ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the tension between the commitment to cultural diversity in the global cultural economy and the difficulty in governing it. It addresses what the exception culturelle means in international trade agreements and why it matters in debates around cultural diversity. The chapter explains how United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) tries to 'protect and promote' cultural diversity through a legally binding Convention. The ideological tension between the World Trade Organisation and UNESCO has resulted in a formal global norm-setting and regulatory document: the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. The chapter also explains how the African Writers Series (AWS) and 'African' literature more generally, shows that the global cultural economy is not neatly organised country by country. The AWS proved successful in both economic and cultural terms. The diversity of culture is rather deeply entwined with its economy.