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Taitung, Okinawa expand cultural, musical exchanges

A delegation from the National Taitung Living Art Center in southeastern Taiwan visited Japan’s Okinawa prefecture June 16-20 to deepen bilateral exchanges in culture, musical education and cross-border creation.   According to the Ministry of Culture-supervised NTLAC, the visit was part of its Harmony Rooted, Melody Blooms project, as well as an extension of bilateral island music exchanges that have spanned 10 years.   Itinerary highlights included a discussion staged June 16 in Naha involving representatives from the two sides’ music and cultural sectors. Among the participants, NTLCA Director Hsu Hsu-kuo described the cultural and musical landscape in eastern Taiwan, while Paiwan singer Balai shared his personal experience and identity as a musician with Indigenous roots.   The group visited the Nanjo City Culture Center Sugar Hall June 17 and attended a performance of sanshin, a traditional Ryukyuan instrument. The following day, members called at Nanjo City Hall to arrange reciprocal visits and expand bilateral educational cooperation, and visited a local handicraft store to better understand Okinawa’s cultural and creative development.   Another highlight of the visit was an original musical piece jointly composed by Balai and Okinawan music duo Jujumo. The piece, which will be performed in Taiwan later, is a spiritual dialogue with the ocean that transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries.   In addition to deepening cultural connections between the Taiwan county and Okinawa, the visit also helped bring local music to the global stage, the NTLAC said, adding that it will continue to promote exchanges between artists from the two sides in the future. (SFC-E)   Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw