Duration: from Oct. 20th 2020 to Sept. 1st 2024 A tribute before the dawn breaks : In memory of our loved ones. In the past century, from dusk to dawn, our planet Earth and the island we call home have revolved 36,525 times around the sun. Over the past hundred years, we have enjoyed an abundance on this island, nurtured by sunshine, air, and water. Yet, what is the force driving Taiwan's relentless journey onward? In the crucible of the 1920s and 1930s, a group of Taiwanese men and women emerged. They were earnest, ardent, and curious souls. They hoped to one day dedicate their lives to the world. Through their student years and World War II, and amidst changing regimes and shifting cultural tides, they remained pure and passionate. They are the "Men and Women of World War II." Yet, when these men and women fell prey to authoritarian rule, they were branded as rebels and silenced. They vanished from the face of the Earth and were forgotten by the people of Taiwan for over half a century. Martial Law was lifted in Taiwan in 1987. Authoritarian rule ended in 1992, and we welcomed a change of ruling party in 2000. In 2017, the process of transitional justice began. The shadow of the White Terror, which had loomed over the island of Taiwan for so long, gradually subsided. As dawn breaks, we can finally gaze clearly into the past, present, and future of Taiwan. Through " Before Dawn : Missing Objects Collection Exhibition", we at the National Human Rights Museum hope to bring back the victims of the White Terror through their letters, journals, photographs, clothing, documents, crafts, books, and paintings. Sounds and videos from the past paint a portrait of complex relationships: family, friends, and lovers. Let us relive their youthful dreams and witness their undying passion for life in the face of adversity. Let us hear their moving life stories and recognize the hardships that Taiwan has collectively endured. Let us continue to embrace their fight for a better Taiwan.
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FIHRM-ASIA PACIFICTO PROMOTE KNOWLEDGE OF AND RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN ASIA PACIFIC, THROUGH ACTIONS IN MUSEUMS.JOIN US submit -
FIHRM-ASIA PACIFICTO PROMOTE KNOWLEDGE OF AND RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN ASIA PACIFIC, THROUGH ACTIONS IN MUSEUMS.JOIN US submit -
FIHRM-ASIA PACIFICTO PROMOTE KNOWLEDGE OF AND RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN ASIA PACIFIC, THROUGH ACTIONS IN MUSEUMS.JOIN US submit
Current Events
Duration: from Sept. 15th 2023 to Jan. 14th 2024 On July 14th, 1987, the Minister of the Government Information Office under the Executive Yuan announced by presidential order that martial law was to be lifted across the Taiwan region effective at midnight on July 15th, 1987. With this, following 38 years and 56 days, martial law was lifted from Taiwan, and a door to democracy, freedom, and human rights was finally opened. The curator and the contributing artists of this exhibition, Keep Opening Doors, were all born when Taiwan was under martial law. Today, we are catching glimpses of a part of history that was once concealed behind a heavy gate, which was unlocked on the 15th of July in 1987, and it feels like those of us who came after are standing by a crack in the doorway, peering back to the dark abyss of the past, where memories are like roots of trees in a jungle, ever so complex and intertwined. En route to understanding history, as we set out to decipher purposes and circumstances that can be easily reduced and lumped together, those who came before us and lived in those times are undoubtedly our best guides. Putting their lives on the line, they left behind imprints that have now become teachers for the later generations to empathetically experience what they had been through at the time.
