Articles Category: Culture

Agus is a design student in one of the oldest design schools in Indonesia, located in Bandung City, West Java province. Like other design students and professional designers in this city, Agus came looking for a small metal workshop to complete an assi

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (2010), which has been instrumental in promoting and analysing creative economies all over the world through its Creative Economy Program, described the creative economy (CE) as “an evolving concep

NFTs or non-fungible tokens are creating a buzz in the art world and creatives in Southeast Asia are buying in. They are latching on to the craze, experimenting with their digital work, and gearing up to take the NFT scene by storm.

There is a growing interest in the socio-economic contribution of the creative economy. It is spurred by the technological and digital transformation happening worldwide at an unprecedented rate and the increasing shift from an industrial to a knowledg

The Creative Economy Programme of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD, n.d.-a) describes the creative economy as “the knowledge-based economic activities upon which the ‘creative industries’ are based.”

The power of the creative industry has been much talked about globally over the last few decades with a show of promising statistics. Its capacity to generate high GDP and jobs has been underscored to encourage government investment in the sector.

On 11 October 2024, Ekkaphab Phanthavong officially completes his tenure as the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Before assuming his role at the ASEAN Secretariat, he was the Ambassador/Permanent Representative

As the Lao PDR assumes the Chairpersonship of ASEAN and your Ministry leads the ASCC, could you share Lao PDR’s top priorities for the ASCC?

Philippine Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, who serves as ALMM Chair, discusses two new ASEAN declarations that champion the rights and welfare of migrant workers and their families. He also describes a Philippine-led public campaign to raise aware

Tourism has been one of the hardest- hit sectors by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Secretary Romulo-Puyat talks to The ASEAN about the pandemic’s impact on the Philippines’ tourism industry, on jobs and businesses, and how the country is working towa

Minister Ida Fauziyah talks to The ASEAN about Indonesia’s strategies for formalising work arrangements in Indonesia, the opportunities and threats presented by digitalisation on the country’s informal sector, and efforts to address gaps in measuring a

On 1 January 2021, Brunei Darussalam assumed the ASEAN Chairmanship for 2021. Minister Aminuddin talks to The ASEAN about how Brunei Darussalam will work to accelerate efforts to recover from the pandemic and reach the goal of ASEAN solidarity.

Prepare to have your mind blown. That is the mission of Mindblowon Studio, a name derived from the playful Indonesian slang “blo’on,” meaning “foolish.” Yet, their creativity is anything but foolish. Mindblowon Studio stands tall as an influential figu

“How do you create a movie that defines a generation?” This was the first question posed by The ASEAN in an interview with renowned Indonesian filmmaker Riri Riza, 53. It is a fitting question for Riri, whose film, Petualangan Sherina [Sherina’s Advent

Banjong Pisanthanakun, the acclaimed 44-year-old Thai filmmaker, turns Southeast Asian nightmares into worldwide movie masterpieces. He has a deep understanding of the allure of horror tales in the region, explaining that these beliefs are ingrained in

Thousands braved Jakarta’s blistering heat to experience the live music performances by talented Southeast Asian and South Korean artists at the 2023 Round Festival on 21-22 October 2023. After holding virtual concerts since the event was launched in 2

There are about 260,000 migrant domestic workers in Singapore, many of them are from neighbouring countries like the Philippines and Indonesia. Finding heartwarming stories about employers and workers in a sea of migrant workers may seem like digging f