The SAARC Exhibition of Paintings organized by the SAARC Cultural Centre in collaboration with the University of Kelaniya will be held from the 22nd – 24th of January 2019, at the Senake Bandaranayake Hall, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. The exhibition intends to promote regional unity through the medium of Art, to provide an opportunity to showcase the heritage of Member States by displaying paintings of Artists from the South Asian Region and to preserve, Conserve and protect South Asia’s Culture through Art.
The Exhibition will feature the works of art created by artists of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the SAARC Artist Camp held in Sri Lanka in 2018 and also a selection of artworks produced at the SAARC Artist Camps during the preceding years.
With a view to encourage young children to explore the field of painting as a medium of self-expression, the exhibition will also feature lectures and discussions on Painting and Art and a workshop on art therapy titled “Creative and Expressive Art Therapy” for senior Art Students (O/L & A/L).
Workshop on “Creative and Expressive Art Therapy”
Date : Wednesday the 23rd of January 2019
Session i) 10.00 am – 11.00 am
Session ii) 12.00 pm – 1.00 pm
Session iii) 2.00 pm – 3.00 pm
Lecture & Discussion on Paintings and Art
Date : Thursday the 24th of January 2019
Session i) 11.00 am – 1.00 pm
Session ii) 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm
Admission to all events is free
For further details contact:
Mr. Mahinda Sumanasekara – Documentation Officer,
Mobile: 0771053008, e-mail: documentation@saarcculture.org
Mr. Harishnath Nadarajah – Programme Assistant,
Mobile: 0774997193, e-mail: programme-assistant@saarcculture.org
16th to 18th December 2018
Kabul, Afghanistan
Background
Tangible Cultural Heritage (TCH) of South Asia is not limited to World Heritage Sites and the landscape is dotted with archaeological sites indicating the long and eventful history of the Region. In many of these TCH sites there are associated Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) which are neglected due to lack of resources. There are sites in the Region which are yet to be identified, conserved, restored and managed for posterity. However, the biggest challenge the SAARC Region is facing now is the lack of human resources. This workshop hopes to lay the foundation in building the human resources of the region to face the challenges of Heritage Management for present and future.
Workshop Training Modules
This is a tentative module and will change according to the Resources Persons nominated by each Member State.
Resource Persons for the Workshop
Each Member State is kindly requested to nominate a minimum of 1 Resource Person from mid to senior level professionals. The field of expertise can be one from the list below but not limited to the fields identified below.
Target Participants for the Workshop
The Nominees for the Workshop may be selected from amongst diverse disciplines among Academics and Policy Makers. Priority should be for early to mid-career level professionals involved in heritage management, policy makers and persons associated with the World Heritage Sites in the Region. Resource Persons should be selected from mid to senior level professionals.
Academics and Scholars should include but not limited to:
Details for Participation at the Workshop
The Host Country can nominate a maximum of 15 Official Nominees and they will be provided with the Workshop material and the Cultural Tour but no accommodation during the Workshop.
Category B – Participants from the Host Country where the Workshop is held can participate.
Site Reports/Country Reports
All participants must prepare a Site Report/Country Reports of an archaeological or cultural heritage site which you are familiar with. These Reports will be used as case studies during the Workshop. Please use Annexure 2 to submit the Site Reports. The Report must contain the following information.
Time Schedule for the Workshop & Site Report Submissions
Call for Participation: 27th March 2018
Deadline for accepting Nominees & Participants: 25th November 2018
Submission of Site Reports/Country Reports: 25th November 2018
Workshop: 16th to 17th December 2018
Cultural Tour: 18th December 2018
Handicrafts are a part of the culture of the SAARC Region, the tangible representation of the intangible aspects of culture. The artisans create their products using traditional material and techniques which reflect the history of each Member State through handicraft. Many of these handicrafts, associated knowledge and techniques, specially the intangible aspects are fast disappearing from the Region due to the introduction of other man-made material. To revive these traditional crafts and to give the crafts and the artisans a recognition and value, the SAARC Cultural Centre established the Handicraft Exhibition and Workshop. The SAARC Cultural Centre further hopes to promote Cultural Industries within Region through the SAARC Handicraft Exhibition and Workshop. The First Handicraft Exhibition and Workshop was held in 2016 in Sri Lanka followed by the Second Handicraft Exhibition and Workshop held in Bangladesh in 2017. The Third Handicraft Exhibition and Workshop will be held in conjunction with the Culture Capital in Thimphu, Bhutan giving the artisans from the Region more prominence and an opportunity to display their artistry and to work together and learn from each other during the workshop.
