The Ministry of Culture (MOC), the Taiwan Representative Office in Germany, and the International Cultural Platform (iKultur) jointly launched the “Tao Indigenous Culture Showcase” program, demonstrating Taiwan’s indigenous music and dance in Vienna, Austria, as well as in Vilnius and Jonava, Lithuania, from May 24 to June 1.
Two groups of performers from Orchid Island – Voice of the Ocean (海洋之聲) and Wild Thing (野東西樂團) – were invited to perform on this tour.
Curators of iKultur, Lin Wei-ya (林維亞) and Johannes Kretz, initiated Orchid Island’s music and culture research and preservation projects in 2007. They first invited Tao performers to Europe in 2022; this year marked the second edition.
Chang Hsiao-yueh (張小月), the Taiwan Representative to Austria, said that it was an honor to welcome the performers from Orchid Island, fostering stronger ties between Taiwan and Austria.
The Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in Germany noted that the “Tao Indigenous Culture Showcase” program incorporated historical material and oral history collections from Academia Sinica and the Musee de l’Homme in Paris, highlighting the efforts to preserve Taiwan’s indigenous culture.