The Theatre Performances

On May 20, 2008 there was a theatre performance at Un-am Middle School. The theme is the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising. There were around 500 students gathered at the hall.

This performance is an education program meant especially for the students. The students as youth are the continuation of future generation. It is hoped that through this performance the students could know and feel the story of struggles of the ‘Minjung’[1] of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising.

The theatre group who performed was 좋다 (Jo-ta). They were 6 persons. The title was 귀신은 뭐하나 (;What are ghosts doing?’). Ghosts mean the activists who fight for democracy, human rights, and peace especially in South Korea. What are they doing now after they died and as spirits.

[1] people

좋다 (Jo-ta) made used of both traditional and popular theatre tools and methods like: han-bok[2], sing and dance of Korean pop song, and others. Before the performance started, the teachers set in order the students.
[2] Korean traditional clothes

They started the performance at around 2 PM, one of the performers came out from the back stage and made communication with the students like encouraging them to clap their hands. This is one trick to make the students conspicuous. This trick succeeded. The performance started when the old man (as a grandfather) came out and began his story.

Each actor performed and played their part very well. The students enjoyed the show. They did not get bored because the story is a little bit funny. The performance took place for an hour. After the performance finished, the students went back to their classes.

The theatre performances supported by the May 18 Memorial Foundation. Every year the Foundation supports and organizes this program on the months of May and November until December. This year, the theatre performances were held at elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and other public places.

Besides 좋다 (Jo-ta), the other groups who performed were:
1. Sin Myung, mean artist performing group.
2. Haineul-geul-ri-gi, mean art creative group for performance.
3. Il-ter, mean performer’s group for labor-art.

The Haineul-geul-ri-gi and Il-ter had performed too last year. The venue of performances every year can be same or different schools.

The citizens of Gwangju promotes the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising as a big history that should not be forgotten and bequeathed from generation to generations. The story and spirit of the struggle is not only a property of the ‘minjung’ in 1980, but all of the citizens of Gwangju forever.

links:

http://www.518.org/

http://www.518interns.blogspot.com/

Report of the 2008 Gwangju International Peace Forum

A. INTRODUCTION

Gwangju International Peace Forum is an international forum that aims to strengthen international solidarity between domestic and foreign activists working for democracy, human rights, and peace. Some 150 participants usually join this forum. During the program, the participants will have the opportunity to participate in the official ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising and pray for the victims souls to rest in peace. The participants will also attend the award-giving ceremony of The Gwangju Prize for Human Rights.

This year, the forum was hosted by The Committee of 28th May Anniversary. The Co-organizers were ARENA, Gwangju Regional Office of NHRC of Korea, Citizens for Decent Housing, and The May 18 Memorial Foundation. The forum was supported by Gwangju Convention and Visitors Bureau, Korea Democracy Foundation, and Cooperation and Aggregate Busan Democratic Movements Association.

The forum was held from May 15 until 18, 2008 at the May 18 Memorial Culture Hall. The objectives of the forum were:
- To spread the spirit of the May 18 democratic uprising and provide a venue for Asian

democracy movements to network
- Aiming to become a hub-city of democratization movement in Asia, we recognize the need to

develop Gwangju International Peace Forum as a platform to engage civil society movements

to dialogue on peace, human rights, and democracy.

The following were the 4 programs of the 2008 Gwangju International Peace Forum:

1. The May 18 Memorial Foundation in Conference Room
* Gwangju Network for Democracy Movements in Asia
* Workshop for the Memorial Associations on International Solidarity
* Civil Society Group Workshop on International Solidarity for Asian Human Rights
* Forum on Asia Regional Solidarity : We are facing ‘Asia’

Korean Civil Society Organizations are facing challenges deepening understanding people and culture of Asia. Asia Institute plans to have a dialogue with scolars and activists from Asia which reflect or current situation of Asian studies and divers way of Asian solidarity of civil society.

2. ARENA / The May 18 Memorial Foundation in Audio – visual Room
* 2008 International Workshop on Human Rights to Peace in Asia : Peace and Right to Resist :

Exploring New Dimensions of the Human Rights to Peace in Asia

ARENA the International Workshop on Human Rights to Peace in Asia, aiming at the advancement of the concept and content of the Rights to Peace through in-depth discussions and examinations with nine presenters from all different countries.

3. Gwangju Regional Office of NHRC of Korea in Exhibition Hall
* Workshop on the Human Rights Perspective of a Local Autonomous Ordinance

Through “Workshop on the Human Rights Perspective of a Local Autonomous Ordinance”, we want to check over a Local Autonomous Ordinance. The lives of local people have been effected a lot by a Local Autonomous Ordinance more than by a National Law and Ordinance. We hope we can find ways for the local areas have become a Human-Right community through this workshop.

