The Impact of Tourism on Cultural Diplomacy: Building Bridges between Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana in the Southern African Context

The Impact of Tourism on Cultural Diplomacy: Building Bridges between Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana in the Southern African Context

Authors

  • Cláudio Emílio Culessala Author
  • Kelsom Chavonga Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51473/rcmos.v1i1.2025.1157

Keywords:

Tourism; Cultural Diplomacy; Regional Integration; Southern Africa; Cross-border Cooperation.

Abstract

This article analyzes the impact of tourism as an instrument of cultural diplomacy among Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, within the context of regional integration in Southern Africa. It is based on the premise that cross-border tourism can strengthen cultural ties, recover shared memories, and promote common values among historically connected peoples fragmented by colonial borders. The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, with a quantitative predominance, grounded in theoretical review and empirical analysis based on surveys administered to local actors. The findings demonstrate that cultural tourism goes beyond its economic role, serving as a symbolic vector of reconnection, identity expression, and regional cooperation. Initiatives such as cultural festivals, integrated tourist routes, and cross-border heritage projects emerge as key mechanisms for a diplomacy that is closer to communities, fostering cohesion and mutual understanding. It is concluded that, beyond economic benefits, tourism holds strategic potential to consolidate a sustainable African cultural diplomacy centered on local cultural dynamics.

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Author Biographies

  • Cláudio Emílio Culessala

    [1] Graduado em Gestão Turística pela Universidade do Cuito Cuanavale, Angola. Docente e chefe de Secção de Ensino e Investigação do curso de licenciatura em Gestão Hoteleira e Turismo do Instituto Universitário Nimi Ya Lukeny – Soyo. Investigador, Orcid: 0009-0000-5429-8736

  • Kelsom Chavonga

    [2] Mestre em Gestão de Recursos Humanos pela Universidade Lusíada de Angola – polo de Benguela, graduado em História, com enfoque em estudos africanos, pós graduado em fundamentos internacionais do processo de Formação inicial no Ensino Superior, pelo Instituto Superior Politécnico Maravilha em convénio com a Universidade de Varona-Cuba. Docente universitário e coordenador do curso de graduação em História no Instituto Superior Politécnico Maravilha de Benguela. Investigador, Orcid: 0009-0009-7778-1689

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Published

2025-07-18

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2025): Edição de Janeiro a Julho de 2025 – Volume 1, Número 1, RCMOS – Revista Científica Multidisciplinar O Saber

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Copyright (c) 2025 Cláudio Emílio Culessala , Kelsom Chavonga (Autor)

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How to Cite

CULESSALA , Cláudio Emílio; CHAVONGA, Kelsom. The Impact of Tourism on Cultural Diplomacy: Building Bridges between Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana in the Southern African Context: The Impact of Tourism on Cultural Diplomacy: Building Bridges between Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana in the Southern African Context. Multidisciplinary Scientific Journal The Knowledge, Brasil, v. 1, n. 1, 2025. DOI: 10.51473/rcmos.v1i1.2025.1157. Disponível em: https://submissoesrevistarcmos.com.br/rcmos/article/view/1157. Acesso em: 5 sep. 2025.