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Cultural Diplomacy: Successes and Challenges of the Mexican Consulate in Salt Lake City, 2016–2022

2024; University of Illinois Press; Volume: 92; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5406/26428652.92.1.05

2642-8652

Patricia Cortés Guadarrama, Sarahí Soriano Orozco, Axel Rodrigo Martínez Rodríguez,

Economic Zones and Regional Development

Carlos M. Gaxiola, consul of Mexico in Salt Lake City from 1925 to 1930, took decisive actions during his years in Utah to protect and promote the interests of his fellow Mexicans. His efforts included appearing in court to advocate for Mexicans wrongly arrested for vagrancy, speaking about trade possibilities with Mexico, and sending letters to the Salt Lake Tribune in defense of his compatriots.1 Gaxiola also conducted much of what might be called cultural diplomacy—such as introducing Spanish classes in reading circles for women, bringing illustrated Mexican history lectures to high schools, and hosting local officials at a Mexican theatrical performance. On one occasion, he spoke to the University of Utah's Spanish Club about Mexican traditional clothing, music, and dance, with the assistance of his daughters, who wore china poblana and tehuana dresses to the event.2Cultural diplomacy, as explained by Alberto Fierro Garza, is an instrument privileged by Mexican foreign policy to achieve its objectives.3 It is a practice that dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century, mainly during the revolutionary period under the government of Venustiano Carranza. Since the end of the last century and up to today, the impact of promoting culture has taken on greater importance in bringing the world closer to Mexico. It shows our identity as a reflection of how we understand ourselves and how we progress through life, all through culture. The following essay examines the use of cultural diplomacy by the Mexican Consulate in Salt Lake City from 2016 to the present.To address the subject, certain key concepts must first be defined. Joseph Nye defines soft power as "the ability to establish preferences [that tend] to be associated with . . . an attractive personality" and as something that "rests primarily on three resources: the appeal of its culture, its political values (when it lives up to them at home and abroad), and its foreign policies (when they are seen as legitimate and having moral authority)."4 This concept includes cultural diplomacy and public diplomacy. Cultural diplomacy encompasses foreign policy actions focused on the dissemination of a national identity, through values, traditions, beliefs, and art, while public diplomacy carries out information management activities as well as communication policies and strategies aimed at changing and improving the opinion of national and foreign audiences.5At present, these diplomacies complement each other, a concept which has been given the name "culpub diplomacy," described by César Villanueva as cultural promotion combined with activities related to attitudes, attractiveness, communication, and the image of Mexico abroad.6 In this regard, technological advances that help reach a greater number of people are gaining more relevance, such as social networks, digital media, and cultural dissemination platforms.In Mexico, cultural diplomacy is implemented through various government institutions at different levels, mainly through the offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, SRE) and the Ministry of Culture (Secretaría de Cultura, SECULT). One of the agencies that stands out historically is the Directorate-General for Cultural Affairs, which, in 2008, became the Directorate-General for Educational and Cultural Cooperation (Dirección General de Cooperación Educativa y Cultural, DGCEyC). The functions of the agency are established in article 37, section VI of the Internal Regulations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which states that "it shall serve as a liaison between the key areas of the Ministry and the public administration in general, with the diplomatic and consular representations of Mexico abroad, in matters of educational and cultural cooperation."7The 2011 Law of International Development Cooperation established the Mexican Agency of International Cooperation for Development (Agencia Mexicana de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo, AMEXCID) as a decentralized institution of the SRE, absorbing the DGCEyC during Enrique Peña Nieto's administration. It is through this agency that the current government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador seeks to better position Mexican culture and the country's creative industries, in order to strengthen Mexico's image, boost tourism, promote understanding between societies, and foster comprehensive development.8The SRE coordinates cultural diplomacy efforts through different institutions, such as Mexico's diplomatic representations abroad, the Executive Office of Tourism and Cultural Diplomacy, the Mexican Cultural Institutes (Institutos Mexicanos de Cultura, IMCs), academic institutions, and others. The