Southeast asia is a region of immense richness and diversity. Scholars say man may have lived here as early as half a million years ago, at a time when much of the world lay covered with ice and island Southeast Asia was connected by land bridges to the Asian mainland.
Several centuries of human migration, the influence of the great religions and civilisations of the East, and the coming of Western rule followed by independence have resulted in multiethnic, multireligious and multilingual societies.
The diversity of the countries of ASEAN is reflected in their widely divergent sizes, the heterogeneity of their populations, the many religions practised, the number of languages used and their different historical experiences.
And yet amid the diversity common threads weave them together-their habitation of a common geographic area, the interlacing of their histories, the growing integration of their economies, and the unifying influences of knowledge and information in contemporary times.
In 33 years of regional cooperation under the aegis of ASEAN, Southeast Asia has evolved from a region of isolated states and cultures into “a concert of nations.”
The Cultural Mix
All the countries of Southeast Asia, except for a small part of Myanmar, are within the tropical zone, with the equator cutting through some of them. Southeast Asia stretches across three time zones so that it is about as wide as Europe. The countries in the region share a monsoon climate.
The monsoon winds, created by rising warm air from the landmass and sinking cold air from the expanses of ocean, have given the region a climate conducive to trade by seafaring vessels, to the growth of forests and the flow of rivers, and to systems of agriculture that can feed large populations. These elements have therefore a tremendous influence in the shaping of Southeast Asian culture.
Even during prehistoric times, long before they felt Indian and Chinese influences, South-east Asians already had their own culture. They had their own unique ways of interpreting and dealing with their unique environment, which were transmitted from one generation to the next. This culture had many variations but the variations bore many common characteristics, being part of a network of animist cultures, including those of the Melanesian, Micronesian and Polynesian cousins of the Southeast Asians.
The mythology of ancient Southeast Asians was oriented to the seasons of the movement of the sun, moon, stars and planets, being the product of a monsoon climate and an irrigated system of agriculture. Many settlements were along riverbanks, and houses were built to cope with floods as the rivers swelled under steady rains.
Many communities were organised around the cycle of rice cultivation. Rituals, arts, the shapes of houses and communal structures were designed to celebrate the life-giving qualities of rice. Marriages, migrations, homecomings and rites of passage were timed to the planting, harvesting, transport, storage and consumption of rice.
The peoples who came in contact with Southeast Asians brought various cultural influences, including the great religions. Thus, Malaysia, Indonesia (except Bali which is Hindu), Brunei and the southern Philippines are a realm of Sunni Islam; Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia, all extensively Indianised, adhere to Theravada Buddhism; while Viet Nam, much influenced by Chinese culture, professes Mahayana Buddhism. Hinduism remains widespread in the region. The Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, in many versions, have been indelibly etched on the Southeast Asian soul. The Philippines, except for the southernmost part, is predominantly Roman Catholic.
Underneath all the layers of religious and cultural influences, a common Southeast Asian culture survives to this day, unobtrusive but real.
There are some 1,000 languages, which scholars have classified into Sinitic, the languages of the Chinese communities of the region; Tibeto-Burman; Karen; Miao-Yao; Tai, which includes the national languages of Thailand and Laos; Malayo-Polynesian, the largest and most widely distributed group of languages from the region, ranging from Madagascar to the South Pacific; Mon-Khmer, Viet-Muong; and Papuan, which is spoken in eastern Indonesia. The colonial languages have persisted: French is still spoken in Indochina but is losing ground. Some Indonesians still speak Dutch. Spanish is no longer widely spoken in the Philippines, but a large Spanish vocabulary has become embedded in the various Philippine languages. A large body of Portuguese words has been similarly absorbed into the Indonesian language. The emerging lingua franca of the region, which is also that of the world, is English.
Today the signs of the encroachments of Western pop culture may seem pervasive all over Southeast Asia, as they are all over the world. But what looks like cultural imperialism is really an interpenetration that enriches both sides. A popular brand of hamburger may retain its American packaging, but its taste has been altered to suit the local passion for spices. A teenager may wear blue jeans, but she tops it with a sarong or kebaya.
But in an increasingly interdependent global economic system, the process of urbanisation and modernisation and other global influences have affected many of the region’s traditional societies. ASEAN’s concern is how to fulfil its aspirations to progress and prosperity and at the same time preserve its cultural heritage.
