News for the Asia-Pacific Transitional Arts Festival
Preparatory Office for National Headquarters of Taiwan Traditional Arts
2009 Asia Pacific Traditional Arts Festival Special Exhibition
Going with the Flow- Life and Beliefs in the Mekong Basin
The 2009 Asia-Pacific Traditional Arts Festival, organized by the Preparatory Office for National Headquarters of Taiwan Traditional Arts, is going to be held from October 3 to 11. Performance groups and crafters from five Southeast Asian countries will bring a feast of arts and culture to the Center for Traditional Arts. The festival will be opened by the special Asia-Pacific Exhibition, Going with the Flow-Life and Beliefs in the Mekong Basin, which will be launched on September 1. Public participation is welcome.
This year’s event will be focused on the civilizations along the Mekong River of the Indochina Peninsula. The River of Mekong is seen as the mother of the Indochina Peninsula, nurturing the rich, profound, and original cultures of Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The festival will be launched through the Special Exhibition of Going with the Flow- Life and Beliefs in the Mekong Basin on September 1. This exhibition features religions and beliefs developed along the Mekong River, offering a sneak preview of the lifestyles, customs, arts, and cultures of the five nations in the Indochina Peninsula. Viewers will be taken on a journey through the running river of Mekong to explore how religions interweave the meaning of life for people living in the Indochina Peninsula. It will be very interesting exhibition, offering a close-up look of ethnic groups by the Mekong River.
The main events of the 2009 Asia-Pacific Traditional Arts Festival will take place from October 3 to 11. In the events, an estimated near 100 artists in different art categories from the Indochina Peninsula will take turns showcasing their arts in the Center for Traditional Arts. Especially worth mentioning is that teams from Laos and Cambodia will also be performing in the festival for the first time in seven years. Palace dances and shadow puppet shows from Cambodia will be the focus of the event as they have been listed by UNESCO as Masterpieces of the Oral and an Intangible Heritage of Humanity. So don’t miss the shows. For details regarding exhibitions and performances, please call the National Center for Traditional Arts at (03) 950-711 or enquire through the website at http://www.ncfta.gov.tw
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