Members' Events
Portraits of the Anonymous Saturday 4 February 2023 to Sunday 30 April 2023 Time: Open 11am to 5pm Wednesday to Saturday, and 1pm to 5pm on Sundays Location: Counihan Gallery, 233 Sydney Road (inside Brunswick Town Hall), Brunswick AUSTRALIA Virginia Woolf once said, ‘For most of history, Anonymous was a woman’. In her first solo show in Australia, Shwe Wutt Hmon presents photographic portraits of female photographers, filmmakers, photojournalists and artists. These women worked earnestly to document the civilian resistance during the recent coup d'état in Myanmar. The coup d'état began in February 2021, when Myanmar's military deposed the democratically elected government. Each portrait is overlayed with an image of the coup, taken by the portrait subject. The portraits are accompanied by written testimonies, which evoke the struggles, strengths and contributions of women working in photography in Myanmar. The portraits will be suspended from the gallery ceiling, echoing the civilian protests in Myanmar during the Spring Revolution. Protesters strung up longyi on lines across the streets to slow down police and soldiers. Longyi are a type of garment worn by women, similar to a skirt. Walking beneath these garments is traditionally considered bad luck for men. This exhibition is presented in association with International Women’s Day. This exhibition has been supported by Final Grade, Canson and Kayell Australia. Counihan Gallery Phone: +61 03 9389 8622 Email: CounihanGallery@merri-bek.vic.gov.au For exhibition updates you can follow the Counihan Gallery Instagram page. You can also go to the Counihan Gallery Facebook page. For more information about the artist, you can visit Shwe Wutt Hmon's website. This exhibition is in the Front Gallery.
Women Make Waves International Film Festival 2022- Touring Film Screening and Post-screening Talk Series NHRM collaborates with Women Make Waves International Film Festival 2022 to screen three films on the theme of Taiwanese family and gender roles. There will be a post-screening with the director after each screening. We hope that viewers can have a deeper understanding of the “happening” changes in Taiwanese family relations, role identities, gender equality, and cultural identity. Film 1: American Girl Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQOhNm8tznU Online Registration: https://reurl.cc/bE0KLd Film 2: Incense Fire Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRpJttIvorU Online Registration: https://reurl.cc/rRMOpE Film 3: Can You Hear Me? Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm9CHnqWl5c Online Registration: https://reurl.cc/vWVRyA
A Better Future for Every Child – International Children’s Right Day 2022 To celebrate this year's International Children's Right Day, NHRM has organized a series of diverse types of children's human rights education-themed activities from September to December 2022. This year marks the third year since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. As the epidemic slows, many countries have gradually eased the prevention restrictions. Issues of children's rights violations due to the pandemic have also surfaced. Schools closed, and online learning has unexpectedly revealed that students in specific areas lack learning resources; some children even drop out of school. Some children can't be vaccinated. The Russo-Ukrainian War forced countless Ukrainian children to leave their hometowns, away from their caring relatives, and out of school. The safety and rights of children are challenged. Children worldwide endured the COVID-19 pandemic for the past few years, and some faced war. On International Children's Rights Day, NHRM urges everyone to join us in fighting for children's rights. May there be a better future for every child. Picture Book Lecture I am a Child and I Have Rights Time: Nov. 20th, 2022 1000-1200 Venue: Tourist Center, Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park Online registration starts from Nov. 1st Film In this Corner of the World Time: Oct. 22nd, 2022 1330-1630 Venue: Tourist Center, Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park Online registration: https://www.accupass.com/event/2208151056297590882710 The German Lesson Time: Nov. 20th, 2022 1330-1630 Venue: Tourist Center, Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park Online registration starts from Nov. 1st Drama Grandpa's Suitcase Time: Nov. 20th, 2022 1330-1430 Venue: Auditorium, Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park Online registration starts from Nov. 1st Life Story of Uong'e Yatauyungana Time: Dec. 10th, 2022 1330-1430 Venue: Auditorium, Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park Online registration starts from Nov. 1st 2-Day Workshop for children under 12 and 13-18 Time: Nov. 5th & 6th 0930-1600 Venue: Tourist Center, Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park Online registration: https://www.accupass.com/event/2209120927291847935816