Against this background, cooperation on culture and information lies at the heart of the ASEAN agenda. The ASEAN leaders believe that:
• there is a need to enhance mutual understanding and respect of one another’s cultures, value systems, nuances and sensitivities;
• there is a need to promote the richness of Southeast Asia’s culture to its peoples and to others outside the region and to raise its profile in the international community;
• it is important to preserve and protect the region’s rich cultural heritage from the vagaries of nature and modernisation; and
• Southeast Asian peoples need to
foster a sense of regional identity and a spirit of regionalism that is supportive of its aspirations.
Key Declarations and Policies
Early on in its history ASEAN recognised culture and information as key areas for cooperation. One of the association’s earliest agreements was the promotion of the regional mass media and cultural activities. These early proj-ects included film festivals, the exchange of radio and television materials and artists, and exhibitions and performances on each other’s arts and culture.
The First ASEAN Summit in Bali in February 1976 provided the framework for cooperation on culture and information. One of its key documents, the Bali Declaration of ASEAN Concord, promised that “member states shall vigorously develop an awareness of regional identity and exert all efforts to create a strong ASEAN community.” It declared support for “ASEAN scholars, writers, artistes and mass-media representatives to enable them to play an active role in fostering a sense of regional identity and fellowship.”
The ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (COCI) was formed and held its first meeting in 1978. Based on the Bali Con-cord, COCI’s mandate is to promote “effective cooperation on culture and information to enhance mutual understanding and solidarity among the peoples of ASEAN as well as to further regional development.”
To finance the association’s cultural programme, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers in 1978 established the ASEAN Cultural Fund, to which Japan initially contributed five billion yen. The Fund is open to contributions from member countries, other dialogue partners of ASEAN and international organisations. The ASEAN Sec-retariat serves as custodian of the Fund and has engaged the professional services of fund managers to handle its investment. Only 80% of the Fund’s annual earnings go towards financing cultural and information projects recommended by COCI. The rest is ploughed back into the Fund.
Since its establishment in 1978, COCI has carried out an average of 15 projects every year in culture and information. These projects have seen the active involvement of artists, children and youth delegates, writers and mass-media practitioners, and experts from institutions like ministries of culture and information, national radio and television networks, film institutes, news agencies, cultural commissions, heritage boards, museums, archives and libraries. Universities, art institutes and similar institutions have also taken part in COCI activities.
As ASEAN brought all ten Southeast Asian countries under its roof and spurred them towards the common goal of regional cooperation and integration, it has increasingly turned its sights towards extending and deepening the sense of community within the region. At their Second Informal Summit in Kuala Lumpur in December 1997, the ASEAN leaders laid out their vision for ASEAN in the 21st century as a “community conscious of its ties of history, aware of its cultural heritage and bound by a common regional identity.”
To realise this vision, the ASEAN leaders adopted the Ha Noi Plan of Action of 1998, which called on the culture and information sector to provide more intensified promotion of ASEAN awareness and improvement of its standing in the international community. This mandate governs current ASEAN cooperation on culture and information.
The Window of Culture
Until recently, cultural projects of ASEAN were categorised under three areas: literary works and ASEAN studies, visual arts and the performing arts. Since 1978 cultural activities undertaken have ranged from publications on literature and cultural studies to performances, exhibitions, festivals, workshops, fellowship grants and academic researches.
The literary and ASEAN studies programme has produced several materials on Southeast Asian cultures. It has also organised forums and workshops and trained scholars and cultural specialists on specialised fields such as archaeology, museology and conservation. A series of monographs on music, dance, theatre, traditional and modern literature, the mass media and other topics is being completed. A multi-volume anthology of ASEAN literatures has been completed containing important short stories, essays, poetry and other literary works, both modern and traditional. Among ASEAN’s invaluable collections is an anthology of folk literature, which brings together the riddles, proverbs, myths, legends and folk tales of the region. A two-volume research study on traditional festivals-intended as reference material for students, researchers and academicians-is being printed. The first volume covers the mainland Southeast Asian states and the second deals with the island-countries.
The region’s librarians have also done their bit for regional cooperation. In the mid-nineties they organised a series of seminars on ways to improve reading habits and library services in ASEAN. Recent exchange visits between ASEAN and Korean senior librarians enabled them to observe the application of information technology to library management.
Archaeologists and anthropologists, archivists and other conservators of heritage have also been organising their own projects. Among the more notable projects have been the joint field excavation works and seminars done by ASEAN anthropologists in select sites around the region.
In the visual arts, ASEAN has organised art competitions, workshops and exhibitions among children, youth and noted masters of member countries. One of its more acclaimed projects was the installation of ASEAN sculptures in the parks or squares of member countries. Some of the symposiums and workshops have produced a number of excellent publications on ASEAN art and aesthetics. These have been distributed to art organisations and schools in member countries.
ASEAN’s activities in the performing arts are perhaps the most colourful and enjoyable, for they have brought together young artists, performers and cultural experts to do joint productions. These productions have covered dance, theatre and the musical arts. Workshops and forums on traditional music have resulted in the production of compact discs featuring originally recorded authentic traditional sounds. The holding of children’s choir and youth music festivals is among the favourite projects of ASEAN organisers.
In building closer relations with its dialogue partners, ASEAN has undertaken joint cooperative projects with them on culture and information. With Australia, ASEAN has undertaken workshops for the development of strategies in managing cultural heritage. A number of activities are being drawn up to help heritage institutions in the region improve their skills in collections management.
In 1998 and 1999 ASEAN and Japan organised a joint “Multinational Cultural Mission” to deepen intellectual and cultural discourse between ASEAN members and Japan. The mission visited all ASEAN countries and Japan and enabled leading scholars to exchange views with their counterparts. In Thailand a special discourse was arranged between the scholars and rural folk.
Current cultural programme. One of ASEAN’s first acts as it entered the 21st century was to sign a Declaration on Cultural Heritage. Promoting a sense of regional identity, ASEAN feels, requires an awareness of the cultural heritage of Southeast Asia and appreciation by the member countries of one another’s cultures.
Three broad strategies guide the Committee on Culture and Information (COCI) in this current programme: cultural heritage and preservation, cultural promotion and appreciation, and the production of cultural showcases.
ASEAN has pledged to document, preserve and safeguard national treasures and cultural properties, antiquities and works of historic, archaeological, anthropological or scientific significance throughout the region. Guided by the Declaration, COCI has drawn up an integrated work programme to eliminate duplication of activities and set aside ad hoc proposals low in regional priority. A vital part of this work programme is the establishment of an on-line cultural heritage information network that will link up all the cultural heritage institutions of the region and organise regional databases on a Web site.
Cultural promotion and appreciation activities today are aimed at the younger generation. In spite of more than three decades of ASEAN cooperation, Southeast Asian peoples still have a long way to go in understanding and appreciating one another’s cultures, and in grasping what ASEAN is and how it is relevant to their lives. ASEAN seeks to overcome this challenge by developing and producing source materials and teaching aids on ASEAN cultures and history. More activities that promote “people-to-people” contacts will also be undertaken. A continuing project along this line is the ASEAN Youth Camp, where youth leaders of member countries interact and where they are exposed to ASEAN issues and the history and cultures of member countries. Two such camps have been held: one in the Philippines in 1998, which focused on arts and the environment; and the other in Thailand in 1999, which concentrated on cultural heritage. Being completed is a compilation of children’s songs, dances, games and stories that will be made available to schools and other institutions in all member countries.
To continue stimulating creativity and en-hancing the artistic and professional talents of ASEAN artists and writers, COCI will continue to organise arts and cultural showcases. Since the early eighties, these festivals, performances and exhibitions have enthralled audiences both within and outside the region. At present COCI is carrying out a number of exciting projects in this area. The first is Realizing Rama, a modern dance production of the Indian epic. In its many variations, the Ramayana theme is discernible in all traditional Southeast Asian cultures.
Realizing Rama fuses traditional and contemporary musical and dance forms. The theme has been updated and deals with the struggle of modern-day ASEAN leaders to overcome temptation. The work, premiered in Ha Noi during the 1998 ASEAN Summit, has completed its tour of ASEAN capitals. Arrangements are now being made to stage the production in key capitals in Europe in 2001.
Another outward-bound project is the ASEAN Exhibition on Contemporary Art, a travelling show that will visit Europe this year. The project is being coordinated by the Singapore Art Museum in collaboration with the curators of national galleries of other member countries. The exhibition will consist of 60 to 70 contemporary works by the finest artists of the region.
COCI is also producing a series of documentaries in the form of coffee-table books and videos. The first is a book featuring the cultural heritage sites and landmarks of Southeast Asia. It is scheduled for launching in Nov-ember 2000. Another showcase of ASEAN literary works being planned is a book compiling award-winning short stories by writers of the region in the last three decades.
