Tag: culture

24th September 2024 Madrid

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by Debbi Christophers

Culture and Public Diplomacy Attaché - British Embassy Madrid

CultureCultura: un podcast de la Agregada de Cultura de la Embajada Británica en Madrid

Reino Unido y España a través de la cultura – un podcast de UK in Spain desde Hay Segovia 2024 «España está obsesionada con la cultura británica», «Los escritores británicos no se cansan de la historia española». Dos autores conocedores de ambos países consideran si estas afirmaciones son ciertas. Analizamos de dónde viene esta fascinación […]

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16th June 2017 Kolkata, India

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by Bruce Bucknell

Former British Deputy High Commissioner Kolkata

The end of purdah

Sometimes a name sticks. We’ve just had elections in Britain. As a general rule, British government officials should not show bias to any political party, because we serve our political leaders when they hold government office, and not in their political party role. In the period between the announcement of elections and when they are […]

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16th September 2016 Kolkata, India

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by Bruce Bucknell

Former British Deputy High Commissioner Kolkata

Another country

It is a cracking first line for a novel: The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.* As a thought – that the past is somewhere different – the line sounds very appealing. The past is distant from us and we can’t access it immediately. But the idea is nonsense, of course, […]

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12th November 2015

Paul Brummell, British Ambassador to Romania

by Paul Brummell

Head of Soft Power and External Affairs Department, Communication Directorate

A Song For Romania (and Britain)

We held a learning and development week at the British Embassy last month. Alongside training courses ranging from performance management to social media I decided to put together a slightly more light-hearted finale. We would attempt to identify the pieces of music which, in the view of Embassy staff, best represent Romania and Britain. I […]

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16th June 2015 Havana, Cuba

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by Tim Cole

Former British Ambassador to Cuba

What would Karl Marx have thought about the internet?

I’ve written before about how more internet access for more Cubans is likely to spur economic growth so the rollout of the internet to more parts of the country is welcome. New internet cafes have been opened – although they are still relatively expensive – and wifi is being provided in a few parks in Trinidad, […]

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12th June 2015 Havana, Cuba

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by Tim Cole

Former British Ambassador to Cuba

#BritTalks

Last week, we held the first #BritTalk in my house. In a fascinating presentation, Lord David Triesman, in Havana on business, shared his experiences of working with FIFA and Sepp Blatter when he was Chair of the Football Association. The audience was gripped by Lord Triesman’s tales of sleaze and abuse of power, by his […]

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21st April 2015

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Britain and the Vatican Art Collection

The Holy See’s decision to take part in the Venice Biennale, after its inaugural participation in 2013, reminds us of the extraordinary role played by the Popes in the history and production of art. For much of its history, the Holy See was an undoubted centre of connoisseurship, patronage and artistic endeavour. It is impossible […]

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25th January 2015

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by Greg Dorey

Diplomat

The Immortal Memory

There aren’t enough Scots in Ethiopia. Strange, because they seem to get everywhere else. Even when we organised a Burns Evening in Addis Ababa last year with the help of Diageo, there weren’t that many Scots there. This 25th January, we will have to mark the 255th Anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth in 1759 virtually, […]

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20th October 2014 Havana, Cuba

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by Tim Cole

Former British Ambassador to Cuba

Britain through Cuban eyes

I’m still smiling. We’ve just come to the end of ten very successful days of British culture in Havana; ten days of British music, history, theatre, science, film and dance. There were events throughout the city, at all times of day and night and for a range of audiences, including kids. We explored the breadth […]

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