strategies implemented include a closer cooperation between SRE and SECULT, through the establishment of the Diplomatic Cultural Council; the use of digital media, such as platforms and webinars; the promotion of diplomacy from the Mexican diasporas; and the recognition of the contributions other countries have made to Mexico.9Mexican culture has been promoted since the first decade of the twentieth century, around the time of the Mexican Revolution, and has remained part of diplomatic strategy to this day as a means of raising the profile of the nation in the eyes of the international community. Mexico's cultural diplomacy seeks to share its history of pre-Hispanic cultures; its famous figures of literature, such as Carlos Fuentes and Octavio Paz; and its national icons, such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, as well as the muralist movement Rivera led, which flourished between 1920 and 1954.Mexico's soft power has adhered to the same ideals since 1990, when Carlos Salinas de Gortari brought the exhibition "Mexico: Splendors of Thirty Centuries" to American audiences.10 This exhibition served as a model and a safe bet for the twenty-first century—for example, with the 2013 exhibitions "Aztecs: Conquest and Glory" in New Zealand, and "Mexico: A Revolution in Art, 1910–1940" in London, together with the 2016 exhibition "Frida Kahlo: Her Photos," held in São Paulo, Brazil.11The SRE, through the Executive Office of Cultural Diplomacy (Dirección Ejecutiva de Diplomacia Cultural, DEDC), and the DGCEyC are agencies that have worked on the construction, regulation, implementation, and monitoring of comprehensive, high-impact programs that disseminate thousands of years of history, strength of identity, and cultural expressions of the country's most outstanding artists, both past and present. Mexican government representations around the world act as channels of communication for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) in Mexico, promoting and protecting the interests of the country and disseminating information about economic and political affairs, cooperation on educational, cultural, and tourism endeavors.12Mexico's embassies and some of its consular representations abroad are supported by the IMCs, which are nonprofit organizations that aim to raise awareness about the richness of Mexico and its social and cultural diversity, foster a bilateral artistic dialogue, and educate through art.13 The IMCs carry out their work with the support of individuals and companies as well as local and state foundations.And what about cultural promotion at the consular level? The consulates of Mexico are responsible for promoting Mexican culture within their jurisdictions.14 Culture appears continually throughout the Mexican Foreign Service Law, beginning with the definition of the permanent functions of a consulate (article 1-BIS, section XIX), which states that a consular representation shall protect the interests of the country and of its nationals residing within its jurisdiction; promote trade and economic, scientific, and cultural relations on a bilateral basis; and issue official documents to Mexicans and foreigners.15 In short, culture is considered part of a comprehensive diplomacy program and cuts across all issues considered in each of the aforementioned aspects.Culture is also reflected in the Manual de organización del Consulado de Carrera en Salt Lake City (Organizational manual of the consulate in Salt Lake City), which states that the vision of this representation is to be an efficient consular office in fulfilling Mexico's foreign policy through actions in the political, economic, social, and cultural spheres. In addition, section IX of the same manual states that the duties and functions of the consul (and of the deputy consul) include the duty to (1) inform the SRE about scientific and cultural activities; (2) facilitate the exchange, interests, and presence of Mexico through culture, the arts, and education; and (3) promote tourism to the country through disseminating a positive image of Mexico.16Some consular offices have established a Department of Cultural Affairs to support cultural matters, and the main objective is to provide support to the consul and the deputy consul in their cultural diplomacy efforts. The cultural attaché is the direct liaison with the DGCEyC. The attaché must follow the protocol and general guidelines of the different disciplines, as established by the regulatory body to which they report.17 The main role of the cultural attaché is to plan and execute the annual cultural promotion program, which includes the visual arts, performing arts, literature, gastronomy, cinematography, or multidisciplinary activities (architecture, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and natural heritage). The attaché also must provide support to the diplomatic officer in charge of cultural affairs through building relationships with cultural organizations and institutions (museums, film organizations, local artists' groups) and academia within the jurisdiction and in Mexico.In the same vein, the Institute for Mexicans Abroad (Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior, IME)—which acts as a liaison between communities of Mexican origin residing abroad and Mexican institutions—coordinates cultural activities through the Community Affairs Department, as part of its agenda along with the Cultural Affairs Department. Its functions also include contributing to the dissemination of the history of Mexico, as well as its cultural legacy and traditions; and promoting inclusion, diversity, and respect for Mexican nationals.18The officer responsible for supporting community affairs, under the supervision of the consul and deputy consul, also coordinates civic (community) activities, which are complemented by cultural ones. Examples include the annual Fiestas Patrias (National Day) celebration, a civic act accompanied by performing arts activities; the Ohtli prize, which is awarded at a community event that includes performances, visual arts, and cuisine; parades organized by the local government, which incorporate performing arts and a cultural heritage exhibition (for example, of community groups dedicated to charrería); México Magnífico, a national gastronomy event focused on fundraising for the IME scholarship program; and other activities.19Since the 1920s, the Mexican consuls in Salt Lake City have practiced cultural diplomacy. An exemplary case is that of Carlos Manuel Gaxiola, referred to above. Gaxiola and his family played an essential part in promoting Mexico as a country with a wealth of culture and history. In January 1928, for instance, the consul gave a talk at the Pynx Club of the University of Utah, speaking to students about Mexico's progress, its construction of railroads, and their importance in increasing tourism.20In support of the diplomatic officers who serve at the representation, the Department of Cultural Affairs has designed an annual Cultural Promotion Program (Programa de Promoción Cultural, PPC), which includes its own proposals along with those of the DGCEyC and those of local cultural agencies and organizations. Activities are divided into the following categories: literature, gastronomy, performing arts (music, visual arts, film), and others (multidisciplinary, history, cultural heritage). The activities must communicate value; contribute to the interests of the jurisdiction; offer a meaningful experience; show the richness, trends, and innovations of Mexico's artistic and cultural expressions; be presented in recognized cultural venues; reach new audiences; and be widely disseminated.21In 2016, the Consulate of Mexico in Salt Lake City planned and executed nine cultural activities, the majority of which fell into the category of "other" as they were events related to Mexican heritage commemorations (Fiestas Patrias) and the Day of the Dead, festivities that are part of Mexican history, culture, and tradition. Other activities launched that same year included "México Magnífico" (gastronomy), "FILMéxico" (cinematography), the dissemination of Mexico's participation in the Sundance Film Festival (cinematography), and the celebration of Children's Day (multidisciplinary), all of which continue to be celebrated today.In 2017, the Culture Department reported that eleven activities had been held, focused on the performing arts and music, with events such as "Cuenta cuentos y marionetas" ("Storytelling and Puppets"), the Children's Day Celebration, a Mexican float at the Pioneer Day parade, the Fiestas Patrias Mexican concert, a Mexican classical music concert, and the Banda Río Bravo Mexican concert. In 2018, the number grew to fourteen activities and once again prioritized themes focusing on Mexican history and commemorations, although they also added the participation of the Mexican contingent in the Pioneer Day parade, held on July 24. In 2019, the first efforts were made to integrate Mexico's cultural heritage into the PPC, with an event titled "The Agave Landscape—A World Heritage Site," which showcased a photographic exhibition, a tequila tasting and gastronomic event.22 It also incorporated a contest for children called "Este es mi México" ("This is my Mexico").In 2020, the pandemic forced a change of direction (the shift from an in-person to a virtual environment) and content (the focus shifted from activities to cultural and natural heritage and a virtual exhibition of works of visual arts), and a total of twenty-eight activities were held.23 In 2021, the same number of activities were held with the same priority of focus, though activities also included cinematography, performing arts, music, and visual arts.The PPC 2022 maintained the same hierarchy of multidisciplinary activities (cultural and natural heritage and history of Mexico), visual arts, and cinematography. A highlight of the year's events was the Maya Tzotzil fashion show and talks with designer Alberto López. It showcased Mexico as an ethnically diverse country and combined several themes: the contribution of Indigenous peoples to Mexico's tangible and intangible cultural heritage; the importance of gender inclusion and diversity; and the presence of Mexican women artisans, their resilience, and their