Goenawan to attend White House conference on culture

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)