Chance to Explore Central Asia at Silk Road Cultural Festival
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) is holding the ``Silk Road Cultural Festival'' with the Silk Road Foundation, the embassies of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyzstan Republic and also Tajikistan and Turkmenistan Nov. 11-30 in Seoul and Jeju Island.
``Cultural exchange is becoming more important these days. I believe to develop in terms of culture, we need to respect others and communicate with them as much as possible,'' Bae Jae-hyun, director general of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the MOFAT, said at the press conference of the festival Monday.
The five central Asian countries ― Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan ― along with Korea, will offer colorful events and performances introducing music, dance, photography, and costumes throughout the festival.
The festival's opening ceremony will be held at the Arko Arts Center Nov. 26, while a photo exhibition will start Nov. 10 through 21 at the Korea Foundation Cultural Center. The exhibition will offer visitors the chance to explore the daily lives of people living in the five countries.
``I went to take pictures and fell in love with their beauty. I am hoping the photos, or in other words, art will be able to contribute to cultural diplomacy,'' photographer Ham Cheul-hun said.
There will also be a seminar where cultural experts from the five countries and Korea will get together and share ideas and discuss the future of cultural exchange. The seminar will be held at the Arko Contemporary Theater Nov. 27.
The following day will be a feast of art and clothing with a traditional paper exchange exhibition titled ``In Search of the Paper Road'' at the National Palace Museum of Korea and a traditional costume exhibition ``The Color and Light of the Silk Road'' at the Arko Arts Center. The paper exhibition will introduce Samarkand paper from Uzbekistan and Korean traditional paper Hanji, while the costume event will present colorful costumes from the six countries.
``There are actually many similarities in our costumes. This is the first time we are introducing them through an exhibition. Visitors will be able to learn of the history of these costumes and also enjoy them through a gala fashion show,'' Park Hyun-ju, chief manager of the Korea Costume Industrial Marketing Institute, said.
One of the most interesting features of the event will be the performance offered by professional artists.
Traditional ensemble Sazgen from Kazakhstan, traditional chamber music orchestra Sogdiana from Uzbekistan, the National Academy Opera from Kyrgyzstan and the Zarafshon Ensemble from Tajikistan and Korea's traditional performance team Sorinaru will join together and offer their exquisite moves and music to the local public.
``We have worked on how to bring the music and dance of central Asia to the Korean people in an easy and entertaining way. Simply watching these performances will help visitors understand not only the music and dance, but also the costumes as well,'' Kim Chang-gon from Sorinaru said.
The performances will be held twice, at the Arko Arts Center at the opening ceremony and on Nov. 27. It will then move on to Jeju and perform at the Jeju Convention Center Nov. 30.
All exhibitions and performances are free of charge and those who want to participate can visit https://cafe.naver.com/silkroadfestival and reserve a ticket before the event. For more information, visit the Web site.