Lula’s Brazil in Africa: cultural diplomacy as an instrument of soft power

Abstract

During the Lula government, cultural  diplomacy was used as an important instrument to exercise soft power and to carve out a leading role for Brazil in
international politics. The range of Brazil's partners in the domain of cultural diplomacy widened as Brazil's relations with the global South and the African continent expanded, as part of a broader
strategy to obtain a more prominent role in global affairs. This paper investigates this movement of greater Brazilian activism in the area of cultural diplomacy on the African continent as an illustration of the political significance of South-South relations and of Brazil's attempt to achieve its goal to be a global player through soft power.