Paris protest disrupts Taiwan cultural outreach; Pingtung Paiwan workshop pauses, returns next year.

A recent wave of high school student protests in Paris, France, has sent ripples through local daily life, inadvertently affecting the Jiaxing community of the Paiwan indigenous group from Pingtung, Taiwan, which had traveled to the city to promote indigenous culture. The planned workshop on Paiwan ancient songs, designed to share the music and culture of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples with an international audience, was forced to end early because the student demonstrations led to the closure of schools, depriving the team of its designated venue for teaching and exchange. Confronted with this sudden disruption and the resulting itinerary changes, members of the Jiaxing community demonstrated remarkable resilience and philosophical composure. They noted that the Paiwan people have long learned, through the currents of history, how to preserve their cultural identity and roots amid change. This brief interruption does not signify the end of their cultural transmission; rather, it has become a strong motivation for them to return to Paris next year.

This cultural exchange journey, spanning from Asia to Europe, was originally tasked with showcasing the diverse indigenous arts of Taiwan to the world. Paiwan ancient songs are traditionally regarded as living fossils of the group’s history, emotions, and social structure. Through polyphonic songs and ritual chants passed down orally by elders, these melodies carry memories of the land and reverence for ancestral spirits. The Jiaxing community traveled the great distance to Paris specifically to use the workshop format to allow local European residents and arts professionals to experience and understand the unique acoustic aesthetics of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples up close. However, social movements have been frequent in France in recent years, ranging from pension reform protests to various campus and labor demonstrations, which often spread rapidly and trigger chain reactions. Although the school closures resulting from the high school student protests were based on considerations of public safety and order maintenance, they directly disrupted the established rhythm of international cultural exchanges, highlighting how local social dynamics can unexpectedly impact cultural movements worldwide.

In response to the regrettable early termination of the workshop, members of the Jiaxing community did not react with despair but instead displayed the life philosophy deeply rooted in the Paiwan people’s connection to nature and historical experience. For the Paiwan, cultural transmission has never been a smooth process. In the past, facing the assimilation policies of colonial regimes, the impacts of modernization, and population outflow, the community has always sought ways to survive and continue in changing environments. This resilience, forged through historical trials, allowed them to view the unrest caused by protests in a foreign land with calmness and firmness. Although the workshop was forced to suspend classes, the exchanges and performances that had already taken place, as well as the interactions between community members and the local public on the streets of Paris, had already invisibly sown the seeds of cultural understanding. These interactions allowed French society to witness the uncompromising and vibrant cultural stance of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples.

From a broader perspective of cultural diplomacy and international outlook, Taiwan’s indigenous peoples have actively ventured into the world in recent years, participating in international art festivals and workshops through music, dance, and crafts. This has not only increased Taiwan’s visibility on the international stage but also constructed autonomous external relations for indigenous groups. Paris, as the world capital of culture and arts, gathers ideas and aesthetics from around the globe. The visit by the Paiwan Jiaxing community was inherently a precious, in-depth dialogue between Austronesian culture and European civilization. Although this Paris trip was complicated by the high school student protests, preventing the itinerary from concluding perfectly, this episode has become part of the cultural journey, authentically recording the challenges and courage of contemporary cultural workers moving forward in a turbulent world.

After concluding this bumpy yet profound trip to Paris, the Jiaxing community has not stopped but is looking toward a more distant future. In interviews, community members clearly expressed their hope to return to Paris next year to fully present the unfinished ancient song workshop to the French public. This refusal to give up easily reflects not only absolute confidence in their own cultural value but also a continued commitment to international cultural exchange. The ancient songs of the Paiwan will once again cross the ocean to be sung anew in the air of Paris, proving to the world that the voice of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples will not be drowned out by the waves of any era, but will instead become clearer and more resonant through the accumulation of history.

(Source: Central News Agency)