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Embracing Diplomacy Through Cultural Heritage
December 11, 2023
Global Ties Detroit (GTD) kicked off November 2023 with one of our most memorable programs yet. We had the pleasure of teaming up with Meridian International Center to host 10 tourism professionals from Pakistan through an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), Promoting Tourism to Historic and Religious Sites. The participants met with leaders of tourism-centered organizations such as local museums and educational centers that honor the various religions, cultures, and histories of the Detroit region.
The visitors gave wonderful feedback about the program, and their Detroit counterparts praised the opportunity to meet people as passionate about tourism and cultural education as themselves. Their meetings allowed them to build meaningful cross-cultural connections, demonstrating how communities of different backgrounds can play a vital role in fostering diplomacy.
Participants toured the Detroit Historical Museum, where they discovered the city’s significant history. “Sharing Detroit’s history and our engaging collection with our international visitors was incredibly special and fun,” said Kimmie Dobos Wolfe, Manager of Education and Volunteers at the museum. “We enjoyed sharing common connections and stories together and some of us traded business cards, hoping to keep in touch.”
The group also met with Visit Detroit, an economic development corporation that markets Detroit’s tourist attractions and business prospects, where they discussed the benefits of collaborating with local businesses and government to promote tourism. “It was a great pleasure hosting and learning from the Pakistani delegation,” said Visit Detroit’s Senior Director of Communications and GTD Board Member Chris Moyer. “Our mission is Detroit to the world and the world to Detroit. Hosting this delegation provided us the perfect opportunity to do just that.”
Perhaps one of the group’s most significant site visits was to the Mata Tripta Ji Gurdwara Sahib, a Sikh worship center. Sikhism traces its roots to Pakistan and there is a sizable number of Sikh religious sites in the country, making it a special opportunity for the Gurdwara to educate the participants about the religion and heritage.“Several members of our congregation’s birthplace are in Pakistan and they had to move to India during the 1947 partition,” said Vice President of the Gurdwara’s Executive Committee Inderpal K. Deol. “They were thrilled to meet the delegation and shared the memories of their home town in Pakistan… An hour and half meeting truly felt like a reunion of family members who have been separated for over 75 years!”
Cultural exchange is a powerful tool for cultivating diplomatic relations. The Pakistanis and their newfound Detroit friends gained a strong understanding and appreciation of each other by sharing their heritages and histories. Such encounters exemplify how everyone can be a peacebuilder, simply by sharing who they are.
By Charlotte Little, Program Assistant, Global Ties Detroit
ACCESS the full article here: https://www.globaltiesus.org/embracing-diplomacy-through-cultural-heritage/
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