Production
Background
- In Asia and the Pacific region, there are various forms of intangible cultural heritage. Due to the rapid social changes which are taking place in many parts of this region, however, a significant part of this rich heritage is on the verge of disappearing. As it embodies both the attainments of cultural tradition and a source of creative imagination and inspiration, it is imperative to conserve it and hand it down to future generations.
- ACCU has been producing, with cooperation of UNESCO Member States in the region, audio and video materials under the Asian/Pacific Music Materials Co-production Programme (MCP) since 1974. Under this programme, more than 800 musical pieces have so far been collected, and are available in either cassette tapes, compact discs, or video forms. Audio-visual kits have also incorporated themes on intangible cultural heritage.
- ACCU has also been conducting, since 1993, a programme sending experts to national workshops on the documentation and promotion of the intangible cultural heritage (mainly in the form of performing arts). As a pilot project, local production of documentation on traditional performing arts is being supported by ACCU, following the workshop organized in Lao P.D.R. in 1997.
- In the course of these and other programmes, a strong need has been felt to collect and share information on the present situation of preservation and promotion of intangible cultural heritage in each country as well as actual data on individual forms of traditional/folk performing arts.
- Based on the above, ACCU organized, in cooperation with UNESCO, Japanese National Commission for UNESCO and the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan, the 1998 Regional Seminar for Cultural Personnel in Asia and the Pacific NuPreservation and Promotion of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (Tokyo, 24 February -2 March 1998), with the participation of 20 experts from 19 countries in Asia and the Pacific, and a UNESCO representative. During the Seminar, information was shared among the countries on the present situation of each country regarding the preservation and promotion of intangible cultural heritage. Exchange of views was also conducted as to concrete measures to be taken in the future. ACCU proposed a plan for the development of the Data Bank on Traditional/Folk Performing Arts in Asia and the Pacific to be developed in collaboration with the UNESCO Member States in the region, as one step forward in this area of activities, especially in the field of traditional/folk performing arts. The plan was unanimously and strongly supported by the participants.
- The plan for the development of the Data Bank on Traditional/Folk Performing Arts in Asia and the Pacific is in line with the role ACCU has played in the past as a clearing house of information in the field of culture. It published Directory of Cultural Organizations and Institutions in Asia(1978), Directory of Cultural Organizations and Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (1982), and Directory of Artistic Training Centres in Asia and the Pacific (1986). In the field of education, in its latest endeavour, ACCU has been developing, jointly with the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL), the AgAsia-Pacific Literacy Data Base.Ah It is on the Internet (http://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase) and has been acclaimed as an innovative and effective tool to be used for project planning, management and promotion of literacy activities.
- The proposed Data Bank on Traditional/Folk Performing Arts in Asia and the Pacific will consist of information collected through joint collaboration of the UNESCO Member States in the region and ACCU.
Objectives
The objectives of the Data Bank are:
- to collect, share and mobilize information on traditional/folk performing arts in Asia and the Pacific for policy making, practical development of projects, research and education on traditional/folk performing arts.
- to enhance mutual understanding through traditional/folk performing arts.
- to foster the network of organizations and individuals in the field.
- to lay the foundation for a scheme for the future development of an Asia-Pacific archive of audio-visual documentation, in moving pictures and digital visual data, of traditional/folk performing arts.
- to contribute, all together, to the preservation and promotion of the traditional/folk performing arts in the region by raising international awareness of their importance.
Producer
Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU)
in cooperation with the UNESCO Member States in Asia and the Pacific
Participating countries
The following 23 countries were invited to participate in this Programme at the initial stage:
Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Lao P.D.R., Malaysia, Myanmar, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam
