Monday, July 30, 2007

Taiwan: From music to rice: expressing the love toward our life and our earth

因為廣大的唱片市場以及熱鬧的唱片工業,台灣人喜歡並且熟悉流行歌曲以及其他種類的音樂。

Due to the big music market and hot music industry, Taiwanese love and are familiar with pop songs and many kinds of music.

施韻如根據簡妙如的研究指出:

In Yun-Ru Shih's article, based on Miao-Ru Chien's research:

台灣流行音樂產業的崛起起始自七零年代的民歌運動,到了八零年代末、九零年代初迅速成長到五十億台幣,1996年破百億後,1997年更達到歷來最高的123億台幣,在全球唱片市場排名由第21位竄升至第13位,在亞洲排名第二(僅次於日本)。(簡妙如,2002)

The pop music industry in Taiwan rose in the folk music movement in 1970s. At the end of 1980s and in the beginning of 1990s, this industry grew rapidly to 50 million NTD. The number reached 100 million NTD in 1996 and 123 million NTD in 1997. In the international music industry, Taiwan's market size rose from 21st to 13th, and became the second one in Asia (Japan is the first one).

Oldlady談起最近(6/16/2007)才剛落幕的第18屆金曲獎的來由以及頒獎典禮中的插曲:

客語歌手林生祥(參考生祥與樂團網站)連續拒領兩個獎項,他說:「金曲獎應該用音樂類型來分類,而不是用族群,我覺得金曲獎太不合時宜,我參加過很多國外音樂祭,都被歸類在世界音樂或民謠,我建議金曲獎放開心胸,大膽改變,廢除這個獎項,因為這個獎項,使得用客家母語的歌手失去了良善競爭的眾多對手,也使客家歌曲被邊緣化。」然後把兩獎共25萬的獎金,捐給包括美濃自發性種樹團體、月光山雜誌、青芽兒雜誌和白米炸彈客楊儒門4個團體及個人。

Oldlady talked about the recent 18th Golden Melody Award (6/16/2007) and an unexpected interlude in the award ceremony:

The Hakka singer Sheng-Hsiang Lin (who was awarded for 'the best Hakka singer' and whose album was award for 'the best Hakka album') refused to receive the awards. He said, 'this award should categorize music by music genre instead of ethnic group. I feel the Golden Melody Award is outdated. I have been invited to many music festivals in other countries, and we are always categorized as world music or folk music. I suggest the board of this award open their minds and make some audacious changes. I propose that we abolish this (Hakka) award because this award deprives the Hakka singers' opportunities to join the positive competitions with other singers and decentralizes the Hakka songs.' Then he donated the 250,000 NTD prize to the Planting associations in Meinung, Moonlight Mountain magazine, Greenbud magazine, and the 'rice bomber' Ju-Men Yang.

關於金曲獎的語言分類,Sabinasun娓娓道來其歷史背景:

1987年台灣才解嚴,1988年媒體界才開始有新聞自由和改革。「金曲獎」其實是為了提倡與擴張台灣地區的音樂市場而在1988年由新聞局設立的音樂獎項。早期獎項也以「國語歌曲」作為最高榮譽,是響應威權時代「國語政策」的文化策略。九十年代以來,台灣本土意識越來越強,音樂界又有「新台語搖滾」和後來的「台客搖滾」流行市場。遲到2003年,金曲獎才開始增設「台語」,「客語」和「原住民」等所謂「少數族群」的獎項,以反應新的多元文化社會的現實。

About the categories made based on language, Sabinasun the history of this award:

In 1987, the martial law finally ended, and the media started to have press freedom. The 'Golden Melody Award' was originally set up in 1988 for the Taiwan music market by the Government Information Office. In the beginning, the highest award was for the mandarin music, and this action echoed that government's culture policy. After 1990, the concept of 'Taiwanese' became more and more significant, and 'Taiwanese rock music' market emerged. However, there are no 'Halo,' 'Hakka,' and 'aboriginal' (minority) categories in the Golden Melody Award until 2003 that represent the minorities and the reality of multiple cultures in Taiwan.

這個多元文化的立意本來是好的,但問題是金曲獎設立初期以族群語言來分類音樂和優越化「國語歌曲」,本身就是一個「操弄族群」的產物,如今不去質疑這個前提,而只是增加「其他的」語言獎項,仍然難以擺脫操弄的嫌疑。況且,企圖選出不同族群的「代言人」,對文化創作來說,是一個過於老舊的文化治理概念,尤其像是音樂這種相當容易「跨界」與「混種化」的文化生產。

The intention of promoting different cultures is nice. However, because the only language category in the Golden Melody Award in the beginning is a political maneuver to heighten the position of a specific group of people, if we do not question this part but only add the categories of 'other languages,' the award itself still bears the suspicion of being influenced by political maneuvers. On the other hand, for artistic creations, trying to find the representatives for different ethnic groups is a very old concept to control the culture, especially in the field of music where boundary-crossing and mixing are common.

林生祥是美濃的客家子弟,既是社會運動者也是歌手,曾積極參與反美濃水庫運動。美濃在南台灣,以客家人為主,以農業為主。在宣布停建美濃水庫之後,林生祥繼續關懷農民。

Sheng-Hsiang Lin from Meinung is a Hakka social activist and a musician who was involved in anti-Meinung Dam movement. In southern Taiwan, Meinung is a Hakka community whose economy is mainly based on agriculture. After the anti-Meinung Dam movement, Sheng-Hsiang Lin continues to care about the farmers.

但是,要求廢除金曲獎語言分類的聲音很快救被淹沒了。因為在林生祥發出拒領金曲獎聲明以及將部分獎金捐給楊儒門的三天後(6/19),總統陳水扁宣布將會特赦楊儒門,而這件事情成為媒體議論的焦點。

However, the message about the music categorization is submerged fast because of another topic raised and attracted most media's attention: President Shiu-Bian Chen said he would pardon Ju-Men Yang on 6/19, three days after Sheng-Hsiang Lin's speech in the Golden Melody Award and donated part of the prize to Ju-Men Yang.

楊儒門在2003-2004年間在公共場所放置了17個炸彈,其中有兩個引爆,但未有傷亡。他在2005年被判刑七年半並入獄。因為他把稻米混在炸彈中,因此被稱為白米炸彈客。他之後自首並且宣稱他的行為是為了讓大眾注意農民的問題。即使在獄中,他在2005年WTO會議期間絕食抗議,希望能引起大眾對農民問題的注意。

Ju-Men Yang was sentenced seven-and-a-half years in jail in 2005 because he planted 17 bombs in public areas in 2003 and 2004. Two of the bombs did explode without injuries. He is called 'rice bomber' because some rice was mixed with the explosives. He turned himself in later and claimed that his work was intended to evoke public attention toward the farmers. Even in jail, he tried to use hunger strike to evoke public attention during the WTO in 2005.

因為他以放置炸彈的方式吸引注意,即使他是為了農民,許多人對他的行為有不同的意見。在2004年的連署活動說明上,蔡培蕙說:

Because of setting bombs, although his tried to help the farmers, people have different opinions toward his case. In an cosigning activity to support Yang, Pei-Hui Tsai said,

針對楊儒門放置十七次炸彈,所涉及對公共安全的影響,我們在同情楊儒門之餘,尊重司法機關的處置。

Although we show our sympathy for Ju-Men Yang, we respect the court's decision for the public hazard of the 17 bombs he has set.

問題的關鍵在於,政府加入WTO的苦果正由窮苦農民默默承受,壓力已達臨界點,楊儒門不過是點燃引信的那個人。如果,楊儒門的所做所為,讓政府、讓農委會震驚,恐怕不是因為楊儒門製造問題,而是他恰如其份的點出了台灣基層農村的問題。

The reason we are here is because we thought he is only a person who lit the fuse after the farmers' bitterness approaches their threshold due to the decision made by our government to join WTO. What shocks the government and Council of Agriculture is not the problems he made but the problems he pointed out.