Background
The Research Grants will provide an opportunity for the Member States to explore new research areas and sites along the Hindu Cultural Trails. This will also act as a precursor to the Cultural Trails proposed for the future and lay the ground work in research to look at Cultural Trails as connected routes where ideas, information and knowledge travelled in all directions.
Objectives of the Research Grant
To encourage new research through the SAARC Research Grants (8 Research Grants, one for each Member State)
Research Grant Overview
The SAARC Cultural Centre invites Academics and Researchers from Member States to submit detailed Research Proposals (along with the detailed budget breakdown for US$ 1,000/=) for new and innovative short-term research projects on the Hindu Cultural Trails. One research proposal will be selected from each Member State to be awarded the short-term research grant of US$ 1,000/=. The selection of Research Proposals will be carried out by a Team of Experts selected by the SAARC Cultural Centre. The first instalment of the grant (US$ 500/=) will be made at the commencement of the Research Project. The final payment is subject to the review of the final presentation made to a Team of Experts via Video Conferencing and submission of the Final Research Paper. Any suggestions / recommendations made by the SCC Team of Experts at this stage should be included in the research process by the respective researchers.
At the completion of the Research Project each Researcher will be required to submit a Research Report of Academic Research quality to be published in the “South Asian Cultural Trails” publication series of the SAARC Cultural Centre in 2019. The Research Project is to be presented at a local or international forum within 1 year and to disseminate the knowledge gathered with the relevant stakeholders (Academic discussion, Tourism industry, sustainable development, etc.) and to send SCC the relevant documents with regard to the above dissemination of information.
Research Project Themes
Eligibility
Application Process
Time Schedule
Deadline for Accepting Research Proposals: 31st August 2018
Approval for the Research Project: 10th October 2018
Commencement of the Project: 20th October 2018
Final Report: 31st January 2019
Presentation of the Research to the Team of Experts: March 2019
Background
The 18th SAARC Summit held in November 2014 in Kathmandu approved the proposal “South Asian Cultural Trails” which commenced with the Research Seminar on Buddhist Cultural Trails in 2017. The SAARC Seminar, Research Grant and Publications on Hindu Cultural Trails will be the second Seminar in the series of “South Asian Cultural Trails”.
The SAARC Region is bound together through the shared cultural traits which have evolved through the centuries. Hinduism is the oldest surviving living religion in South Asia dating back to more than three millennium BCE.
Hinduism is one of the shared cultural characteristics in the region, with art and architecture portraying “unity within diversity” as seen in the evolving styles and the embracing of new characteristics through the ages. This diversity was a result of interactions that took place along the trading routes criss-crossing east and west Asia, South and Central Asia, along with the exchange of merchandise, knowledge, concepts, designs, religions, technology and other sundry of objects and ideas were also exchanged. Although the ancient trade routes have long been abandoned, the legacy of those who travelled these routes can be found in the disseminated knowledge, ideas, religions and the diffusion of culture which persists. These routes can be aptly named “Cultural Trails”.
The “Cultural Trails” display the material culture (Tangible Heritage) of our ancestors, their beliefs and ideologies, their life and culture. The Hindu Cultural Trails (HCT) will be the second in a series of research fora which aim at strengthening cultural ties in the region through a walk into the shared past of our ancestors, empowering us to work together as the custodians of a shared heritage. This will be an opportunity for the SAARC countries to revive a dialogue about inherited space through time. A dialogue which will address the issues of conserving and preserving the Cultural Trails on one hand and how we can utilize this space to understand of our past, to enhance our present and to be economically sustainable through tourism in the future.
Research on Hindu Cultural Trails for 2018 was approved by the Ninth Meeting of the Governing Board of the SAARC Cultural Centre held from 3rd to 4th October 2017 and at the Fifty Fourth Session of the Programming Committee held in Kathmandu from 12th to 13th December 2017. The Research Seminar on Hindu Cultural Trails is planned as a Regional Forum of discussion for Academics and Policy Makers to identify and develop the cultural, social, economic, religious, connections of the region.
Research Seminar Information
Policy Makers should include Professionals but not limited to:
Category B – Paper Presenters from the Host Country (India) where the Seminar is held can participate. (It is anticipated that Researchers, academics, etc., from the host city will present papers at the Seminar.)
Contact Information
Bindu Urugodawatte,
Deputy Director – Research,
SAARC Cultural Centre,
224, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07,
Sri Lanka.
Email: dd-research@saarcculture.org or binduling@gmail.com
Tel/Whatsapp: 0094-77-105-3007
In 2018, the SAARC Cultural Centre celebrated SAARC International Women’s Day, in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Affairs in Sri Lanka, on Thursday the 8th of March 2018, at the District Secretariat in Kalutara. The International Women’s Day was celebrated in collaboration with the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Wayamba Development and Cultural Affairs and the District Secretariat of Kalutara.
