The Taipei City Government cultural affairs department is putting on a two-month long New Immigrant Arts Festival (
The goals of the festival are to assist foreign immigrants in expressing their own cultures and lives, and to enable Taiwanese people to accept and respect different cultures and alter the often bad stereotypes that some local people hold.
The festival will begin with a performance workshop this month, which offers courses allowing participants to make personal observations about their own cultures and histories, and share their experiences of living in Taiwan through theater, music, dance and art.
Longterm residents will have a chance to develop an understanding of the cultural and social roots of the newcomers when the participants present what they have achieved at a workshop in November.
The festival will also invite art and cultural groups from various Asian nations to hold performances. Conferences, exhibitions and screenings of films centered on immigrants' lives in Taiwan will stimulate discussions and reflection on important issues related to immigrants' current situations.
The workshop is free of charge, and will run from Sept. 22 through Nov. 5. Courses will take place at Taipei New Immigrant Hall (台北市新移民會館), 768-1, Bade Rd, Sec 4, Taipei (台北市八德路四段768之1號). The application deadline is Sept.15. You can go to http://www.culture.gov.tw to download the application form, or call (02) 8780 6576 X 221 for more information.
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