Photo Exhibition "Endless Escape: Fleeing Myanmar to Thailand” 4 October – 6 November 2022 @ Curved Wall, 4th floor, BACC Since the coup d’état led by General Min Aung Hlaing in February 2021, many have been displaced within Myanmar and across borders. Hostilities and armed conflict in Myanmar, especially Chin State, Sagaing and Magway Regions in northwestern; Karen and Karenni (Kayah) States in southeast, have forced a considerable number of people to flee. According to the UN, in a year and half at least 986,000 people have been newly displaced internally, adding to the 370,000 who had previously left their homes. An additional 47,200 are estimated to have crossed over to neighboring countries or settled along the border. As of February 2022, the Thai government estimated that 17,000 Myanmar refugees had crossed into Thailand. These can be broadly defined into two groups: internally displaced villagers in bordering states seeking temporary refuge due to intensified conflict; and CDM protestors and high-profile individuals seeking longer-term refuge, whether in Thailand or third countries. The photo exhibition “Endless Escape: Fleeing Myanmar to Thailand,” held by SEA Junction in collaboration with Asia Democracy Network on the 4th floor of BACC, focuses on the first group. Aung Naing Soe, Visual Rebellion, Yan Naing Aung and Zin Koko capture the cross-over into Thailand and the settling along the 1,500 km porous borders when fighting and airstrikes became particularly intense such as in December 2021 and March 2022. Few photos also show Mae La, the largest refugee camp of the nine along the Thai-Myanmar border that was established in 1984 to remind us of the “endless escape” of Myanmar people from violence and the plight of new generations growing up in camps excluded from the wider society. Realizing this hopefully encourage us to do more to sustain a democratic Myanmar and to integrate displaced peoples and refugees in our midst. On the short term the extensive humanitarian needs of people in temporary settlements along the border including access to safe drinking water, medicine, and sanitation facilities ought to be met. The exhibition will be officially launched with a discussion on 8 October 2022, 5.00-6.30 pm with the speakers/photographers listed below - Patrick Phongsathorn, Human Rights Advocacy Specialist at Fortify Rights - Aung Naing Soe, Multimedia Journalist - Laure Siegel, Founder of Visual Rebellion Myanmar - Yan Naing Aung, Photojournalist Organizer: SEA Junction, established under the Thai non-profit organization Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies (ForSEA), aims to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all its socio-cultural dimensions- from arts and lifestyles to economy and development. Conveniently located at Room 408 of the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center or BACC (across MBK, BTS National Stadium), SEA Junction facilitates public access to knowledge resources and exchanges among students, practitioners and Southeast Asia lovers. For more information, see www.seajunction.org. Supporter: Asia Democracy Network (ADN) is active in more than 40 countries in Asia. Our core values are to promote and practice the principles of democracy through the development of inclusive governance, advancement of human rights, equality and inclusivity, prevention of discrimination, human security, promotion of free, fair and meaningful elections, democracy education, & press freedom and responsibility. For more information, see https://adnasia.org.
Means Without End Means Without End Date: Saturday 28 May 2022 to Sunday 17 July 2022 Time: Open 11am to 5pm Wednesday to Saturday, and 1pm to 5pm on Sundays Location: Counihan Gallery, 233 Sydney Road (inside Brunswick Town Hall), Brunswick 'Means Without End' offers a unique opportunity to view two recent projects by artist Hoda Afshar side by side. 'Remain' (2018) is a series of photographic portraits of men who were detained on Manus Island. The collaborative project involves these men retelling their individual and shared stories through staged images, words, and poetry. 'Agonistes' (2020) is a tribute to whistle-blowers who have spoken out in the name of truth and justice. They did so at a terrible personal cost. Hoda Afshar was Born in Iran and is now based in Narrm (Melbourne). She began her career as a documentary photographer. This influences her poetic investigation into the representation of gender, marginality, and displacement. Afshar is also a member of Eleven, a collective of contemporary Muslim Australian artists, curators, and writers. Eleven challenges the current politics of representation and power. Suitable for This exhibition includes video and sound content. Because of the varied sensory experience on display, this exhibition may be a difficult environment for visitors who experience sensory overload. Content note: This exhibition includes mentions of suicide, abuse and mental health issues. Contact Counihan Gallery Phone: 03 9389 8622 Email: CounihanGallery@moreland.vic.gov.au Further information For exhibition updates you can follow the Counihan Gallery Instagram Page. You can also go to the Counihan Gallery Facebook pagethe Counihan Gallery Facebook Page. Hoda Afshar is represented by Milani Gallery. To find out more, visit the Milani Gallery website. There is a Counihan Gallery Learning Resource to accompany this exhibition. To download your copy, visit our Learning at the Counuhan Gallery Page. Means Without End is in the New Gallery.
