45,000 Participants Become One, Singing Arirang in Unison
Createdd 2012-05-09 Hit 620
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45,000 Participants Become One, Singing Arirang in Unison
(Published April 24, 2012)
Gyeonggi Provincial Government to hold Arirang Arariyo Festival on June 2
On April 24, a pre-press conference was held at the Plaza Hotel Seoul for the Arirang Arariyo Festival co-sponsored by the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and the Gyeonggi Arts Center.
In 2011, Gyeonggi Province held a special event, the Cheonji Jindong (Shake the World) Festival. Some 2,011 players of Korean traditional repercussion instruments participated in the festival, earning a listing in the Korean Section of the Guinness Book of World Records.
Similar to the Cheonji Jindong Festival, the Arirang Arariyo Festival is also a part of efforts to have Arirang registered with UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of Korea. This festival, scheduled for June 2 at the Suwon World Cup Stadium, will feature approximately 2,000 performers, including 1,200 percussionists, 1,000 choir members, 200 military band members, 150 members of the Gyeonggi Provincial Traditional Music Orchestra and the Gyeonggi Provincial Dance Company, and is expected to attract over 45,000 visitors.
◇ Showcase of the Arirang Arariyo Festival ⓒ G-News Plus / Heo Seon-ryang
On June 21, 2011, China designated Arirang as its intangible cultural heritage, apparently as part of its “Northeast Project,” and is making an attempt to register it with UNESCO as such. The aforementioned festival was designed to establish a basis for preventing China from persisting with this attempt to appropriate a keystone of Korea’s culture.
The Gyeonggi Provincial Government and the Gyeonggi Arts Center plan to push ahead with the registration of Arirang as the country’s intangible cultural heritage through an amendment to the relevant law, while making efforts to have it registered with UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of Korea.
They also plan to display a promotional video on Arirang in Times Square, New York, in July and August with the help of Sungshin Women’s University Professor Seo Kyoung-duk. Professor Seo, as the director in charge of promotion and planning for the Arirang Arariyo Festival, has worked hard to set the record straight concerning attempts by neighboring countries, including China and Japan, to distort history concerning Dokdo Island, the East Sea, and Arirang, by making the relevant facts known, using billboards in large cities in foreign countries and influential dailies.
The Gyeonggi Arts Center is also making a short film, to be shown as a film trailer, featuring people from various walks of life singing Arirang under the direction of Jeon Gyu-hwan. (See Arirang Korea / www.arirangkorea.co.kr).
◇ Participants enjoy Arirang during the showcase ⓒ G-News Plus / Heo Seon-ryang
The pre-press conference held on April 24 was attended by nearly 200 people, including Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo, Gyeonggi Arts Center Chairman Cho Jae-hyun and President Son Hye-ri, and Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young.
At the event, vocalist Kim Dong-gyu sang New Arirang and troupes performed samul nori (an ensemble of four percussion instruments ) and traditional dances as well as pansori. There was also a brief Q&A session for reporters.
Commenting on the event, Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo said, “Arirang is one of our great cultural heritages and embodies the Korean people’s heart and soul. It unites everyone, old and young, men and women, as one. The Gyeonggi Provincial Government will spare no efforts to preserve and develop Arirang and other traditional cultural heritages of the country.”
Gyeonggi Arts Center Chairman Cho Jae-hyun said, “China has designated Arirang as its cultural heritage just because ethnic Koreans living in the country still sing the song. It is also making an attempt to have it registered with UNESCO as its intangible cultural heritage. This event is intended to let Koreans know what is going on and join in the effort to keep Arirang as our own.”
Vocalist Kim Dong-gyu, who calls himself a guardian of Arirang, said, “I have sung many songs of the world. Like Edelweiss of Austria, there are songs that symbolize a specific region and its people. Needless to say, Arirang belongs to the Korean people. It is not just a song to Koreans. It is our very soul.”
◇ Participants in the Q&A session for reporters. ⓒ G-News Plus / Heo Seon-ryang
ⓒ G-News Plus / Im Se-jeen / sejeenee@kg21.net
http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201204241642476823C049&s_code=C049