ability to take on challenges. The PPC 2022 program, in total, held thirty-three activities.The Consulate of Mexico in Salt Lake City has established strategic alliances and built networks with and through local organizations and works to make them sustainable over the medium and long term. Cultural collaborations in the state of Utah have been made possible through cooperation and joint research, publishing, curatorial, and production efforts. This allows the consul to identify opportunities and to measure the impact, relevance, and appropriateness of its cultural agenda.Along the same lines and given the decrease in the official budget earmarked for cultural events, these networks have allowed to obtain sponsorships and economic support in the form of grants, thanks to which the cultural agenda program has not only been maintained but strengthened with the addition of new events and collaborators.In Utah, a number of factors have favored the support and strengthening of these networks, such as Utah's high investment in the cultural sector despite its relatively small size. Salt Lake City is home to the nationally recognized dance company Ballet West, founded in 1963, as well as its internationally renowned orchestra, Utah Symphony, founded in 1940. Further, in 2021, Utah was found to be the most charitable state in the United States in terms of number of hours volunteered as well as the number and amounts of donations, among other criteria. According to a Salt Lake Tribune article cited in a Wallet Hub study, this suggests an ingrained culture of giving.24Although Utah is not generally considered to be a diverse state, a 2019 study by Preply based on US Census Bureau data took into account several factors, such as racial distribution, multiracial identity, bilingual identity, and percentage of people born outside the United States, in order to determine the concentration of other cultures in the state.25 Based on these results, West Valley was found to be the ninth most diverse city in the country. This trend, along with the penchant for stays abroad, has led to a growing appetite for a rich selection of cultural offerings. Interest in other cultures, in other words, is a factor in Utah.Likewise, there are indications of growing diversity within the academic institutions of the state of Utah, as it is home to a number of educational centers that are looking to incorporate a larger number of people of Hispanic origin into their student bodies and seek certification by the US Department of Education as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs).26 This has led to a closer relationship with the consulate as these institutes reach out to the Mexican community through joint projects in both cultural and academic areas.Finally, through the teamwork of the Cultural and Community Departments, the consulate has been able to forge relationships with local organizations and foster links between the consulate and artists, Mexican academics, and Utah's Hispanic community. This has led to collaborative efforts to provide an additional platform for Mexican artists, thus exposing their work to a larger audience and to key institutions for their own development.At the beginning of 2020 there were rumors in the press about the new SARS-COV-2 variant, suspected to have originated in Wuhan, China. Considering our previous experiences with the AH1N1 virus and the low impact it had, COVID-19 seemed like something quite far removed from Utah. Yet with the rapid spread of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a pandemic. This gave rise to global contingency actions, such as stay-at-home and work-from-home measures, which would have been impossible were it not for the information and communication technologies we have at our fingertips today. The world suddenly came to a standstill, and so too did the activities of the consular representations. Accustomed to face-to-face relationships and events with our fellow citizens, we asked, at the consulate, how we could meet their needs in terms of documents, protection, community, and cultural affairs. We took time to reflect on how to act, which was a priority given the negative impacts on people's emotional and mental health during the crisis.Consular services for protection and documentation were re-established by work teams. However, for the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, there was a major disruption. The pandemic led to the suspension of the Cultural Promotion Program that had been approved by the DGCEyC in 2019, which in turn led to the cancellation of all in-person cultural events. Faced with the imminent loss of these programs, the strategy to maintain cultural diplomacy turned to the virtual options that were emerging. Several activities of this incipient program are worth highlighting, such as the exhibition of the works featured in LatinArte 2020, our live broadcasts on social media of talks about Mexico's history and cultural and natural heritage, and more.In addition, there was a concert with classical guitarist Gabino Flores and his daughter; folkloric dance classes by the director of the Ballet de