Masks have been important since the very earliest societies used them in religious ritual and as a way for humans to represent the gods. They have been made of every conceivable material from wood to iron and have represented anything from angry warrior gods to laughing clown faces. Why Miaoli County has sought to distinguish itself in the lineup of tourism-oriented festivals with masks is something of a mystery -- it has no particular tradition of mask use -- but, be that as it may, the 2003 Miaoli International Mask Festival will bring together 300 masks from 40 countries for display at the Aboriginal Resident Cultural Study Center ("
The Miaoli International Mask Festival, which got off the ground back in 1999, is one of many such events fostered by county governments and Taiwan's tourism authorities to help boost tourism around the island. One of the most successful has been the Ilan International Children's Folk Lore and Folk Games Festival (國際童玩藝術節), while others, such as Taitung's Festival of Australasian Cultures (南島文化節) and Kenting's totally bogus Wind Bell Festival (風鈴季) have been less of a draw for domestic tourists.
Miaoli's event, possibly due to the relative ease of access from Taipei, has proved successful at drawing the crowds. While the importance of masks in normal society has dwindled, their appeal for children has never been in doubt, and the festival offers ample opportunity for parents to entertain their offspring with DIY mask-making activities and various types of competitions.
In traditional society, masks where a means of establishing or altering social status, and in the domestic tourism stakes, Miaoli has everything to gain and almost nothing to lose by changing its status. While the exhibition itself is likely to draw people of diverse interests, providing something for those seriously interested in learning more about these potent symbols as well as those simply out for a good time, the masks seem very much an excuse for the usual plethora of folk dancing troupes and cultural activities that are so much part of these events.
In this instance, eight foreign dancing troupes have been brought in, only one of which has anything at all to do with masks -- this is the Sagarmatha Nepal Cultural Group, which will be performing on Sunday and throughout the festival, along with the Latvia Folkdance Group, the Moldovenesca Folk Music and Dance Ensemble, and Kazan, a folk troupe from the Republic of Tatarstan.
Also performing will be the Danish Folkdance Group, Aald Hielpen, a Dutch folkdance group, the India Rang Puhar Dance Group and Gehem from Turkey. While all these groups doubtless have their appeal for fanciers of folk dancing, it seems a pity that the organizers could not make more of an effort to adhere to the theme of the event, bringing in a more diverse range of performers who use masks in their performances.
But then, of course, one is inclined to feel that masks play second fiddle to the chance of promoting local tourism services. See the masks by all means, but don't forget to check out the local kiln -- DIY pottery is another way of keeping the kids occupied -- tourist farms, restaurants and resorts.
While considerable effort has been expended in putting together materials discussing the importance of masks from early society to contemporary theater, no local group that uses masks, and there are more than a few, will be a participant in the event. Although White Dance Temple (白舞寺) is discussed in the heavy academic literature that is available about the exhibition, they will not perform, despite being local and much more representative of what masks are all about than Dutch folk singers, no matter how talented.
But this sour-faced carping can be put behind a good-humored mask which might go with a shrug of the shoulders as we take advantage of the many performances that the festival will offer.
More Information: The Miaoli International Mask Festival will start tomorrow and run until April 27. Detailed information on performance schedules can be found at www.mask.org.tw.
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