential or real tension and conflict. Key presentations where given by the British MPs Nick Brown and Hywel Williams who respectively talked about the importance of preserving art in times of economic downturn and the vital role of state patronage in encouraging the arts for the betterment of the all the world's peoples. The event attracted leading participants from both the public and private sectors, with ambassadors, film directors, professors and producers alike all taking to the podium to deliver a diverse range of talks from a diverse range of angles on art as cultural diplomacy.

Given the topic of the conference the ICD didn't focus solely on the theory, and indeed participants were able to enjoy several practical demonstrations of art as Cultural Diplomacy. Participants from the art world in particular entertained guests with films screenings and musical demonstrations, and several outings were arranged to discover the artistic treasures of the ancient cultural hub that is the British capital.

Timetable

Young Leaders' Forum -The London Art as Cultural Diplomacy Conference 2013 "Contemporary International Dialogue: Art-based Developments and Culture Shared between Nations" (London; August 21st - 24th, 2013)
Conference Timetable
	Wednesday, August 21st, 2013	Thursday, August 22nd, 2013	Friday, August 23rd, 2013	Saturday, August 24th, 2013
9:30	Registration   Location: The Portcullis House, British Parliament		"The Public Representative: A Political Perspective in a Time of Austerity" (Lecture & Discussion) Speaker: Nick Brown (MP)          (Member of the British Parliament) Location: The Portcullis House, British Parliament
10:00	Welcome Address Speaker: The Hon. Erna Hennicot-Schoepges (Former Speaker of the Parliament of Luxemburg; Former Minister of Culture and Religious Affairs) Location: The Portcullis House, British Parliament	"Multiculturalism in State "Ethnic" Orchestras in Singapore" (Lecture & Discussion) Speaker: Prof. Dr. Shzr Tan (Professor, Music Department, Royal Holloway, University of London) Location: Center for Creative Collaboration, University of London		Cultural Walking Tour of London
10:30	"Contemporary African Arts and Artists into Perceptions of Africa in Developed States" (Lecture & Discussion) Speaker: Eric Joyce (MP) Member of the British Parliament Location: The Portcullis House, British Parliament	(10:45) "How Writers for Young Adults can Stimulate Dialogue across Communities and Challenge Prejudices about the Other" (Lecture & Discussion) Speaker: Miriam Halahmy (Author & Poet) Location: Center for Creative Collaboration, University of London	"What is 'Official National Art' and What is Not?" (Lecture & Discussion) Speaker: Hywel Williams (MP) (Member of the British Parliament) Location: The Portcullis House, British Parliament
11:30	Break	Break	Break
12:00	"The Lithuanian Presidency of the EU: Priorities in the Field of Culture and Audiovisual" (Lecture & Discussion) Speaker: H. E. Amb. Asta Skaisgiryté Liauškiené            (Ambassador of Lithuania to the United Kingdom) Location: The Portcullis House, British Parliament	"Alfred Hitchcock British Icon/Universal Icon - Why is Specific General? (Lecture & Discussion) Speaker: Sandra Shevey            (Associate Tutor, British Film Institute)   Location: Center for Creative Collaboration, University of London	"Art as Cultural Diplomacy  - Turkish Perspectives" (Lecture & Discussion) Speaker: H. E. Amb. Ahmet Ünal Çeviköz (Ambassador of Turkey to the United Kingdom) Location: The Portcullis House, British Parliament
12:30
13:00	Lunch Break	Lunch Break & Travel	Lunch Break	Lunch Break & Travel
14:30	"The Way to a Diplomat's Heart? Cuisine as Artistic Expression in Contemporary Global Politics" (Lecture & Discussion) Speaker: Dr. Josh Abrams (Principal Lecturer, Department of Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies , University of Roehampton) Location: The Portcullis House, British Parliament	"400 Years on: Cultural Diplomacy in London, 1613" (Lecture & Discussion) Speaker: Prof. Dr. Timon Screech (Professor, Department of the History of Art & Archaeology, School of Oriental and African Studies) Location: The Nehru Centre	"Out of the Exhibition: Indigenous Performance and the Arts of Diplomacy" (Lecture & Discussion) Speaker: Prof. Dr. Helen Gilbert (Professor of Theatre, Drama Department, Royal Holloway, University of London)
15:15	"Art as a means of Understanding the City" (Lecture & Discussion) Speaker: William Arthurs (Editor, CityCity Magazine) Location: The Portcullis House, British Parliament	"Narratives as Life Stories: Performing Stories of Cultural, Collective and Personal Identity" (Lecture & Discussion) Speaker: Dr. Marina Lambrou (Principal Lecturer in English Language and Communication, Kingston University) Location: The Nehru Centre	(15:30) "Music and Medicine as a Shared Culture between the East and West in the Middle Ages" (Lecture & Discussion) Speaker: Charles Burnett           (Film Director, Film Producer)   Location: The Portcullis House, British Parliament	(15:00) The Spirit of Utopia (Visit and Reading) Location: Whitechapel Gallery
16:30	From Imperialism To Diplomacy: An Historical Analysis Of French And Senegal Cultural Relationship (Participant Paper) Speaker: Aisha Balarabe Bawa, (Lecturer and Researcher, Department of History Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Nigeria) Location: The Portcullis House, British Parliament	"Expressions of Arabic Calligraphy in Arabic Typography for a Cultural Identity of the Visual Arabic Script" (Participant Paper) Speaker: Miss Aysha Khalid-Mahmood (Researcher Arabic Typography and Visual Culture, Nottingham Trent University) Location: The Nehru Centre	Historical Walking Tour of the Westminster Quarter
17:00	Travel Time and Exploring Covent Garden	Travel Time and Exploring South Bank Center
18:30	Group Dinner & Social Activity	Group Dinner & Social Activity	Group Dinner & Social Activity	Farewell

Speaker Information

• H. E. Amb. Ahmet Ünal Çeviköz
  Ambassador of Turkey to the United Kingdom
• Aisha Balarabe Bawa
  , Lecturer and Researcher, Department of History Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria
• Andrzej Klimowski
  Graphic Artist and a Designer
• H. E. Amb. Asta Skaisgiryté Liauškiené
  Ambassador of Lithuania to the United Kingdom
• Aysha Khalid-Mahmood
  Doctoral Researcher Arabic Typography and Visual Culture, Nottingham Trent University
• Charles Burnett
  Film Director, Film Producer
• Eric Joyce (MP)
  Member of the British Parliament
• The Hon. Erna Hennicot-Schoepges
  Former Speaker of the Parliament of Luxemburg; Former Minister of Culture and Religious Affairs
• Prof. Dr. Helen Gilbert
  Professor of Theatre, Drama Department, Royal Holloway, University of London
• Hywel Williams (MP)
  Member of the British Parliament
• Jonathan Myreson
  British dramatist and novelist
• Dr. Josh Abrams
  Principal Lecturer, Department of Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies , University of Roehampton
• Dr. Marina Lambrou
  Principal Lecturer in English Language and Communication, Kingston University
• Miriam Halahmy
  Author & Poet
• Nick Brown (MP)
  Member of the British Parliament
• Sandra Shevey
  Associate Tutor, British Film Institute
• Prof. Dr. Shzr Tan
  , Professor, Music Department, Royal Holloway, University of London
• Prof. Dr. Timon Screech
  Professor, Department of the History of Art & Archaeology, School of Oriental and African Studies
• William Arthurs
  Editor, CityCity Magazine