林生祥和楊儒門,他們都出身農家,在WTO推廣許多全球貿易制度之後,他們看到了農村的改變,希望追求高科技產業的台灣的人可以看看農村的問題,以及農村的問題如何可能變成所有人的問題。

Both Sheng-Hsiang Lin and Ju-Men Yang are from agriculture communities. After many trading policies promoted by WTO, they saw the changes in the agriculture communities, and they hope the high-tech industry-oriented Taiwanese can also see the problems in our agriculture communities, and how these problems will become all Taiwanese' problems.

不像美國的大農場,大部分的台灣農人都是在一小塊田地耕種。而因為市場喜歡外觀優美的產品,農人被迫親自施放農藥。合樸農學市集談到農人在施放農藥時死亡的新聞:

Unlike the big farming companies in United States, in Taiwan, most farmers only own small farms with some specific crops. Because the market prefers beautiful products, farmers are forced to spray pesticides by themselves. Hopemarket discuss the news that a farmer died when spraying pesticide:

其實這早已不是「新聞」了,我開始接觸這個部分以後,去產地拜訪,詢問農友為什麼會轉作有機或者是無農藥殘留的耕作方式,只要是本來務農的農人,有一半以 上,是因為農藥中毒,才驚覺農藥原來是這麼可怕的東西,不僅傷害農人自己本身,也傷害土地,更別說是作物殘留農藥吃了對人體的危害

This is not 'news.' When I started to know this field, I have been to the farms several times and asked the farmers why they started to do 'organic' farming or farming without pesticide. More than half of these farmers changed their farming methods because of pesticide intoxication. They found that pesticides are so dangerous to farmers, the earth, and the people who eat their products.

而在轉做有機農業的路上,這些個體農人也吃盡苦頭。Hopemarket

有機農人不能使用殺菌劑或其他保花保果的資材,因此遇到狂風暴雨,只能讓果實自然掉落。 而蔬菜農友更慘,因為天氣炎熱,很多作物有溫度障礙,例如花椰菜與萵苣喜歡比較涼冷的生長氣候,夏天就會過熱而長不起來;番茄與苦瓜在夏季容易有疫病,一場大雨下來,農友的心血全部都泡在水裡,沒有東西收成。

When these farmers start to do the organic farming, they always have a very hard time. Hopemarket said,

Organic farming is farming without pesticide or other chemicals. When there is heavy rain or strong wind, the farmers can only watch the fruits falling. The condition is more severe for farmers who grow vegetables. For examples, cauliflowers and lettuces can only grow in colder weather, and they cannot grow in the summer. In the summer, tomatoes and bitter melons would get sick easily. After a heavy rain, when their vegetables all bathe in the water, the farmers get nothing for their efforts.

除了農藥的問題、有機農作的困難度,更糟糕的是農作物的價錢過低。而價錢過低的問題並非侷限於台灣,WTO的政策所造成的不公平交易使價格跌落影響農人生計,Iron的說法是:

當西方國家不斷鼓吹自由貿易時,卻一方面鉅額補貼國內農業出口,使其能以低價大量傾銷到第三世界;另一方面,卻透過雙邊談判或國際經濟組織要求第三世界國 家取消關稅、減低對其他產業的政策補貼,及開放市場。這是不公平的貿易。數以百萬的發展中國家小農因為西方的 農業傾銷而被迫賤賣農產品,甚至被推離市場。

In addition to the pesticides and organic farming, farmers are worried about the low price of their crops. The problem of price is not limited in Taiwan. The policies WTO tries to promote cause unfair trading and give the farmers an extremely hard time to live. About this problem, Iron said,

While the western countries preach free market, they subsidize their own agriculture and make the price of their crops become very low. Then they dump these cheap crops to the third world. On the other hand, they asked the countries in the third world to reduce their customs and subsidy and open their market. This kind of trade is unfair. Millions of farmers in the developing countries are forced to sell their crops for a very low price or leave the market.

