Photography Andy Catterall.

 By Uhuru Tyrie-Socha.   For parents living and working abroad, selecting a suitable school for their children is one of the first priorities in any posting. For the majority, an international school is the obvious choice – lessons offered in the English language, smaller class sizes, excellent facilities and top class teachers are all appealing concepts for most parents – however, these are not the only reasons why so many parents make this choice. The attraction of an international school education filters way beyond the confines of the classroom, as it provides students with the opportunity to learn and interact within a truly culturally diverse environment, promoting a broadminded spirit of acceptance and interest in other beliefs and values.

  The global popularity of international schools is evidenced by UK-based International School Consultancy Group (ISC), whose recent research revealed a global increase in the number of students in international schools. During the past 10 years the market has doubled in size with now more than 6,000 international schools across the world, and almost 10,000 further schools predicted to open before 2021. In just 12 months, student numbers have risen from 3.3 million in 2013, to 3.6 million last year. Since opening its doors in The Hague more than 80 years ago, The British School in The Netherlands (BSN) has seen a huge number of changes. Not only has the school transformed in relation to its size and location, but perhaps more specifically, the BSN has evolved enormously in terms of the international makeup of its students, who now represent some eighty five nationalities. The school was founded on the principles of developing and challenging the whole individual, producing students with high aspirations and confident independence – these principles still stand at the BSN today, with the school priding itself on the fostering of strong values such as mutual understanding, respect for others and high personal endeavour.  

  The BSN caters for the children of many diplomats and Embassy staff located in The Hague, as well as for numerous international organisations and corporations who have their headquarters in and around the city. With around 2,250 students aged 3-18 years, spread across 4 campuses in The Hague area, the BSN is the international school of choice for more families than any other. The rich diversity of the BSN community is deeply entwined into the school’s fabric, providing a unique dimension to the school ethos and character. The global exposure that students and children experience during their time at the school enables them to connect with each other’s cultures – in the classroom and beyond – as well as develop a strong understanding of different traditions, values and beliefs from a very early age. This is combined with a curriculum built on solid British foundations, providing a uniquely distinctive educational experience for the students. The global reputation of the UK education system, coupled with a modern and innovative approach to teaching and learning which fosters an early acceptance of responsibility for one’s own learning, are some of the reasons many parents opt to buy into the British education system. Following a UK curriculum means the BSN, together with other British international schools worldwide, can draw on a large pool of highly qualified teachers. Furthermore it’s broadly recognised that British school-leaving qualifications provide a passport to universities across the world – whilst many European countries accept each other’s qualifications for university entrance, A-levels are also respected further afield in countries including the USA and Canada, therefore providing students with access to some of the top institutions in the world. That said, the BSN actually provides the best of both worlds by offering a choice between the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or IB Career Related Programme and the traditional British A Level route, during the final two years of schooling. The Association of Graduate Recruiters recently observed that many employers have problems in recruiting for graduate positions, citing a lack of candidates equipped with the necessary skills and experiences required by international organisations. As the term ‘Global Graduates’ becomes the buzz phrase amongst employers and universities, it becomes increasingly important for students to develop exactly the kind of skills they learn in an international school environment. British International Schools around the globe, offer an exceptionally unique educational experience, blending the quality of the world renowned British education system, with a distinctively international dimension. The popularity of the BSN’s approach continues to grow – its Internationally British approach helping differentiate it from other local international schools and attracting not just expatriates from all over the world, but also an increasing number of internationally minded Dutch families as well. Fact File – The global appeal of the UK-based curriculum is underlined by figures showing that it has by far the largest share of the international education market. ISC Research indicates that 3,115 international schools use a UK-based curriculum, leading to GCSEs and A-levels. This represents 41 per cent of the international schools market, making it more than twice as popular as the next most widely chosen, the International Baccalaureate, which is taught by 17 per cent of international schools.  

