A fire broke out at the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre rehearsal space and warehouse over the Lunar New Year holidays. After timely assistance from all sectors, troupe leader Lin Hwai-min (林懷民) said with some emotion that the government’s cultural budget is ridiculously low.
This reminds me of how, during my term as chairman of the Council for Cultural Affairs, my colleagues had to shoulder an extraordinarily heavy workload to create opportunities for cooperation with government agencies and obtain funds from the budget.
However, politics and the economy have long been the priority in Taiwan, and being emotional is not conducive to improving the situation. I only hope that the public will gain a deeper understanding of the power of culture. The EU is an example worth following.
After suffering from centuries of war that tore the continent apart, Europe finally came to realize that it shares a joint fate. It internalized diversity and tolerance as part of its cultural values and strove to bring about integration.
The Maastricht Treaty signed in 1992 granted the EU many new powers and introduced articles specifically relating to cultural matters. Ever since, cooperation in art and culture has become an objective with a legal basis and a high degree of consensus among the member states.
In accordance with Article 151 of the treaty, between 1993 and 1999 the EU launched a series of groundbreaking cultural programs and implemented three significant cultural measures. First, the Kaleidoscope program, which encourages creation and cooperation in European art and culture; second, the Ariane program, which supports book publishing and reading, including translation; and third, the Raphael program, which works in combination with policymakers in EU member states on cultural heritage and European uniqueness.
All these preparations were part of an effort to implement a huge seven-year program known as “Culture 2000.”
“Culture 2000” is different from programs headed by standard economic institutions. Its objective is to promote a common cultural area characterized by cultural diversity and shared cultural heritage. In March last year, the EU proposed a concept of cross-border cultural connection and launched the “Culture Program 2007-2013” with a budget of 400 million euros.
Moreover, the “European Capital of Culture” project, which has been widely praised, has been an important part of the revival of European urban culture since 1985. Each of the cities designated by the EU receives funding and human resources to rebuild unique historical and cultural characteristics by holding various cultural activities.
For years, the “European Capital of Culture” stamp, as with “World Heritage,” has helped designated cities enhance cultural, social and economic influence and become internationally known for their cultural creativity.
Using similar ideas, I believe Taiwanese locations such as Tamsui (淡水), Lukang (鹿港) and Meinung (美濃), which all have their unique history and local industries, have great development potential. Hopefully the government and the public can take seriously the deep and profound impact that culture can exert over time.
If we take full advantage of the power of culture, unite as a community, consolidate national awareness, strengthen national development and showcase our nation’s cultural diversity to the outside world in a peaceful way, we will build a beautiful image of modern Taiwan.
Tchen Yu-chiou is secretary-general of the National Cultural Association.
TRANSLATED BY TED YANG
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