Goenawan to attend White House conference on culture

JAKARTA (JP): Author and senior journalist Goenawan Mohamad will represent Indonesia at the White House Conference on Culture and Diplomacy in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.

The U.S. Embassy said in a statement here on Monday that the conference, which will be hosted by President Clinton and chaired by Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, "aims to affirm the important role of culture in modern diplomacy and better integrate culture into the day-to-day conduct of U.S. foreign policy".

The one-day conference will bring together more than 180 cultural and artistic leaders from the United States and around the world with American ambassadors and foreign cultural ministers, leaders of private foundations, non-governmental organizations and multinational companies.

In addition to Goenawan, Rita Dove, former Poet Laureate of the United States, Aga Khan, Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, Yo-Yo Ma, world renowned cellist and Wole Soyinka, Nobel Prize-winning novelist from Nigeria, will also be among the participants.

In a briefing on the conference, Undersecretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy Evelyn Lieberman noted that "culture both shapes U.S. and other countries' foreign policies and is the best vehicle to explain the U.S ... The views, policies and actions of foreign governments and societies are shaped by their culture. It is important for us to understand this foreign cultural context so that we can respond more effectively."

Conference topics will include, among others, Preserving and Promoting Diverse Cultures in a Global Economy; The Role of Culture in the Practice of Diplomacy and The Role of Multinational Companies, NGOs and Multilateral Organizations in Promoting Cultural Understanding and Exchange. (byg)