Taiwan's Long Walk to Freedom of Speech Time: Apr. 7th, 2022-Apr. 7th, 2024, 0900-1800, Monday-Sunday Venue: Chang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Permanent Exhibition Hall In October 1945, after the KMT took over Taiwan, many state violations and suppression of human rights cases occurred. After the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, President Chiang Kai-shek strengthened the authoritarian system with economic and military assistance from the United States, which further suppressed Taiwan's freedom of speech. It was only after the lifting of martial law in 1987 and the termination of the Period of National Mobilization for the Suppression of the Communist Rebellion in 1991 that the authoritarian regime ended. However, as to freedom of speech, it was until the abolishment of the Betrayers Punishment Act in 1991 and the revision of Article 100 of the Criminal Law in 1992 that the people of Taiwan were free from intimidation from the State. Since then, freedom of speech has been guaranteed. Taiwan is now an advanced democracy in East Asia, and it ranks among the top in the protection of freedom of speech. "Taiwan's Long Walk to Freedom of Speech" focuses on the progress of freedom of speech in Taiwan. Based on the historical context from 1945 to the present, the exhibition is divided into the following units to present Taiwan's arduous journey from authoritarianism to freedom and democracy. 1. The Formation of the Speech Suppression System 2. 1945-1949: Taiwan's Media Catastrophe and the "April 6 Incident." 3. the 1950s: "Free China" and the Struggle regardless of Provincial Identifications 4. the 1960s: The Fearless Figures under the Suffocation of Speech 5. the 1970s-1980s: Setbacks and Breakthroughs of Dang-Wai Collective Actions 6. 1987-1992: Sacrifice and Crash on the Last Mile 7. Conclusion: Challenges of the New Era
News
Topic: Agitation Reverberation: FIHRM-AP 2023 on Synergizing for Human Rights Editorial Note In 2019, on the 25th General Conference of International Council of Museums (ICOM) held in Kyoto, David Fleming, the founding president of the Federation of International Human Rights Museums (FIHRM) announced the establishment of the Federation of International Human Rights Museums- Asia Pacific (FIHRM-AP) as a platform for museums and NGOs in the Asia-Pacific region. It is expected that the platform could encourage organizations and associations to address difficult issues, usually contested and sensitive, through sharing, collaboration, and learning from each other, and to take further action. As the headquarters of FIHRM-AP, National Human Rights Museum (NHRM) in Taiwan reached out to a total of 174 organizations and museums in 2020 through two projects - the Inventory Survey on Human Rights-related Issues and NGO Resources in the Asia-Pacific Region and the Inventory Survey on Human Rights-Related Cultural Institutions and Resources in the Asia-Pacific Region; the goal is to bring together professionals from different sectors to achieve empowerment, engagement, partnership, and collaboration. In addition to connecting institutes in the Asia-Pacific region, efforts within Taiwan are also made through co-learning communities and empowerment events to engage 29 museums and NGOs. In October 2021, results of the collaborative learning on migration and human rights were presented through a special exhibition - Ayo! Ayo! Tomorrow Must Be Better, in the same year. In 2022, NHRM was also invited to share experiences at the International Conference on Open Access to Culture in Japan. Following these events, there was also the 2022 FIHRM-AP Climate Change Co-Learning Program in 2022, where 18 museums and environmental NGOs were invited to discuss climate issues. In July 2023, a webinar for FIHRM-AP members was held to share each organization’s views on the topic – “From the Pandemic to the Post-pandemic: New Perspectives on Museums and Human Rights Work” as a warm-up to kick off the following FIHRM-AP annual conference. Starting from 2019 to 2023, almost from before the pandemic till its end, a milestone since the establishment of FIHRM-AP goes to the first annual conference conducted in November 2023. Themed with “Synergizing for Human Rights”, the event called on voices from member organizations, both at home and abroad, museum and institutes, researchers, and