這樣的問題不停地蔓延,對無數國家的農業產生巨大衝擊。台灣政府的作法是對「休耕農地」進行補貼。然而,這樣的政策導致農地荒廢以及被破壞、農地價格被炒作等等。Turtle提出「環境補貼」的概念希望能解決這個問題:

台灣的休耕政策只重「休耕補貼」,卻忽視更重要的環境管理,農村文化景觀就這樣逐漸凋零;歐洲國家的休耕政策則強調「環境補貼」,凡是有利於環境生態就可領取補助。如何呼應世界趨勢與進步觀念,已是當前檢討休耕政策重要方向。

Nowadays WTO has gigantic impact on the agriculture system in numerous countries. To respond to the impact, Taiwan's government also have subsidy for 'farmers that do not do farming.' However, this policy makes many farming areas be ignored, abandoned, damaged, and over-priced. Turtle said,

Taiwan's subsidy only focus on 'paying money' instead of environment management, which is more important. Thereafter, our agriculture scene and culture die gradually. On the other hand, the subsidy in the European countries focuses on environment. They have subsidy for farmers who 'do something good for the environment.' How to echo the new trend and idea is an important direction for our agriculture subsidy policy.

不過,當我們思考農業的時候,我們還有其他跳脫商業與政治(選票)的考量,革少說:

農業不只是商品貿易,而是一種土地和人之間的關係。

On the other hand, when we think about agriculture, we can have another perspective in addition to trade and politics (voting power). laches said,

Agriculture is not only for trading, it is a relationship between the earth and human beings.

還是讓我們來唱種樹吧(歌詞:鍾永豐,歌曲:林生祥)。

Talking about the relationship between the earth and human beings, how about singing the song 'Planting trees' (lyrics by Yung-Feng Chung and music Sheng-Hsiang Lin):

種給離鄉的人

種給太寬的路面

種給歸不得的心情

種給留鄉的人

種給落難的童年

種給出不去的心情

Planting trees for the people who leave

Planting trees for the roads that are too broad

Planting trees for not being able to go back

Planting trees for the people who stay

Planting trees for the disastrous childhood

Planting trees for not being able to leave

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Taiwan: keep rowing--i-panga na 1001

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/78/222644930_3afa0c7d46.jpg
(photo courtesy of casyc23. The red and black circle at the head of the boat is 'mata-no-tarara' (eye) and sun. It can expel evil spirits and evoke good fortunes.)

In Tao's language, 'Tao' means 'human.' Although Lanyu (orchid island, where the Tao people live) is belong to Taiwan now, considering language and culture, the Tao people are closer to Ivatan people in Batanes islands in Philippine than other peoples in Taiwan.

As a branch of Austronesian people, the Tao people are good at building boat, and they use boats for fishing. Their wooden boat is not canoe. They combine different kinds of wood to build small wooden boat (tatara) for one or two people and large wooden boat (chinurikuran) for around ten people.

Keep rowing:
蘭嶼的大船文化,幾乎是整個達悟民族從生理生計到心理信仰與宇宙觀的集合體。

The tatara boat culture in Lanyu is the aggregation of physiology, psychology, economy, belief, and world view of the Tao people.

在現代經濟方式的衝擊,氏族漁團的青壯勞動力被台灣的資本市場吸納,老一輩長者無能為力負荷大船建造的一切所需, 只能看這舊船腐朽裂解,在每年呼喊飛魚的招魚儀典時,感嘆空盪的港灣而無大船的身影。

Because of the aggression of the modern economy, the young people in the families (in Lanyu) are absorbed by the capitalistic market in Taiwan. The elders cannot afford to build a big boat, so they can only watch these old boats decomposing. In the yearly flyfish ceremony, the elders are sad because they only have harbors but not boats.

2001年時,我們與村裡的族人,帶著從島上森林伐取的樹材,一起到台中的自然科學博物館,建造了一艘脫離傳統氏族漁團組織的十人大船。

In 2001, with some people in our community, we brought some wood logged from the forests in the island to the National museum of natural science in Taichung (Taiwan). We built a big boat for ten people, which is not for traditional fishing community-based usage.