By Joaquin Taveras. Fine Arts Editor, Diplomat Magazine.   20th century art was the platform of surprising vanguard movements, not only in Europe but also in the new continent. The ethnic and historic imaginary of the Caribbean served as a motor for a pictorial transformation that instead of passing inadvertently, positioned itself comfortably while influencing consecrated movements and artists. The legendary African esthetic, the weight of slavery, the figures and symbology created during colonization and the magical-religious syncretism are but a few of the elements that characterize the Caribbean artistic expressions today. In Paris, cradle of pictorial movements, the prestige of Guyanese intellectuals helped raise the voices of Latin-American surrealism in the Negro-culture paradigm; in that context initiate the default style of the contemporary arts of the Antilles: The Naïve (also translate as Primitivism), it searches to represent fables, myths, the quotidian reality in contradistinction to imagination and dreams, all through a fresh and colorful style that flirts more with the infantile than with what’s already established by academies. Haiti was its main exponent, enhanced mainly because of the patronage of great personalities such as Henri Christophe and Alexandre Petion. It is worth noting four transcendent events that helped Caribbean art flourish: The surrealist exposition of Paris in 1947, the posterior creation of the Centre d’Art of Puerto Principe, Contributions by French painter Andre Breton and above all the connections to The New Negro Movement, one of the most renown movements in North American arts of the 20th Century, in which one of its pioneers was Puerto Rican Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. What differentiated Caribbean art from the rest? Essentially its search of primitivism as opposed to modernism, always with the interest of conserving and showing the beauty of such a mixed cultural identity, its complex story and the diverse socio-political realities that it endures: producing artworks with an unimaginable richness of concepts, forms, colors, textures… all in constant transformation. Tardy but well deserved, the acknowledgement spacious modern art places like the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Saatchi Gallery in London or the Centre Pompidou in Paris give to Caribbean artists. Amongst them are: Cuban Wilfredo Lam, Dominican Paul Giudicelli, Haitian Antonio Joseph and Tobago Peter Doig. Nowadays contemporariness of Caribbean art still explores diverse techniques and styles that go on par with the acceptance and development of multidisciplines. From Rene Mederos graffiti’s, Allora & Calzadilla’s installations, Beatriz Santiago Muñoz video, to Ana Mendieta’s performance and the creation of new galleries and spaces, Caribbean art is definitely in its prime.        

By John Kennedy Stewart, International Relations and Academic Diplomatic Researcher. When I have first contacted Dr. Eugenio Matos G. – Charge d’affaires a.i. at the Dominican Republic Embassy in The Hague and Associate Publisher for Diplomat Magazine – in summer 2013, I was honored to be invited to attend several Diplomats Meet&Greet organized by this publication and hosted by embassies at Carlton Ambassador Hotel. Diplomats Meet&Greet (DMG) was initially conceived since Diplomat Magazine’s foundation. It rapidly became a well-known initiative, boosting the image of the City of Peace and Justice – The Hague. A key counseling expertise behind the scene for this production was under Mr. Arwin Paulides’ mastermind, General Manager of Carlton Ambassador Hotel. With its home-based at the Carlton Ambassador Hotel, Diplomats Meet&Greet is a monthly event gathering some 130 diplomats and special guests. So far, it has welcomed more than 2000 visitors in less than 17 months, including the presence of Her Excellency, Atifete Jahjaga, President of Kosovo, on 5 December, 2013 https://diplomatmagazine.eu/2013/12/21/president-kosovo-pays-visit-diplomat-club-hague/ Likewise, some invitees come as far as from Spain, Germany, Austria, London and of course from Brussels. Many ministers, dignitaries, representatives from international organizations, Burgmeisters, Dutch entrepreneurs, members of parliament, journalists, politicians, NGOs, the military, royal families, the academia and individuals from the Dutch civil society have paid a courtesy visit to Diplomat Magazine’s Diplomat Meet&Greet at Carlton. Ambassadors willing to host their DMG should contact Diplomat Magazine to reserve an available month. Both Diplomat Magazine and Diplomatic Card sponsor embassies to make their events an unforgettable one adapted to each diplomatic mission’s needs. In the view of Dr. Matos “Diplomats Meet&Greet has since given the opportunity to the diplomatic corps to enhance their cultural, bilateral trade and diplomatic ties with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has also served to international organizations to have a say in terms of press relations. Thanks to Diplomat Magazine, our Embassy in The Hague had the privilege to host its 1^st Dominican Diplomats Meet&Greet in April, 2014 at Carlton Ambassador, which I consider the most successful diplomatic event for our mission since its inauguration ten years ago” said Minister Counselor Dr. Eugenio Matos, before departing to Buenos Aires, Argentina in a new diplomatic assignment. Diplomat Magazine stands strong as the main diplomatic media in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It echoes the willingness of ambassadors and the diplomatic community to participate as contributing writers alongside the integration of Dutch volunteers keen to be introduced to the diplomatic society. “Just little over a year ago, I had the pleasure of welcoming the initiative of publishing the Diplomat Magazine, and anticipated that the international community in The Hague would undoubtedly receive it with enthusiasm. That prediction not only became true, but this Magazine quickly established itself as the leader media covering a wide range of diplomatic events, and thus as the number one consulting media for an overview of the most important diplomatic events in The Hague”, said H.E. Carlos Arguello Gomez, Ambassador of Nicaragua and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, through his welcome letter addressed to Diplomat Magazine in November, 2014 and published on page 9 on the first printed version of DM http://issuu.com/yumipepijnudo/docs/binnenwerk_dm_small It is illustrative to open some links for a snapshot on Diplomat Magazine’s Diplomats Meet&Greet at Carlton Ambassador Hotel: https://diplomatmagazine.eu/2014/03/07/canada-meet-greet-outstanding-event/ https://diplomatmagazine.eu/2015/01/31/cuban-diplomats-meet-greet/ https://diplomatmagazine.eu/2014/11/11/diplomats-meet-greet-venezuelan-style/ https://diplomatmagazine.eu/2014/10/18/macedonia-diplomats-meetgreet/ https://diplomatmagazine.eu/2014/04/06/8613/ https://diplomatmagazine.eu/2014/09/12/african-meetgreet-sept-11th/  