human rights practitioners. The four articles in this issue are crafted by a team consisting of graduate students from Fu Jen Catholic University (FJU) and Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA). Over the two-day event, there were practices of contemporary human rights and also ideas exchanged to incite in-depth discussions; the press team collected information from keynote speeches, paper presentations, the workshop organized by the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC), and also through interviews with practitioners. There are two parts to the feature article - The Power of Action: FIHRM-AP 2023 on Synergizing for Human Rights I & II. It covers how museums, as institutions, are able to make changes under the historical contexts as of today, in terms of challenges faced and reflections that come along. In sessions centering on negative heritage, contemporary practices by museums, promoting community participation, as well as diverse communities and human rights of migrants, participants learned the complex political landscape and cultural diversity in the Asia-Pacific region, along with practices and feedback on dealing with challenges encountered. News article - Collaborations with Communities: ICSC Workshop features the discussions conducted at the workshop; the participants were invited to re-examine the definition of “community” from multiple aspects and to explore approaches that enable effective collaboration and innovations. Another piece of story - Cross-border Synergy Dialogue: Practitioner Perspectives on Human Rights Collaboration covers interviews with practitioners in the Asia-Pacific region. On the one hand, serious issues have become more accessible to audiences; on the other, there is also a need for these practitioners to foster mutual trust with communities in the long run, so that a solid and long-term partnership can be established.
Author: An Chen, Student at the Graduate Institute of Museum Studies, Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) Collaborations with Communities: ICSC Workshop In the practice of human rights advocacy, how museums and human rights organizations identify their target communities to work together is key to community participation. Featuring “Building Effective Collaborations: Museums, Communities and Human Rights”, a workshop was held this year amid the FIHRM-AP annual conference. Linda Norris, Senior Specialist of Methodology and Practice at the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC), was invited as the facilitator to lead discussions where participants were asked to look in-depth into the communities they have been working with and human rights issues being worked on, so that they would better understand how to make use of the resources at hand to initiate community participation. ICSC was established in 1999 as a network of historic sites, museums and memory initiatives. Through global and regional collaborations, efforts are made to mark the scars of the past, which, in turn, could be lessons learned to facilitate modernized human rights movements. As a senior specialist, Norris leads multiple projects at ICSC; for instance, Maison des Esclaves (the House of Slaves), Africa’s first world heritage site. Norris also explained different approaches to facilitate community participation and human rights advocacy by sharing a few projects by ICSC.
Author: Daphne Weng, Student at the Graduate Institute of Museum Studies, Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) Cross-border Synergy & Dialogues: Practitioner Perspectives on Human Rights Collaboration Preface Themed “Synergizing for Human Rights: Collaboration between Museums and Communities in the Asia-Pacific Region,” FIHRM-AP Annual Conference 2023 featured strategic collaboration for planning and practices between museums and communities. There were presenters from different backgrounds, including museum professionals, private organization representatives, and independent researchers. Two days prior to the event, our press team had the privilege to interview these experts and academics. We not only learned multi-faceted practices and strategies from different countries, but also heard from presenters from FIHRM-AP member states, in terms of what they expect of this framework and how they see the work accomplished.
