Musicman 1
In the murky waters of international relations, mutual
mistrust and intolerance are the hallmarks of diplomacy. In such a polarised and
acrimonious scenario, the stakes are often dangerously high. Kebba Dibba argues
that Cultural Diplomacy could be the key to greater international understanding
and tolerance; using the Kanilai International Cultural Festival as a case
study.
It was ground-shaking volley after volley, in a salvo of rounds fired from
several positions. Deafening, unrelenting and persistent canon fire sent thick
dark clouds of smoke pillowing into the evening sky. The atmosphere, from afar,
was all too reminiscent of a medieval battle field. The young man walking ahead
dived for cover, as if he were under fire. Fortunately or unfortunately, it was
open territory and no place for cover. In fact, there was no cause for panic
because there was no imminent danger. It was peacetime and those improvised
devices are huge metal pipes, cut out on purpose; detonating their explosive
payload of gunpowder. Those familiar with the situation knew exactly what was
happening.
The 5th edition of the Kanilai International Cultural Festival was being
officially opened amid much fanfare. Thousands of people converged on the
village, about 100km from the capital, with participants representing different
countries, races and tribes poised to showcase a wealth of cultural heritage;
from traditional peculiarities to mystical powers. Increasingly assuming the
profile of the Gambia's cultural capital, the old settlement has great
historical significance with diverse tales of mystical and healing powers. It
has unrivaled reputation in traditional bone therapy, skills handed down from
generation to generation. As the home village of the president, Kanilai
certainly has a special place in the country’s history, and, given the person
in question, one can safely say African and global history.
In the words of an ECOWAS female parliamentarian, the president is indeed a
"subject of discussion" in the academia, for what he stands for and
what he has been able to accomplish. Truly, he is the embodiment of the past; at
the same time a great modernizer. He is the touch-bearer for a young generation
of African leaders in a crusade for a more dignified Africa and a new kind of
global order, based on mutual respect, tolerance and understanding, crucial
ingredients too often in short supply in inter-state and international
relations.
On the home front, he presides over an unprecedented modernization process while
at the same time reviving and preserving the nation's cultural heritage. It
comes at a crucial moment when "globalization," which is largely
technology driven, is already threatening many of the poorer countries of the
world with cultural extinction. Cultural Synchronization, the concept of
cultural infusion for an emerging or potential global "super-culture,"
as a direct outcome of globalization; is not a realistic expectation. The
imbalances in technology and the global flow of information, give undue
advantage to the advanced countries.
In such a scenario, what thrives best is what is often referred to as Cultural
Ethnocentrism; a false sense of cultural supremacy or inferiority of one group
of people or entity. This breeds mutual suspicion, arrogance, intolerance and
paranoia in inter-state and international relations, often resulting in
heightened tensions and confrontation. In medieval and modern global political
history, Cultural Renaissance or even Cultural Revolution has been the
battle-cry of many leaders, more often than never for partisan reasons of
political and ideological expedience. Such disingenuous use of culture does not
auger well for the concept and philosophy of international diplomacy – to
enhance greater understanding and tolerance in international relations.
Where modern conventional diplomacy has failed, there is the need for either an
alternative or a new perspective to international diplomacy. What role has
culture got to play in this fresh approach in the quest for a new "world
order," underpinned by greater understanding, mutual respect and tolerance?
Gambian diplomacy is dynamic, and is increasingly manifesting its true cultural
perspective, in pursuit of foreign policy objectives. For a thorough insight
into the president's cultural crusade, one has to understand the spirit and
philosophy of the Kanilai International Cultural Festival.
In many of his public pronouncements, the architect and financier, Sheikh
Professor Dr Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, outlined the objective of the cultural
festival. "The main objective of the Kanilai International Cultural
Festival is; to promote, strengthen and sustain international understanding for
global peace and development. Many of the conflicts in the world today emanate
from lack of understanding of each others culture," the president told the
gathering at the opening ceremony. The biennial jamboree continues to assume
greater international profile, creating the necessary platform for cultural
interaction amongst peoples of different and diverse backgrounds. Over the
centuries, culture has been used by individual states and entities in promoting
their economic, social, political, ideological and strategic interests.
