The first magazine seeking to give a voice to Orchid Island’s (蘭嶼, also known as Lanyu) younger generations was founded and had its first issue published last month, successfully drawing the attention of the island’s young people with its focus on social issues, fashion, science and — most importantly — youth issues.
The magazine, titled 952 Vazay Tamo (我們的事,我們的工作), was named using the postal code for Orchid Island as well as the language of the Tao people, meaning “Our affairs, our jobs.”
The six founders of the magazine came up with the idea early last year, during a discussion on what each of them specialized in and what they could do for the island’s population, said one of the founders, 31-year-old Lu Ssu-ying (呂思穎).
Photo courtesy of the three founders
“We had a gazette on local news already and we thought: ‘Why not a magazine?’ as the younger generation on the island had no other channel or outlet to make their voices heard,” Lu said.
The contents of the existing gazette had close to no relation with Orchid Island culture, literature or art, Lu said, adding that island’s portrayals in mainstream media are often based on guesswork from an outsider’s point of view.
“These reports rarely represent the opinions of Orchid Island residents, and we wanted to offer a channel for Tao young people to express their creativity as well as express their opinions on Orchid Island-related issues,” Lu said.
The magazine’s first edition explores some Tao traditions, shares the thoughts of Tao young people on the establishment of the island’s first 7-Eleven convenience store, and reveals the experiences and ambitions of a Tao youth who returned to the island to start her own bar and cafe business, Lu said.
Fellow founder Si Namet said that his father’s generation had used protests or academic articles to promote cultural preservation on Orchid Island.
“That is a more loaded method, so through the magazine, we seek to introduce a more lighthearted understanding of traditional culture, and we also seek to break from stereotypes,” Si Namet said.
“Tradition is something [we need] to teach to the younger generation — it is ours, we should all know about it; the new and innovative way is to let young people see what we, their older brothers and sisters, are doing and thinking, to use different angles in viewing what we do,” Si Namet said.
The magazine’s founding was a part of the Ministry of Culture’s youth village cultural development project and the proposal secured second place in the project, along with a NT$600,000 (US$19,904) subsidy, Lu said.
“The funds will last us a year, and we hope to raise alternative sources of funding and enable the [magazine’s] continued printing,” Lu said.
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