當年我們詢問父親:”可以到台灣造大船嗎?makanyou(禁忌)怎麼辦?”父親也細詢了為何要去台灣造大船的用意……?”給台灣的人看,也讓他們了解,大船不只是美麗而已,而是還有我們的智慧與能力!”我們回答。沈思後的父親給了我們一個說法:”台灣又沒有我們的鬼(anito),你 們想那麼多做什麼?”之後,那一年我們順利的完成了一艘向台灣展示的文化大船……。就在完工的當時,緊接而來的是:「做好了船,怎麼不划呢?」於是,五年 後的今天,我們想與台灣的朋友分享一件事:船,不只是被展示的,更是可以航行的,我們將拜訪台灣……。

Before we built that one, we asked our fathers, 'can we build a boat in Taiwan? How about the makanyou (taboo)?' Our fathers asked about our intention. 'We want to show Taiwanese our boats and let them understand that our boats are not only beautiful but also full of our intelligence and capability.' After contemplation, our fathers said, 'there is no anito (our ghosts) in Taiwan, why are you afraid?'
One year later, we finished that boat successfully. Then people asked us, 'why not row it after building it?' As a result, five years after that, we want to share something with our friends in Taiwan, 'our boats are not only for demonstration but also for navigation. We will visit Taiwan.'

Keep rowing:

船長1016 c m ,寬170 c m,高270 cm
我們的大船取名為: Ipanga na,1001跨越號。 (ipanga na是Tao語裡的名詞,有跨越、航行之意。)
ingana na表示移動,我們要到許多的地方去;而「1001」,只是因為我們的大船超過了10公尺長。

The length of the boat is 1016 cm, the width is 170 cm, and the height is 270 cm.
Our boat is named 'Ipanaga na, 1001.' Ipanga na in Tao means crossing over and navigation. Ipanga na also means moving. We will go to many places.
'1001' is named because our boat is longer than 10 m.

Keep rowing:

由紀錄片工作者林建享與蘭嶼達悟族友人夏曼‧夫阿原召集一半蘭嶼族人、一半台灣人共同建造、歷時四個月的蘭嶼達悟族的「 1001跨越號」,是近百年來蘭嶼達悟族所打造尺寸最大的拼板舟

Being a documentary filmmaker working in Lanyu, Chien-shieng Lin with his Tao friend Shaman Fuayuan called some Tao people and Taiwanese to build this boat together. It took four months, and it is the largest tatara boat the Tao people have built in the recent one hundred year.

They planned to row from Lanyu to Taitung, then to Taipei, and finally return to Taitung. The total length of the voyage is about 1438.6 km. They plan to finish it in 35 days. In average, they need to row 50-60 km per day. There are 12 people rowing at one time, and there are two teams of people for rotation.

Originally they planned to start on 6/12, but the plan was delayed because of the weather:

老人說,「六月蘭嶼的天氣啊,變幻莫測,好像很難捉摸;為什麼不選七月出發呢?七月的天氣,海面上像是倒了沙拉油那樣,選在那樣的日子裡出發不是比較安心嗎?」伴航船的船長周一宗帶著海圖和氣象圖來了。19日以前,天氣都不穩定。

The elders said, 'the weather in June in Lanyu is capricious. Why don't you start in July? In July, the sea looks like having soybean oil on the surface. If you choose to depart in July, we are relieved, aren't we?' Later the captain of the ship that will go with us, I-Tsung Chou, brought the sea chart and the weather map, and he told us the weather would not be stable before 6/19.

They started off this June 20th, and now they arrived Taitung safely. Although they practiced several times before the voyage, it's still hard because they need to struggle with the Kuroshio current.

Keep rowing:

中間的時候,「真的很想拖呢(叫機動船幫忙拖行)」,不是因為洋流太強,是因為太陽太熱。 所有的人都沒有放棄。

In the middle of the rowing, 'I really hoped that ship could drag us.' The thought was not due to the current but due to the sun. But no one gave up.

Their next project, after the funds are raised, will be rowing to Batan islands to meet the Ivatan people.