The Chief Guest was Ms. Yasoja Gunasekara, Senior Director General of the SAARC Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka and the former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Bangladesh. Mr. Munir Ghiasy, the Charge d’Affairs from the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Sri Lanka and Mr. Intisar Sulehri, the Press Attaché from the High Commission of Pakistan in Sri Lanka participated as Guests of Honour. The celebration commenced with traditional Drummers and Dancers leading the Chief Guest and other dignitaries to the Auditorium which was followed by the lighting of the traditional oil lamp by all Honoured Guests and dignitaries, the Director and Professional Staff Members of the SAARC Cultural Centre. The Welcome Speech was made by Mr. U.D.C. Jayalal, District Secretary for Kalutara and the Director of SAARC Cultural Centre, Mr. Wasanthe Kotuwella addressed the enthusiastic audience with warm wishes for the celebration of Women’s Day and Women. The Chief Guest Ms. Yasoja Gunasekara, the Senior Director General of the SAARC Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka encouraged the women to embrace their role as peacemakers and the corner stone of a society in her address. The Vote of Thanks at the end of the Programme was presented by the Deputy Director for Programmes, Ms. Kishani Jayasinghe – Wijayasekara and concluded an enjoyable, informative and inspirational Programme. The auditorium (650 seats) was filled to its capacity with women of all ages, careers and lifestyles from the area joining us to celebrate the SAARC International Women’s Day.
This year the International Women’s Day was celebrated through an aesthetic journey and appreciation of South Asian music. The music was interspersed with educational and inspiring information on the changing roles of rural women and acknowledgement of their contributions to the national economy, building confidence and self-esteem of the women in society, creating awareness of the psychological factor that affect and influence women, to appreciate and acknowledge the beauty of women as depicted in poetry, songs, art and culture, to appreciate women as the corner stone of any society.
The theme of the International Women’s Day 2018 was “A Mother’s Song: An aesthetic journey through South Asia in search of the Rhythms of Love” and the programme was conducted by Mrs. Anusha Gokula Fernando, the Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs in Sri Lanka, with the accompaniment of live musicians illustrating her words. The Programme consisted of an aesthetic exploration and appreciation of rhythm, music, tone, language, song and many aspects of South Asian music, especially formulated for the womenfolk of the Kalutara District. The Programme further included identifying and understanding South Asian customs and the rhythms of daily life and circumstance, common to the Region. Most importantly it served to encourage and enhance the enjoyment and appreciation of culture through the music and song of the South Asian Region. The Programme was based on an International Programme titled “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives.”
The SAARC Cultural Centre is the custodian of the paintings created by the Artists from the SAARC Region during the SAARC Artists Camp held annually in different locations. The SCC will an exhibition showcasing these paintings to the public in Sri Lanka to understand the art and culture of the region through the eyes of artists.
Background
The Honoured Members of the 54th Programming Committee and the Governing Board Members of the 9th Governing Board Meeting of the SAARC Cultural Centre approved the presentation of the SAARC Literary Award 2018, which would bring attention to the Writers of South Asia within an International sphere. The SAARC Literary Award commenced with a nomination from the Member State of Afghanistan in 2018 and as per SAARC practice, this will be followed in alphabetical order, by subsequent Awards to the Honoured Member States of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka,.
South Asia is known as the home of world’s best Epics, Stories and Poems which is an integral part of culture through the centuries. The Region shares a common literary tradition that has developed through the centuries – through varied and scattered times and spaces. Ranging from oral histories to epic poems, the South Asian poetry tradition and the written word offers a rich and pulsating experience of the unique aspects of South Asia.
The delight and influence of South Asian Literature as a catalyst that brings together diverse cultures within the Region reflects a cultural confluence unsurpassed by any other region of the world. This rich and vibrant mingling deserves to be appreciated and celebrated by giving due recognition to indigenous cultures and styles represented by the Region so as to celebrate unity within diversity and to preserve splendid South Asian expressions that are a fundamental part of the Region’s cultural ethos.
Within the period of the last two decades, we have witnessed South Asian writers, who have written in the English language, have won many prestigious literary awards celebrating their great contribution to the literary world. The SAARC Literary Award will be giving Regional recognition and appreciation of the Region to the Writers of South Asia.
Winner of SAARC Literary Award
The Inaugural SAARC Literary Award 2018 was Awarded to Mr. Najibullah Manalai, nominated by the Honoured Member State of Afghanistan. Mr. Manalai is a multilingual writer of poetry, of narrative fiction, a newspaper columnist, translator and political analyst. He writes in Pashto, Dari (Farsi), French and English. He is building bridges between Western Philosophy and Oriental Mysticism through translations of Western and Afghan literature. During the last decade he has worked tirelessly to promote reading and books in Afghanistan. He is the creator of the “Golden Reed Prize” in Afghanistan, given annually to a literary personality, highlighting the importance of literature and promoting other writers.
