Cultural Diplomacy in the Spotlight: RTV Slovenia Highlights SIT DOWN as an Example of Soft Power

In the TV programme Osmi dan on RTV Slovenia, the spotlight was on a topic that, in times of global crises and tensions, is more important than ever – cultural diplomacy.

The segment raises the question of how a country can promote its visibility, values and vision of the world not through force, but through culture, cooperation and dialogue.

“Soft power is not a sign of weakness – it is the most human form of resilience.” — Tanja Fajon in the RTV Slovenia feature

The concept of soft power, defined by political scientist Joseph Nye, is based on the idea that states do not influence the world through force (“hard power”), but through the attractiveness of their ideas, culture and values. Culture thus becomes one of the key tools for building trust and international understanding.

SIT DOWN – AN INITIATIVE BORN IN SLOVENIA

SIT DOWN is a conceptual project of ART BSA and the Slovenian Youth Orchestra, who developed the initiative in partnership with the British organisation Peace Child International – the authors of the original Peace Child musical.

It is a Slovenian story that began in our institution, grew through the orchestra, the POK programme and our international collaborations, and evolved into a project that today connects the world.

Nataša Kos: “Cultural diplomacy must be placed at the heart of diplomacy.”

The feature included mag. Nataša Kos, Head of the Department for Cultural and Scientific Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, who clearly underlined:

“Today’s times demand that we give cultural diplomacy a central place.
Placing it at the heart of diplomacy is essential – for dialogue, for understanding, for peace.”

She reminded viewers that while the primary goal of diplomacy used to be the protection of a country’s interests, today its first goal is the promotion of values – from human rights to intercultural cooperation.

This is also the foundation of everything that the SIT DOWN – Peace Child initiative has created in recent months.

SIT DOWN as a Slovenian Example of Soft Power

Around the 1:45 mark of the Osmi dan broadcast, the international initiative SIT DOWN – Peace Child was highlighted as an example of how Slovenia can effectively use soft power through art and young people.

The initiative, in two phases, brought together:

170 young people from 22 countries at Brdo pri Kranju and at the Ljubljana Festival
185 young people from 13 countries on the stage of the Wiener Konzerthaus
and a total of 278 participants from 25 nationalities throughout the project.

The aim of the project was simple, yet extremely important:
to create a space where young people, through music, become messengers of peace, solidarity and intercultural understanding.

In this way, SIT DOWN embodies exactly what RTV highlights in the feature:
➡️ culture as a bridge
➡️ art as the voice of diplomacy
➡️ young people as carriers of the future

Why Is SIT DOWN an Important Example for Slovenia?

Because it shows that a small country with a great cultural vision can create a project that transcends borders:

it connects diplomacy (Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, embassies, the UN)
strengthens international ties (25 countries)
brings together the business sector (SPIRIT Slovenia, Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport)
addresses global challenges (wars, migration, dialogue, peace)
and speaks to the world through the power of art.

This is cultural diplomacy in its purest form.