Once there were 10,000 languages in the world. Today, there are 6,000 left. However, only 3,000 of them are being learned by the younger generation. The other 3,000 will become extinct in only a couple of decades. In fact, one language disappears from the planet every other week, and that pace is picking up, according to a survey by National Geographic magazine. For most of us, who may speak only a couple of languages, the significance of the decline of language diversity seems hard to grasp. As language is the most important indicator of culture, the decline in the number of languages in the world means a decline in cultural diversity.
"The loss of languages is irretrievable?. Losing the language of a tribe means that we will never know the wisdom handed down through a thousand generations. Their unique thinking and points of view are forever lost," said Lee Yung-shih (
PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
To remind people in Taiwan of the fact that cultural diversity is what makes the world an interesting place, the magazine has organized "Peoples of the World,"(世界的臉譜) a photo exhibition showcasing the lifestyles and personalities of various cultures and races. The works were selected from the namesake book, a profile of the peoples on earth written by 16 anthropologists and ethnologists and illustrated with photos by the magazine's outstanding line-up of photographers.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
In large format and dazzlingly strong colors, the 57 works on show try to lure passers-by at the Warner Village cinema complex and the square in front of Taipei's Museum of Contemporary Art, where they will be on display until Jan. 18.
Racial and cultural diversity is a trendy issue in Taiwan. Pop songs are being sung in many languages other than Mandarin. Aboriginal dances are more and more often being performed at official occasions. However, the average Aborigine has hardly seen his or her life improved by this fad.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
"The government has done a lot to let the voices of different cultures be heard. But the message is not clear enough. ? Aborigines' rights to land, their livelihood ? these issues need to be addressed. ? For that, we need to first understand and then respect peoples and cultures different from us," Lee said.
Despite living in a racially mixed and culturally diverse place, most Taiwanese, Lee said, fail to recognize the fact that the mix of cultures has given the country a rich heritage. The diplomatically isolated Taiwanese are also lagging behind with regard to understanding cultures outside the country.
With concise captions and captivating images, the photos on show offer a relaxing way for the public to understand the lives and customs of various peoples that inhabit the distant corners of the earth.
A gypsy woman dancing carefree on a street in France epitomizes the free-wheeling spirit of the Roma people. Residents of the North Pole try to survive in an extreme natural environment. A Mozambican woman with her face covered in white resin can be compared to a trendy Taiwanese woman who uses expensive skin-whitening agents. A New Guinea man wears a beautiful, large pig tooth through his nose, prompting us to wonder why we can't do the same.
These intriguing images are snapshots of everyday life of the subjects in the photos. "Through the powerful images, we see how people dress themselves differently, how they wear their expressions differently. ? They inspire us to realize that the way we live our lives is not the only way to live a life. There are many, many possibilities," Lee said.
The Chinese edition of Peoples of the World will be released in Taiwan in January.
A few weeks ago I found myself at a Family Mart talking with the morning shift worker there, who has become my coffee guy. Both of us were in a funk over the “unseasonable” warm weather, a state of mind known as “solastalgia” — distress produced by environmental change. In fact, the weather was not that out of the ordinary in boiling Central Taiwan, and likely cooler than the temperatures we will experience in the near-future. According to the Taiwan Adaptation Platform, between 1957 and 2006, summer lengthened by 27.8 days, while winter shrunk by 29.7 days. Winter is not
Taiwan’s post-World War II architecture, “practical, cheap and temporary,” not to mention “rather forgettable.” This was a characterization recently given by Taiwan-based historian John Ross on his Formosa Files podcast. Yet the 1960s and 1970s were, in fact, the period of Taiwan’s foundational building boom, which, to a great extent, defined the look of Taiwan’s cities, determining the way denizens live today. During this period, functionalist concrete blocks and Chinese nostalgia gave way to new interpretations of modernism, large planned communities and high-rise skyscrapers. It is currently the subject of a new exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Modern
March 25 to March 31 A 56-year-old Wu Li Yu-ke (吳李玉哥) was straightening out her artist son’s piles of drawings when she inadvertently flipped one over, revealing the blank backside of the paper. Absent-mindedly, she picked up a pencil and recalled how she used to sketch embroidery designs for her clothing business. Without clients and budget or labor constraints to worry about, Wu Li drew freely whatever image came to her mind. With much more free time now that her son had found a job, she found herself missing her home village in China, where she
In recent years, Slovakia has been seen as a highly democratic and Western-oriented Central European country. This image was reinforced by the election of the country’s first female president in 2019, efforts to provide extensive assistance to Ukraine and the strengthening of relations with Taiwan, all of which strengthened Slovakia’s position within the European Union. However, the latest developments in the country suggest that the situation is changing rapidly. As such, the presidential elections to be held on March 23 will be an indicator of whether Slovakia remains in the Western sphere of influence or moves eastward, notably towards Russia and