The SAARC Literary Award Ceremony 2018
The SAARC Literary Award 2018 was presented at the National Literary Awards held at the Galle Literary Festival which took place in the World Heritage City of Galle on 26th January 2018. The Minister of Finance and Mass Media Hon. Mangala Samaraweera was the Chief Guest at this event. Mr. Manalai was presented the inaugural SAARC Literary Award by the Minister of Finance and Mass Media Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, and the Director of the SAARC Cultural Centre Mr. Wasanthe Kotuwella.
The SAARC Handicraft Exhibition and Workshop will provide a suitable platform for the Exhibition of handmade treasures form the South Asian Region and to provide the creators of these valuable pieces of the Region’s Heritage, a forum for discussion, interaction and exchange of valuable tools and knowledge of the trade, within an atmosphere of friendship and Regional corporation. The commitment of the SAARC Cultural Centre to promote and further shared South Asian culture through handicrafts has been consistent, comprehensive and well received. Over the past few years, this Programme, which has been held in several SAARC Member States, has given craft persons in the Region the opportunity to exhibit their products, meet other artisans from the Region and discuss new trends and techniques within the industry. SAARC Cultural Centre aims to rejuvenate the creation of local handicrafts and promote social regeneration and social cohesion through the Handicraft Industry.
The SAARC Handicraft Exhibition and Workshop will be held at the Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 30th November 2017 to 3rd December 2017. In addition to an Exhibition and the display of crafts, there will also be the additional aim of promoting the exchange of knowledge and technical expertise amongst its Artisans and to promote the development of new designs and products which are appropriate and attractive to the demands of the new world market. Lying at crossroads between the arts, business and technology, the creative industries sector comprises a large variety of creative fields, from those heavily industrialised such as advertising and marketing, broadcasting, film industries etc, to those which are less so, like cultural industries. This sector is increasingly important for the benefit of the people of the Region, from the perspective of heritage preservation and economic terms, and the SAARC Cultural Centre is committed to assisting the Region to realise its full potential. Development of creative cultural enterprises and creative industries, promoting cultural product development, creation of market opportunities, exchange of information and networking arrangements is in accordance with the underlying principal of encouraging better cultural understanding between the SAARC Member States.
Preliminary Meeting
A Preliminary Meeting was held on 28th November 2017 at the Shilapakala Academy chaired by Mr. Liaquat Ali Director General of the Shilpakala Academy with Mr. Wasanthe Kotuwella, Director of the SAARC Cultural Centre and Ms. Kishani Jayasinghe-Wijayasekara, Deputy Director Programmes at the SAARC Cultural Centre at the head table.
Culture within the South Asian Region is rich, diverse and is flavoured with a multitude of influences. The very concept of art and culture, knows no boundaries and has the ability to transcend differences and unite nations and people. Few entities are as powerful as the universally accepted mechanism of building bridges and fostering understanding through the arts of cultures. There are few experiences in life that could measure the joy, understanding and acceptance of bearing witness to the glorious spectacles and varied and wonderful displays of Culture. Cultural Festivals also have the ability to bring together individuals and nations with the mutual interest of exchanging art. Witnessing and being party to such cultural exchanges is one of the most powerful ways in which to experience culture, inherent traditions, people and their lifestyles and above all, to promote cultural development and Regional corporation. The Festival will celebrate the diversity of cultural dance across the Region, recognising ethnicities and the artistic talents and unique abilities of the people of the SAARC Region.
The SAARC Cultural Festival on Traditional Dance will be held at the Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 30th November 2017 to 3rd December 2017. The Festival would commence with an Opening Parade with Dancers from all the participating Member States joining the occasion followed by an Opening Performance by all participating Member States. There will be similar performances by all participants at different venues in the vicinity so that more people will have an opportunity to witness and experience the rich cultural dance traditions of the Region. An Interactive Workshop is also organized during this period dedicated to Dance and all things related to Dances. On 3rd December 2017 there will be a performance by all Dancers of the participating Member States.
Preliminary Meeting
A Preliminary Meeting was held on 28th November 2017 at the Shilapakala Academy chaired by Mr. Liaquat Ali Director General of the Shilpakala Academy with Mr. Wasanthe Kotuwella, Director of the SAARC Cultural Centre and Ms. Kishani Jayasinghe-Wijayasekara, Deputy Director Programmes at the SAARC Cultural Centre at the head table.
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