Taiwan to host world indigenous media conference

[khurramdar]

Taiwan to host world indigenous media conference


March 4th, 2010


The second World Indigenous Television Broadcasting Conference (WITBC) will open on 9 March at the National Museum of Prehistory in southeastern Taiwan’s Taitung County. The conference, which will be hosted by Taiwan Indigenous Television (TITV) and Public Television Service, is aimed at providing a platform for local indigenous broadcasters to link with indigenous media outlets worldwide, TITV chief executive Masao Aki said today.

This year’s event will bring together nine chief executives of indigenous TV stations in various countries to discuss the development of indigenous media organizations and the challenges they face in a digital age, Masao Aki added. The conference, which will run until March 12, will also include a series of activities such as film screenings, performances by aboriginal people and an exhibition on global indigenous media, according to Masao Aki.

The efforts of various aboriginal tribes to protect the environment and achieve coexistence with nature will also be highlighted for reference by the rest of the world in the bid to deal with global warming, he added.

The first WITBC was held in 2008 in New Zealand and hosted by the country’s national indigenous Maori Television with the aim of promoting indigenous languages and culture worldwide. Media outlets from Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, South Africa and Taiwan participated in the inaugural conference which led to the establishment of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network (WITBN).