Better known as the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken on Wednesday seized the chance to blend music and diplomacy as he picked up his beloved guitar. Offering a rendition of “Hoochie Coochie Man” by blues legend Muddy Waters, the top American diplomat showcased his guitar skills while introducing Global Music Diplomacy Initiative.
Blinken took the stage himself, joking that he was sure to “clear the floor.” “I couldn’t pass up tonight’s opportunity to combine music and diplomacy. Was a pleasure to launch @StateDept’s new Global Music Diplomacy Initiative,” Blinken wrote on social media platform X.
I couldn’t pass up tonight’s opportunity to combine music and diplomacy. Was a pleasure to launch @StateDept’s new Global Music Diplomacy Initiative. pic.twitter.com/6MUfTXO9xK— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 28, 2023
US pop culture for decades has dominated much of the globe although it has largely grown without government support. During the Cold War, the United States launched an effort to send artists to woo audiences overseas, including many Black artists who at the time were forced to play in segregated venues in parts of their own country.
“For generations, US diplomacy has worked to harness the power of music to actually build bridges, to foster collaboration between Americans and people around the world,” Blinken said in a speech before his performance. “You don’t have to know any history to connect the feelings behind the music because music at its core is about a bond rooted in our shared humanity,” he said.
The Global Music Diplomacy Initiative was developed following the 2022 Promoting Peace, Education, and Cultural Exchange (PEACE) through Music Diplomacy Act. Under this program, the United States will dispatch renowned artists to various countries.
As part of the new initiative, jazz icon Herbie Hancock will travel to Jordan on the anniversary of a 1963 tour by jazz pianist Duke Ellington, and will also pay a first-of-its-kind trip to Saudi Arabia. The Philadelphia Orchestra will head to China in November to mark 50 years since its first tour to the Asian country in 1973 — then largely closed to the world and winding down the Cultural Revolution.
The musical evening brought a rare bipartisan note in Washington as Representative Mike McCaul, the Republican head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, took to the stage to praise Blinken and liken the evening to White House performances under John F. Kennedy.
(With agency inputs)