A series of free events, including talks on folklore and legends from the South East Asian region and culture-themed forum, are set to take place at the National Tainan Living Arts Center from Sept. 5 to Nov. 7, with the aim to develop greater understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia' diverse cultural heritage among members of the public in Taiwan.
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, the Tainan-based arts center will kick off the array of events on Sept. 5 with two workshops – one on Indonesia's traditional Legong dance and the other on handmade storybooks with the theme of folklore and legends from the region.
While the former will feature Indonesian lecturer Ni Nyoman Somawati from Tainan University of Technology’s Department of Dance, language instructors with expertise of Thai and Indonesian will host the DIY workshop with a focus on tales from Indonesia and Thailand. Participants will be encouraged to portray the folktales from the two countries through designing their own picture books by hand.
The Southeast Asia folktale experience workshop, meanwhile, will immerse participants on Oct. 18 and 25 with legends from India, Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan through making folktale-inspired props. To engage new immigrants residing in Meinong in Kaohsiung and Chiayi's Minhsiung Township, the workshop will tour to the two locations with dates to be determined.
The Southeast Asian culture and art forum will take place on Nov. 7, highlighting the animals in mythology from the region. The full-day event will feature professor Tsai Tsung-te (蔡宗德) from the Tainan National University of the Arts, professor Huang Po-chi (黃柏琪) from the National Chengchi University, lecturer Bui Quang-hung (裴光雄) from the Kaohsiung University, and also humanitarian worker Yang Wei-ling (楊蔚齡), who has been based in the Indochinese Peninsula.
In addition to bringing folktales from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and other countries to light, the four speakers will also introduce folklore-related customs and festivals, and performing arts that are inspired by popular tales in the region.
The upcoming events are not the National Tainan Living Arts Center's first attempt to cultivate understanding of Southeast Asia's cultural heritage in Taiwan. Since 2016, the center has been promoting a deeper and keener appreciation of Southeast Asian culture through themed-talks, music performances, and art exhibitions.
All participants are encouraged to present their artworks or dance moves from Nov.14 to Dec. 13 at the center. Visit here for event registration and more information.