Colores, Nelly Baltodano; traditional games and drawing workshops for children, such as "Yo también sé de juegos mexicanos" ("I know Mexican games too"), organized by the IME; and a virtual exhibition of Néstor Barrera's photos of the agave landscape in Jalisco. Virtual lectures covered topics such as the chinampas landscape at Xochimilco; the use of medicinal herbs; the French intervention and the Battle of May 5; and the magical ruins of Palenque.The quick reaction of the DGCEyC, the IMCs, the Departments of Cultural Affairs, and the different consular representations aligned with SECULT's "Contigo en la distancia" ("With you at the distance") strategy allowed our cultural offerings to triple. The gap the pandemic had created between the agent-artist and the audience disappeared, and while Mexican nationals previously went to live venues to access these experiences, now families could open the doors of their homes to the offerings of the consulate. The benefits increased when the cultural institutes that belong to SECULT and the subordinate entities of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) became our partners and expanded both their cultural offerings and the reach of their audiences, as in the case of the National Museum of Interventions (the former Monastery of Churubusco).Implementing the PPC in a virtual format continued until switching into a hybrid mode where there are greater in-person elements than virtual ones. This has allowed for an exponential growth in the number of cultural activities we carry out, where the nine activities held in 2016 can be seen to grow to twenty-eight in 2020.27 There was also an increase in audience reach, as the spectators were no longer local; with virtual events, audiences connected from within Mexico and from other jurisdictions in the United States. The pandemic thus brought about positive change and the opportunity to transform our social networks into an archive of quality cultural content that compares with the cultural diplomacy platform.28For the Consulate of Mexico in Salt Lake City, cultural diplomacy, besides being a tool for public diplomacy, has become part of the medium- and long-term strategy that has been given greater priority, particularly since 2018. It is a cross-cutting tool that contributes to the creation of political, economic, commercial, social, community, and tourism ties, and thus to a comprehensive diplomatic approach.29It is also successful in building close relationships with local cultural and academic institutes and organizations as well as partnerships with cultural institutions in Mexico. The consulate has succeeded in promoting culture and education both at the local jurisdiction level and at the binational level, in terms of the relationship with Mexico.Evidence of this success is seen in the sense of belonging of Mexicans residing in Utah and western Wyoming, as they have preserved their heritage. The new generations, through their parents and their active participation in the activities that promote and disseminate Mexican culture, have seen a renewed value in these bonds. Mexican nationals have a yearning for home and visit their country as tourists and for family visits. At the same time, Americans are eager to learn about the living culture of Mexico and see the different ecosystems and landscapes that can be found in every corner of the country.The image that Americans in our jurisdiction have of Mexico is one of a country with a global cultural legacy and historical references that are kept alive through its archaeology, architecture, art, dance, music, literature, gastronomy, and cinema. These elements make Mexico stand out as an ethnically and culturally diverse country that is geopolitically well-positioned, has enormous biodiversity, and has the capacity to grow its economic and business sectors.Technical challenges remain ahead, such as diversifying the cultural offerings in an equitable manner, obtaining further sponsorships to increase the impact of cultural activities, nurturing the bilateral cultural and academic relationships between Mexico and the United States (Utah and western Wyoming), attaining greater cohesion and intersectionality with SECULT's agenda, and building relationships for the international exhibitions of Mexican art of exceptional value.In our diplomatic work, we must think beyond folklore, exoticism, and the perception of art through the traditional lens of the nineteenth century, and instead expand horizons by shining the spotlight on our emerging artists and moving beyond the conventional mainstays that have been in place since 1990 with the Salinas strategy. We also need to dispel the labels and stereotypes that are based only on the landscapes and ways of life of the Mexican Revolution of 1910, which were reaffirmed by the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. And, finally, we must share that we are a country of vast intellectual talents, of critical, scientific, and academic thinkers, with a high level of sophistication that goes beyond our extraordinary food and traditional mariachi. We are proud of these, but we are much, much more.