“Sound of Taiwan” at the World Music Expo
While browsing news from Taiwan, I have come across a news reporting that a group of Taiwan musicians will perform in a Spain city of Seville on October 26, Thursday next week, at the World Music Expo. The group is organized by Taipei Arts International Association and sposored by Chunghua Telecom and the presentation will focus on Taiwan’s unique music, such as, “Sound of Flying Cloud” which will be performed by Taiwan’s aboriginal musicians, and another, “A Moving Sound”, a new music form which is a blending of Taiwanese, Chinese, and different Asian musics.
The WOMEX (Oct. 25 - 29, 2006) is the world’s leading forum dedicated exclusively to all kinds of ethnic, folk, traditional, local, and even of diaspora. Taiwanese in diaspora like to sing Taiwanese folk songs at their gatherings. One of Psalms in the Old Testament Bible, Psalm 137, begins with lines….”By the river of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. Upon the willows in the midst of it we hung our harps. For there our captors demanded of us songs, and our tormentors mirth, saying, sing to us one of the songs of Zion….” The sentiment expressed in the Psalm echos in those Taiwanese diaspora gatherings and for already too long a time!
But those Taiwan musisians at the Expo probably will perform their music with a rather different spirit. Even though the US Administration is quite unhappy about it and becomes almost like an watchdog for China in saying that it does not support “Taiwan independence”, there is an increasing and strong “national” pride which is embracing the people of Taiwan. More people there now identify themselves with Taiwan than China, saying, “Taiwan is Taiwan, China is China”. The musicians at the International Music Expo from Taiwan will make music with enthusiasm and proud of being Taiwanese.