By John Dunkelgrün.   From April 25^th through May 15^th there is an exceptional exposition at the Embassy of Mexico of works by Beatriz Padilla. Padilla has worked in many countries, painting spectacular canvases in which she tries to capture the beauty of the majestic landscapes around her. Totally autodidact as a painter, she designed a special tent, that allows her to continue working outdoors, whatever the weather conditions may be. Beatriz Padilla is much more than just an exciting Mexican painter. She is in love with nature and a passionate conservationist, especially about ‘El bosque de agua’ the water forest in central Mexico that provides the water for this city of tens of millions. Born in Tenochtitlán into a political family with a tradition of nature conservation (e.g. her grandfather was one of the originators of the Muir Woods conservation area in California), she studied at the Technical University of Monterrey and lived for many years in the artist colony of Cuernavaca .   As an environmentalist she has embarked on a journey combining the art of painting with nature conservation in a new and innovative way. The Wilderness Conservation Painting Expedition (WCPE) is an applied conservation initiative, using the arts to support and communicate conservation issues of key wildlands across the globe and assist local people in communicating their relationship with these lands and receiving benefits from doing so. Some of these areas are “hotspots” and highly threatened, and some are already protected areas – all of them have a message to relate. While on location, Beatriz also engages with local communities. For example, on some expeditions, she leads art workshops with teenagers of native communities focusing on their natural and cultural heritage. These workshops culminate with an exhibit, showing the potential for these teens to generate a source of livelihood from portraying the intrinsic value of their natural environment. Most recently, Beatriz has stayed for long periods of time in the rainforest of Guatemala at Richard Hansen’s El Mirador project, and in the forests of West Africa, in Gabon, with the Lowland Gorillas. The pièce de résistance of the exposition is a large canvas executed in the reservation area Buitenplaas that is the heart and soul of Princess Irene of The Netherlands. Regular opening hours are from 9.00 to 13.00 and 14.00 to 17.00 beginig from April 23^rd through May 15^th (except Saturdays and Sundays). The formal opening by the Ambassador of Mexico to the Netherlands, H.E.  Eduardo Ibarolla- Nicolin, will be on Friday April 24^th at 18.30. For security reasons, please announce your intention to visit in advance to Ms. Sandra Lopez, cultural attaché of the embassy (slopez@embamex.nl and with cc fwiedijk@embamex.nl ). The Embassy has limited space available, so please don’t delay or you may be disappointed. (With thanks to “The Wild Foundation”)  

By Sonia Meijer, Direct Languages Center. Human intelligence is richer and  more dynamic than we have been led to believe by academic education,  I am passionate about communication, especially in teaching. As Philosopher Allan Bloom said :  ‘Education is the movement from darkness to light ‘. I believe in education as in its general sense, it is a form of learning in which  knowledge  is transferred from generation to generation, this science and the  art of how to teach is called Pedagogy . Education began in the earliest prehistory and skills deemed necessary in society. It is true English has become a global lingua franca over the past several decades. However learning another language opens up new opportunities and gives perspectives that you might never have encountered otherwise : like:  personal, professional, social and economic; all points to the advantage to learning foreign languages . It also gives the ability to step to another culture because we live  in a world where nations and people are more dependent upon one another to supply goods and services. We also live in a world of globalization and mobility, ever more urgent for people to be competent in other languages . With all these factors these are good reasons why you should be learning a foreign language .