Introduction
The rich cultural and musical
heritage of the Western Isles will be featured at the World Festival For Island
Cultures taking place next week in Jeju, South Korea at which over half a
million visitors from across the world are expected. A party of 20 singers,
dancers and musicians will represent the Western Isles which is the only UK
area invited to take part.
The month long festival, which
gets underway on May 18th, will also be a prime opportunity to promote Western
Isles trade and economic development particularly tourism and Harris Tweed.
The trip has the backing of
the Foreign Office who have agreed to contribute £6,000 towards the
costs. Brian Wilson, Minister at the Foreign Office, said:
“This is a wonderful stage
for the Western Isles to perform upon and it is exactly the kind of international
opportunity which the Gaelic community should be seizing in order to demonstrate
its richness and distinctiveness to the world.
“Korea is an extremely important
market for British exports and I have asked our Embassy there to give all
possible support to the Western Isles contingent. I am pleased to say that
the Foreign Office has been able to make a small contribution towards the
costs of this marvellous expedition.”
Cllr. Donald Maclean, Comhairle
nan Eilean Siar’s Chairman of Economic Development who will be in Korea for
part of the Festival, said:
“This is an excellent opportunity
to promote the Western Isles as an ideal UK tourist destination, rich in culture,
nature and history. Tourists are expected not only from Korea but also from
Japan, other parts of South East Asia and America. The World Festival of Island
Cultures will also provide a wonderful showcase for Harris Tweed to a worldwide
audience in an area where there is a strong possibility of new orders. South
East Asia is a potentially lucrative market for Harris Tweed and the economic
benefits for the Western Isles of a healthy Harris Tweed industry are well
known.
In addition the Western Isles
will have a Trade Booth at the Festival to promote island art and craft products
as well as marketing and advertising material.
The Comhairle has worked closely
with the Harris Tweed Authority, the Western Isles Tourist Board and the Enterprise
Company on putting together this massive promotional project for the islands”.
Tweed samples and products
from the Harris Tweed Authority will be on display at the Trade Booth and
there will be also be a live display of Harris Tweed production from a representative
of the H.T.A.
Ian Angus MacKenzie, Chief
Executive of the Harris Tweed Authority, said: "Harris Tweed is a product
famous for its quality throughout the world and the Far East is recognised
as a potentially very lucrative market. In recent times the Tweed industry
has picked up thanks to some innovative marketing. It is important to continue
that momentum and we are delighted to be taking part in this major event which
will provide a world platform for Western Isles products including Harris
Tweed."
In addition videos promoting
the Western Isles will be featured, including Live Local - Work Global, Islands
of Opportunity, Hebridean Splendour and Island Landscapes. Other promotional
material will include posters, banners, photographs, Musical CDs and tee-shirts.
The Western Isles group of
dancers, singers and musicians who will promote the cultural aspects of the
Hebrides at the World Festival will be in Jeju for a period of three weeks.
The cultural ambassadors are drawn from throughout the islands following adverts
in the local press. The groups are expected to put on musical performances
twice daily lasting 30 minutes.
Funding for the Western Isles
participants has been provided in the main by the Koreans at an estimated
cost of £100,000, although the Comhairle has agreed to contribute £10,000,
the Foreign Office £6,000 and it is hoped that Western Isles Enterprise
will also make a contribution.
Jeju island is located south-west
of the South Korean Coast. It is considered the honeymoon capital of South
East Asia and is one of the main tourist centres in the region. The island
is oval shaped and is over 40 miles wide and 30 miles long from North to South.
The population in the 1990s was around half a million people. Jeju is a volcanic
island dominated by the extinct Volcano Island Mount Halla. The island is
extremely picturesque and rich in historical sites.
The World Festival of Island
Cultures runs from May 18th to June 17th 2001 and includes participants from
East-Asia, South East Asia, the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and America. In
addition to the Western Isles, other European island areas taking part are
Sardinia, Cyprus, Hiiumaa (Estonia) and Mallorca (Spain).
Korean Times
Western Isles Introduced at
Cheju Island Festival
By Chung Hye-jean
Staff Reporter
Participants from all over the globe - from 26 islands and eight inland regions
- have come together to present their distinctive insular cultures through
traditional folk performances and exhibitions of folk handicraft at the second
World Festival for Island Cultures on Cheju Island.
The festival, which opened on May 19 to continue until June 17, is a triennial
event organized with the aim to introduce the tourist attractions of Cheju
to other countries, while building up ties among the many islands around the
world.
One participating group attracting much attention is the team from the Western
Isles, a group of islands that lie on the northwest coast of Scotland.
The team includes a band of eight bagpipers, three drummers, two accordionists,
two dancers and two vocalists who sing Gaelic songs. They perform twice a
day at the North America-Europe Hall.
"In the opening day parade though Cheju, the pipe band made a big impression
and we were asked to do special performances. People are very interested in
the bagpipes. The bagpipers even carry them while they are eating so other
people can see them." said Heather Butterworth, a representative of the
Western Isles, in an interview with The Korea Times.
Also known as the Outer Hebrides, the Western Isles have the reputation of
being one of the most beautiful island chains in the world, blessed with a
landscape filled with vistas of untamed beauty and long stretches of golden
sandy beaches, as well as a peaceful and tranquil ambience enveloping the
islands. Inhabited for over 6,000 years, the islands also boast a proud Celtic
history and a unique culture.
Another source of pride for the Western Isles is Harris Tweed, a tweed produced
in the Outer Hebrides, mainly on the isles of Lewis and Harris - two islands
at the northern end of the Western Isles that are linked as one. Harris Tweed
products are all hand woven and finished by the islanders at their homes and
made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides.
They are currently on display in Cheju as the representative product for the
islands.
Butterworth, who is also a representative and designer of Harris Tweed, stressed
that each Harris Tweed product is made from one whole fabric that is hand
woven on a treadle loom by the same weaver.
"The most distinguishing fact about Harris Tweed is that one person
makes the whole cloth on one loom. Also, the products are all handmade. We
make traditional cloth, which has taken on a new appearance that can appeal
to old and young alike."
As this is their first visit to Korea, the Western Isles participants were
not only eager to see what the festival was all about, but also interested
in sightseeing, visiting the beaches and the waterfalls, as well as a Korean
traditional museum and the soon-to-open World Cup stadium.
"Our impression of Cheju is that it is beautiful. But we also received
a culture shock. We were surprised when we saw that there were so many people
in Cheju. Coming from a small island, we thought Cheju would be the same."
Their surprise is not hard to understand as only about 28,000 people live
on the Western Isles, compared to around 540,000 people on Cheju. Stornoway,
situated on the east coast of Lewis, is the only town in the Western Isles
and has a population of approximately 8,000.
"I wish we had an island festival in England. We can see the cultures
of other islands and make new links at the festival. That is why this is such
a good idea. We can celebrate the fact that there are island cultures, as
well as introduce them not only to Korea but also to each other." said
Butterworth. "At night, we all get together with the other participants
to talk and make music together. It is very fun. It is like a big party."
Although the Scottish group leaves on June 3 before the end of the festival,
Butterworth expressed the hope to come again for the next festival.
"If we are invited again next time, we are definitely willing to return."
she said.
