The TAIWANfest Vancouver kicked off with the performance of the Taiwanese Indigenous band Kanatal (which means "island" in the Amis Indigenous language) on Sep. 3. The event ran from Sep.3 to Sep. 5 at the North of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Granville Street, and Annex, presenting culture and entertainment performances, lectures, culinary experiences, and more. To emphasize the links with Indonesia and Malaysia, the Dialogues with Asia series: Indulge in Indonesia & Discover Malaysia of TAIWANfest explored the "Stories of Independence" with the works of artists from different countries.
At the end of its two-month tour in Canada, the Taiwanese Indigenous band Kanatal demonstrated the diversity of Taiwanese Indigenous music while various Taiwanese artists highlighted the similarities between Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia with different approaches. For example, the exhibition "Silaturahmi (西拉圖拉米)" by cultural workers Wu Ting-kuan (吳庭寬) and Lan Yu-chen (藍雨楨) showcased the life of Indonesian migrant fishers in Tangkang. TAI Body Theatre (TAI身體劇場) and Indonesian dance group EkosDance Company (艾可舞團) explored spiritual bonds and sought emotional vibration between oneself and companions.
Director Lau Kek-huat's film "Boluomi" was screened in the Cinematic Taiwan sector, not only did it depict stories of the past but also reflected on the marginalization of foreigners in recent days in Taiwan. The Taiwan Bookstore sector also displayed Indonesian-Chinese and Malaysian-Chinese literature that discusses issues of the post-colonial era, reflecting on the question of whether people are truly independent in an independent country.
The Managing Director of the Taiwan-Canada Cultural Association Charlie Wu (吳權益) stated that the theme "Stories of Independence" this year showed the Taiwanese spirit of valuing freedom. The Minister of the Overseas Community Affairs Council Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said that Taiwan and Canada both hold respect for diversity so we could appreciate the differences among cultures.
(Photo courtesy of the TAIWANfest Vancouver)