Articles Category: Culture

After a stint as a domestic helper in Malaysia and a business owner in East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo, Mrs. Sani returned to her hometown Karangrejo Village in the mountainous region of Kendal, Ngawi, East Java, Indonesia.There, she establishe

For many of us who have yet to see Picasso’s Guernica, Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms, or any of the other celebrated masterpieces up close, they are now within our reach. More art museums and galleries are migrating their collection into the dig

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

Transforming education is both an imperative and an opportunity. Our region’s net enrolment and completion rates in primary and secondary education have markedly increased. Substantial progress has also been made towards achieving gender parity in gros

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?

Bullying of children is becoming a pervasive concern in the region. Director General Luu Quang Tuan shares with The ASEAN, some of the initiatives started by ASEAN to protect children from bullying, both online and offline.

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 Phoeurng discusses Cambodia’s key policies and programmes to develop and support its creative industries, the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role that the creative industries play in the country’s post-pandemic recovery pla

The UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Asia and the Pacific, and UNESCO as a whole, and the UN system worldwide, have taken comprehensive action to address the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts on education systems while acknowledging continuing challen

A group of mothers and grandmothers from Wates village, Majalengka, West Java, who bear the financial responsibility of keeping their households afloat, have banded together to form Mother Bank. Co-created by the artist Bunga Siagian, 37, Mother Bank i

Since its inception in 2007, Maya Dance Theatre (MDT) has been faithful to its philosophy: bridging the space between audience and artist to provoke thought and dialogue about pressing social issues. In 2018, MDT’s artistic director and co-founder, Kav

Dadan Mochamad Rhamdan, or Damar (35), is an Indonesian Language and Literature teacher at SMP Negeri [Public Junior High School] 20 Bandung, Indonesia. He was born with cerebral palsy, which affected the development of his hands. The condition also im

The ASEAN asked some of our ASEAN youth to share their motivations for studying and experience studying in a neighbouring ASEAN country. The respondents also reflect on how the experience shaped their perspectives of ASEAN and influenced their sense of

Fifty-two-year-old Saur Marlina Manurung, better known as Butet Manurung, is the woman behind Sokola Institute. The organisation implement literacy programmes targeting various underserved and marginalised communities in Indonesia, including ethnic gro

Jenilyn de la Cruz—Teacher Jen—is in her ninth year as a multigrade teacher at Lopero Elementary School. The job is demanding and requires multi-tasking skills, flexibility, and improvisation.