The Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) invites everyone interested in cultural diplomacy issues to its Symposium on the Role of Arts and Culture in Canadian Public Diplomacy. The Symposium will be held on November 22, 2007, at the Sherbrooke Pavilion of the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), located at 200 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal.
This discussion takes place at a crucial time in the history of Canadian cultural diplomacy. In many Western democracies, including the United States, governments are investing time and money in the arts and culture sectors, as an integral part of their foreign policy. In Canada, on the contrary, there has been a clear decrease since 2005 in the resources devoted to this matter. Why is this? What is the role of the arts and culture in foreign policy? Who is raising our cultural profile on the international scene? How do we adapt to the new forms of diplomacy emerging from international networks and the Internet?
In order to get to the heart of this matter, which is causing concern in the cultural sector, the CCA will gather specialists (diplomats, academics, cultural workers and artists) from Canada and abroad. The artistic and cultural community is invited to consider the best strategies to reposition Canadian culture on the world stage and in the public discourse.