In the words of P.S. Sahai, a seasoned Indian diplomat and former ambassador to
Sweden and Russia, Cultural Diplomacy implies the use of the art of diplomacy in
promoting culture, which if we consider as a way of life of a group of people,
would amount to projecting a particular group to another, resulting in creating
awareness of one another. The diplomat further asserts that such awareness leads
to interaction among various players states and individuals. With mutual
suspicion and mistrust deeply entrenched in international relations, awareness
creation is indeed imperative in any genuine attempt to defuse global tensions.
"This could be achieved through the organisation of mega events or through
a series of cultural activities with which a particular nation state is
identified." From Ambassador Sahai's point of view, this would thus result
in using the instrumentality of culture in promoting a country's diplomatic
interests in the commercial, political and strategic fields.
Cultural Diplomacy, from Sahai's perspective, would, therefore, imply a two
pronged action. The vanguard action would be to "create a cultural
presence" and the rear guard would be to "ensure the other person or
nation recognises and understands the projecting nation." Ambassador K.K.S.
Rana, another renowned Indian diplomat, states that the task of Cultural
Diplomacy would be to produce understanding that goes beyond stereotyped images
and to mould perceptions in a favourable way. Cultural Diplomacy, from
ambassador Rana's perspective, could be an effective bulwark against Cultural
Ethnocentrism; a false sense of cultural superiority or inferiority of one group
of people or nation to another.
Former Senior White House National Security Council official and president
of the Institute of World Politics, John Lenczowski, described Cultural
Diplomacy as one of the most strategic and cost-effective means of political
influence available to U.S. foreign and national security policy makers. But
Lenczowski further states: "Because of neglect and misunderstanding,
however, this powerful tool of statecraft has been vastly underutilised,"
and its absence, one may argue, has been the source of numerous lost
opportunities in Washington’s dealings with other countries.
The Kanilai International Cultural Festival certainly has a clear cut diplomatic
objective of global relevance. As culture is believed to be the way of life of a
people, consistent and sustained cultural interactions and exchanges have the
potential to remove stereotyped perceptions of each other as people, states and
entities. This is necessary in order to defuse international tensions and avert
conflicts stemming from entrenched ignorance that continues to dog international
diplomacy. It is about a decade now since the Kanilai International
Cultural Festival was launched. Having survived all these years and even more
importantly, assumed a greater international dimension is indeed commendable.
This is significant in two major ways.
The Gambia is increasingly assuming the profile of a cultural melting pot as
increasing number of foreign nationals continue to participate in the mega
cultural jamboree. It also enables the Gambia to reach out and maintain a
cultural presence in many parts of the world. These are essential conditions for
the successful conduct of modern Cultural Diplomacy. Undoubtedly, sustaining the
momentum generated by this presidential initiative is a challenging undertaking.
But there cannot be an alternative to the preservation and immortalization of
the fundamental ideals that inspired this great initiative.
Therefore, new ideas and suggestions and even plans as to the way forward should
take into account the following: institutionalization of the initiative. This
requires putting in place the necessary structures. A permanent secretariat,
with the responsibility to administer and coordinate the affairs of the festival
is indeed essential. Such an institution would provide that vital outreach to
other important stakeholder institutions and bodies, including UNESCO. This is
important because such contacts will open new avenues for cultural and
information exchanges and increased awareness. It will certainly reduce the
financial burden on the sole financier of the festival.
Another important suggestion could be an international cultural conference as an
integral part of the programme of activities. This would bring on board, from
far and wide; academics, historians, students, researchers and even
philosophers, amongst others. The outcome of such discussions on the range of
issues representing diverse perspectives would aid that crucial documentation
process.
This could make the Gambia a reference point, having revived her cultural
heritage and injected additional impetus and dynamism in its foreign policy. The
body of knowledge that will be produced and documented from such fora can be a
vital source of research and reference material for future generations of
researchers, historians, students, philosophers and diplomats. It will also
improve the marketability of the Gambia as a major tourist destination. The
Kanilai International Cultural Festival is certainly one man's initiative from a
small West African Country but one that has global resonance and relevance, that
could potentially dawn a new era in International Relations. The revitalization
of Cultural Diplomacy is probably more imperative now, given the inadequacies or
sometimes, apparent failures of conventional diplomacy in reducing global
tensions and enhancing greater international understanding, for peace and
development.
Kebba Dibba