Articles
Introduction The Federation of International Human Rights Museums - Asia Pacific (FIHRM-AP) aims to establish itself as a platform that connects international and Asia Pacific museums with human rights-related organizations. Through dialogue and collaboration, FIHRM-AP seeks to promote the practice and realization of contemporary human rights ideals. The FIHRM-AP annual conference was held in Taiwan for the first time in 2023. Organized by the National Human Rights Museum (NHRM), the event spanned three days starting from November 6 under the theme "Synergizing for Human Rights." Among the participants were museum professionals, researchers, and human rights workers hailing from Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Nepal, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, and other regions. The conference featured three keynote speeches, the presentation of 16 research papers, and a workshop by the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC). Through these various formats, the conference brought new insights and inspiration to the promotion of human rights education, negative heritage, community collaboration, and migration and cross-domain human rights issues to generate a synergizing effect among museums and across various fields. In addition to experts, scholars, and attendees concerned about human rights issues from around the world, political victims of the White Terror era such as Chen Chin-Sheng, Chang Tse-Chou, Chou Hsien-Nung, and Wu Kuo-Shou were also present and personally expressed their heartfelt gratitude and encouragement to the attending human rights workers.
Modernized Initiatives - Human Rights Practices Embodied through Museums With museum activism closely related to contemporary issues, Rapid Response Collection (RRC) was launched by the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in the U.K. in 2014 as a strategy to help museums record major events around the world over the past decade such as the COVID-19 pandemic and social movements. Taking Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement in Hong Kong as an example, Professor Chen Chia-Li from the Graduate Institute of Museum Studies of National Taipei University of the Arts (TNUA) talked about on how museums in the Asia-Pacific region promote human rights practices through activism; Professor Chen focused on actions taken by museums in preserving, displaying, and promoting the spirit and ideas of social movements; the discussion was taken further to see in depth how museums became recorders and voices of social movements, which, in turn, attract more people’s attention to social issues today and incite their reflection.
My Work As a cultural specialist for the Foundation for Ainu Culture, I work at UPOPOY: National Ainu Museum and Park. UPOPOY is a cultural institution located in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, and it is the first national cultural institution dedicated to the Indigenous Peoples of Japan, Ainu. The mission of UPOPOY is to serve as a base to “revitalize and expand the Ainu culture,” and UPOPOY itself is “a symbol of the building of a forward-looking, vibrant society with a rich, diverse culture in which indigenous people are treated with respect and dignity, without discrimination.”[1] The National Ainu Museum and the National Ainu Park are the core facilities of UPOPOY. The National Ainu Park functions as an open-air museum, allowing visitors to experience Ainu culture first-hand with facilities like the Cultural Exchange Hall, Workshop, Craft Studio, and the traditional village, Kotan. Visitors can participate in experiential learning programs that showcase the history, culture, clothing, food, living spaces, performing arts, and craftsmanship of the Ainu people. UPOPOY opened to the public in 2020. After years of dedicated efforts, the Ainu were formally recognized as “indigenous people” under Japanese law in 2019. Although UPOPOY is a national center that has been in operation for three years now, Shiraoi used to be home to the privately owned Ainu Museum, which was run by the Ainu themselves, also fondly called Poroto Kotan, named after Lake Poroto in front of the museum (Kotan means “community” or “village” in Ainu). Among many museums and cultural sites in Hokkaido celebrating and introducing Ainu culture, Shiraoi was chosen as the site for building a national establishment. In 2018, a merger occurred with the governmental organization (the Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture) and the private organization (the Ainu Museum Foundation), forming the system under which UPOPOY operates today. I began working for the Ainu Museum Foundation in April of 2013, before the merger. My current responsibilities at UPOPOY is at the traditional Kotan, which allows visitors to experience traditional Ainu life. There, I am in charge of explaining the details of Ainu life and culture, as well as traditional performing arts, to visitors of the museum and park.