Information as Bridge
Cooperation on mass-media activities helped ASEAN greatly in its early years, when member countries were still groping to understand each other’s ways. The news media circulated news of ASEAN decisions and projects around the region. The holding of film festivals involving the region’s favourite movie stars and singers brought life and colour to ASEAN activities. These were complemented by the exchange of television and radio programmes among the broadcasting organisations of member countries and the production of a number of documentary films on ASEAN.
Until recently, activities in information were grouped into print and interpersonal media and broadcast media involving radio, television and film.
In the print media, most of the activities have been directed at the region’s media practitioners to improve their coverage and understanding of regional events and issues. The ASEAN News Exchange programme links the news agencies of member countries in a news network that carries the leading news stories of the day. The programme has organised training sessions, study tours, workshops and seminars for journalists. It has also brought together in several conferences editors of national newspapers, including news directors and producers from the electronic media, and their counterparts from the ASEAN news agencies.
In broadcasting, besides festivals and ex-changes of audio and video materials, workshops have been organised for producers and scriptwriters to help improve their professional skills. A notable project is the radio programme called ASEAN in Action, produced in the national languages of member countries and aired on national networks at least once a week. The project, now in its seventh year, covers a variety of topics ranging from public affairs to “infotainment”-to help promote ASEAN awareness.
In 1989 the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information organised themselves to enhance cooperation on information and mass-media activities. Among the activities they have promoted is the expansion of the ASEAN Web site to include national Web sites on culture and information. Through a regular forum on the Internet, they also share and exchange information on developments in this new technology.
Awareness and image. In line with the Ha Noi Plan of Action, COCI has reoriented its efforts towards raising public awareness of ASEAN’s work, building up its image internationally, and conducting a more coherent cultural cooperation programme.
COCI and the ASEAN Secretariat are carrying out a communications programme aimed at developing an awareness of ASEAN and transforming this awareness into support for ASEAN and its work. The broadening agenda of ASEAN, from political and security cooperation to economic integration and functional cooperation, needs to be conveyed to many publics.
At their Sixth Conference held in Ha Noi in October 2000, the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information promised to promote ASEAN awareness as a regular function of their information agencies. In this spirit, each member country has drawn up a National Communication Plan that delivers the following messages:
• ASEAN is the family of all Southeast Asian nations working to win the future for the region’s 500 million people. As described in Vision 2020, that future has three basic components: peace, prosperity and fulfilment of the human potential.
• ASEAN is already bringing concrete benefits to the peoples of the region.
• ASEAN’s work contributes to the making of a more peaceful, more just and more prosperous world.
• ASEAN deserves the support and help of its publics, and it is in the interest of these publics to support and help ASEAN.
The ASEAN information ministers also recommended that, in view of current perceptions about ASEAN and their effects on its image, work and economy, ASEAN should formulate strategies to harness in a coordinated way available resources to advance and reinforce a positive international profile of ASEAN.
The ASEAN Secretariat and COCI are doing much of the work of developing the content of communication materials. Leading this campaign, the Secretary-General of ASEAN has been speaking at international forums. The Secretariat has been strengthening its contacts with the mass media by providing them news, features and other materials. It also maintains the ASEANWEB, which carries not only official ASEAN documents but also current news and developments within the association.
Besides the linkages and exchanges among the news and information networks of member countries, COCI is launching an ASEAN quiz competition, a photo competition and other activities intended to bring the ASEAN message to the Southeast Asian grassroots.
Outlook
Cooperation efforts on culture and information are guided by the conviction that through pride in their rich cultural heritage and extensive contact through the information media, the peoples of Southeast Asia will experience a sense of community that matches the close cooperation of their governments. As culture celebrates the diversity of the region and what is special about each ASEAN country, information turns its people into a constituency for ASEAN regionism.
The process is well under way. From their isolation back in 1967, the peoples and countries of Southeast Asia are being integrated in ever widening circles of in-volvement-in politics and economics, in science and technology, in health and education, in agriculture and industry, in the environment, in social development, and in culture and communications.
At the start of the 21st century, global influences are driving ASEAN to tighten those bonds even more. An increasingly interdependent global economic system, the emergence of new regional security threats and the dangers posed by transnational problems have made it imperative for ASEAN countries and peoples to work even more closely together. All these underscore the role of culture and information on the ASEAN agenda.
