Rocky Dawuni honored with Public Diplomacy Award

Rocky Dawuni, Ghanaian artist and three-time Grammy nominee, has underscored the crucial role culture and music play in promoting peace, unity, and diplomacy globally.

Mr Dawuni, who was honoured for his role in Public Diplomacy at the maiden Diplomatic Honours, said the power of music as a bridge between cultures and as a tool for effective diplomacy could not be underestimated.

He said musicians, cultural experts, and diplomats alike acted as conduits between nations, facilitating mutual understanding and cooperation.

The songwriter and record producer spoke during a weekend interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the maiden awards in Accra.

The maiden edition was on the theme:

“Leveraging Diplomacy for Industrialization, Sustainable Development, Peace, and Security.”

The awards, a collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (MFARI) and the Diplomatic Affairs and Media Communications Limited (DAMC), brought together diplomats, international civil servants, senior government officials, business community members, policymakers, traditional and religious leaders, among others.

He further highlighted the importance of conveying national aspirations, values, and visions to partner countries, which creates an atmosphere of harmony and bilateral cooperation.

Unlike traditional diplomats, he said, artists had an innate ability to communicate across cultural divides, serving as powerful bridges between nations.

For Mr Dawuni, who has spent years navigating both the artistic world and global diplomacy, cultural initiatives represent a

“potent aspect of international relations.”

He said when artists engaged with global communities, they carried pieces of their heritage, fostering connections and building diplomatic bridges in ways that conventional channels sometimes failed to achieve.

The growing need for integrating culture and the arts into international diplomacy, he said,

required using music as a universal language to bridge gaps and bring nations closer

The three-time Grammy nominee, however, said there was a disconnect that often existed between the diplomatic world and the general public.

He asserted that the arts — particularly music

— held the power to close that gap with the media playing a pivotal role.

Mr Dawuni noted that events like the Diplomatic Honours could leverage the influence of music and culture to forge stronger bonds between nations.