The International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in Africa

"Strategies to confront the Challenges of the 21st Century: Does Africa have what is required?"

(Berlin; July 14th - 17th, 2011)

Social Program

The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy provides individuals the opportunity of educational and thought-provoking experiences in an innovative structure and cultural context. While the ICD believes it is important to learn about these experiences in an academic context, in addition, the ICD finds it important to be subjected to these experiences first-hand. As a participant at an ICD event, one will be able to encounter culture and education in an academic, practical, and social sense.

The ICD offers an expansive social agenda including: interactive panel discussions, roundtable discussions, workshops, debates, parties, film nights, conference concerts, embassy receptions, group dinners, and visits to cultural and historical sites in Berlin:

Interactive Panel Discussions

Interactive Panel Discussions allow the participants to directly interact with the speakers, while simultaneously benefitting from the direct interactions between the speakers and participants themselves, thus enhancing an overall academic atmosphere.

Round Table Discussions, Workshops, and Debates

These discussions offer a more intimate setting for speakers and participants to converse and debate openly. They also allow the participants to interact more directly with the speakers and their fellow participants in a more neutral, equal, and interactive manner. Not only are participants able to pose questions to the speakers and experts in these discussions, but the speakers also pose questions to the participants, all while enjoying a more comfortable, informal, and interactive setting.

Embassy Receptions

The ICD partners with embassies throughout Berlin for every conference in order to offer evening receptions as well as lectures and events during the day. These receptions are held both at the ICD House of Arts and Culture and at various embassies throughout the city, and offer the opportunity to network with foreign diplomats. Participants are able to fully immerse themselves in the culture of the host embassy through the traditional song and dance performances, traditional cuisine, and a uniquely international atmosphere.

Visits

During the ICD events, participants are able to see the city of Berlin from a different perspective.
They will be able to experience all that Berlin has to offer, as well as partake in visits to top Berlin organizations, including: the German Foreign Office, European House Berlin, the Olympic Stadium, Berlin City Hall, the House of World Cultures, Berlin Theater on Kurfürstendamm, German Parliament, the Berlin Philharmonic, and various embassies throughout the city.

The participants will also have the opportunity to explore Berlin with guided tours of historical landmarks and locations, including: the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, East Side Gallery, the TV Tower, Kurfürstendamm, the Jewish Quarter, the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche, the Holocaust Memorial, Tiergarten, and the famous Museum Island.

Film Nights

In addition to running a weekly Film Night in the ICD House of Arts and Culture, the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy often invites representatives of the film industry to participate in events. These individuals are then able to share their expertise and productions with the audience. It is through these Film Nights which the participants are able to visually and acoustically experience the cultures of others.

Conference Concerts

Conference Concerts are a way for participants to experience the culture and art of foreign countries without having to leave Berlin. In the past, the ICD has sponsored world-renowned performers who have shared their artistic mediums and talents with the audience. These concerts vary in nature, and include: traditional dance, interpretive dance, violin concerts, choir performances, piano concertos, symphonies, hip hop and jazz performances, and more.

Group Dinners

Conference participants are able to dine with fellow participants and speakers at a wide assortment of restaurants throughout Berlin, where they are exposed to new and exotic cuisines, including: German, Greek, French, Russian, Italian, Oriental, Baltic, African, Indian, Turkish, Latin American, Spanish, Mediterranean, Caribbean, and more.

Parties

The ICD hosts a large number of parties at both the ICD House of Arts and Culture and throughout the city of Berlin in different indoor and outdoor locations each year, to which all the conference participants are invited. These parties include themed evenings, embassy receptions, cultural celebrations, language exchanges, historical commemorations, film nights, conference concerts, boat parties and more. Each of these events allows the ICD participants to causally interact with fellow participants and speakers in a more relaxed and informal manner, as well as meet others from the international community in Berlin.

During seasonal events, participants will even have the opportunity to join in on the festivities of major Berlin activities, such as: New Years Eve celebrations at the Brandenburg Gate, Green Week, Long Night of the Museums, International Festival of Media Art, Berlinale International Film Festival, ITB Berlin, March Music Festival, May Day, Annual Berlin Theater Event, The Carnival of Cultures, Heimatlange: World Music Festival, Literature Festival Berlin, Art Forum Berlin, Religious Cultural Holidays, Festwochen, Berlin Jazz Festival, and visiting the world-renowned Berlin Christmas Markets.