At the ongoing Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum (ACCF) 2007,
speakers from all over the world joined the World Creativity Summit
session which closed?in Hong Kong on?Wednesday sharing
their views on arts education.
The Summit was themed "Arts Education: from pedagogy to
sustainable futures." Director of Audience Development of the
National Arts Council of Singapore Chua Ai Liang said that arts
play an important role in enriching the lives of Singaporeans as it
can evoke greater sense of fulfillment and open doors to new
experiences.
With globalization and today's knowledge-based societies,
creativity is a powerful resource for innovations but its potential
has yet to be tapped to its fullest, Chua said, adding that the
arts are recognized for its value in inspiring creativity.It can be
harnessed by the public and business sectors for spawning creative
communities, creating new values and generating ideas with new
economic values.
She said that the arts also have a special role to play in
community-building, promoting intercultural understanding
especially in ethnically-divers Singapore. It is an effective means
to express shared values and promote the nation's identity.
The National Arts Council of Singapore has got a mission to make
arts an integral part of lives of Singaporeans. It is important to
advocate and demonstrate the importance of arts participation and
further strengthen creative partnerships to bring arts and
creativity to the center of everyone's lives, she added.
Professor of the Shanghai Theater Academy of China Sun Huizhu
dealt with the topic of teaching for creativity in his speech,
saying that in most Chinese schools the traditional pedagogical
model is centered in monologue, that is, the teacher lectures and
students listen and they try their best to memorize so they can
take exams well, and the greatest problem is lack of creativity and
original work.
According to Sun, the essence of theater is dialog which can be
used to transform the Chinese education system. He suggested to
turn pastime retreat and holiday celebrations into theater games
and forum theater and gradually make theater part of their lifelong
education.
Cheung Ping Kuen, head of Liberal Arts Studies of the Hong Kong
Academy of Performing Arts, agreed that drama education can help
open up people's mind.
People in modern days are always terribly busy and, on the other
hand, have some feelings of loneliness, frustration, weariness and
even impotence, which might have been spread around the young
generation to a certain extent. While traditional formal education
seems incapable to help this situation, said Cheung.
He said that drama education allows people to share and
communicate with others peacefully and to enjoy life and that this
is the best way to gestate creativity. This explained why drama and
all sorts of drama education are so important nowadays.
Chair of the Hong Kong Institute of Contemporary Culture Ada
Wong said in her speech that, in Hong Kong, different circles in
the society are doing something for the next generation by
establishing some programs for them. She said that the more
creative and inspiring the process of arts education, the more
likely the program would be a success.
Wong gave the example of Hong Kong's Lee Shau Kee School of
Creativity. Founded in 2006, it allows young people to take a
proactive role in their studying program's process design and
charting their own paths.
The ACCF was initiated by the Hong Kong Home Affairs Bureau in
2003 to foster regional cultural co-operation, share good practices
and promote culture the arts and creative industries.
This year's forum was themed Culture Coming Home, which was held
from July 22 to 25.
(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2007)