4. Citizens for Decent Housing in Lobby, 3rd Floor
* 2008 Program of the 2nd ANAH 2008 in Gwangju Korea: For the Asian NPO Leaders’

Networking for the well-being of Asian housing, CiDeH (Citizen for the Decent Housing) established the ANAH (Asian NPO Networking on Adequate Housing) in 2007 with agreement with 9 people from seven different countries during ANAH 2007 session in Korea from Oct 1st through 4th.

This forum expected outcome were:
- Participants will recognize the 2008 Gwangju International Peace Forum as an international

event and platform for civil society movements to network and for Gwangju to be considered

as one of Asia’s sacred places of democratization.
- We aim for Gwangju International Peace Forum to grow and develop as Asia’s World Social

Forum for human rights, democracy, and peace for the upcoming 30th Anniversary of the may

18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising in 2010.

B. SUBSTANCE

There were 188 participants from 21 countries. The breakdown as follows:
Korea 121; Taiwan 10; Japan 8; India 7; Thailand 7; Nepal 5; Indonesia 5; Pakistan 3; Cambodia 3; Bangladesh 3; Malaysia 2; Sri Lanka 2; Philippines 2; China 2; Spain 1; Laos 1; Germany 1; Mongolia 1; Burma 1; Vietnam 1; Myanmar 1.

Most of the participants from other country arrived in Gwangju on May 15, 2008. At night, there was a welcoming reception at 6 PM at the Reception Hall. The ceremony was opened by a donation of censored newspaper by Mr. Sin Yong Ho as a Chairman of the Chonnam Mail Newspaper and was given to Mr. Yun Gwang Jang as a Chairman of the May 18 Memorial Foundation. The ceremony took place around 2 hours including dinner. After the dinner, the participants went to their respective hotels.

On May 16, 2008 the forum were started with the opening ceremony at 9.30-10.30 AM at Daedong Hall. Representative from organizations that were involved in hosting gave reception words. On the first day, the workshops started at 10.30-12.00 AM for the first session.

The participants had lunch at 12.00-1.30 PM. For 3 days there were 2 restaurants the participants can choose: Natural Living (Vegetarian) Restaurants and Su Mok Gwan Restaurants (for meat eaters).

The second session started at 1.30-5.00 PM. After finished the second workshop, the participants had dinner. At 7-9 PM, the participants must choose one discussion from three choices. The topics were:
1. Solidarity Movements
2. Recent Development in Nepal
3. Update on Relief and Support for Victims of Cyclone Nargis in Burma

The discussions took place for 2 hours. At 9 PM, the participants went back to their hotel.

The second day on May 17, 2008 the participants joined the first workshops from 10-12 AM. They had lunch at 12-1 PM. The second workshop started at 1-5 PM, and after they finished they had dinner.

At 6 PM, the participants with several staff and volunteers had a journey to downtown. They attended the eve event of the 28th Anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising until 10 PM. This event was presented by the Gwangju citizens. Every year they did the event to commemorate and celebrate the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising. There were some workshops and demonstration too and mostly the Gwangju citizens opposed the beef importation (madcow) and other policy of Lee Myung Bak.

In the eve events there were some performances like sing and dance on the program. The stage is in front of the former provincial hall. There were parts where citizens from various sectors and age expressed their feeling about the president’s economic and political policies. Some were even crying. At 10 PM, the participants went to the hotel by bus.

On the last day on May 18, 2008 the participants with several staff and volunteers attended the 28th Commemorative Ceremony of the May 18 Democratic Uprising at the May 18 National Cemetery. The ceremony started at 10-11.30 AM. This year president, Lee Myung Bak, come to grow the location. The security was strict. There were Korean choir and Korean dance presentation. After the ceremony finished, some participants prayed at the altar for the victims of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising.

Around at 12 PM, the participants had a field trip to the Unju Temple. The journey took around an hour. In the temple, the participants went around the area and some of them had discussion at the restaurant.

We arrived at the May 18 Memorial Culture around at 4.30 PM and then took pictures together.

At 5 PM, the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights was started. The winner of the 2008 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights is Muneer A. Malik, a Pakistani lawyer.

The audience were entertained by performances, like singing and dancing. After the ceremony, the participants took pictures with the winner, Muneer A. Malik in Daedong Hall and then had dinner at the Reception Hall. Around 9 PM the participants went back to the hotel. They said goodbye each other.

C. Conclusion

It was a big opportunity for me to be involved on the 2008 Gwangju International Peace Forum. I meet and shared with the activist of democracy, human rights, and peace from other countries, especially I had chance working with the volunteers. I am very grateful for this opportunity.

links:
http://www.518.org/

http://www.518interns.blogspot.com/

http://www.518solidarity.blogspot.com/

Promoting 518 Events: 2008 GIPF and Nanjang-Human-Free Concert

2008 Gwangju International Peace Forum (2008 GIPF)

Nanjang-Human-Free Concert

On May 13, 2008 we promoted and posted the 2008 Gwangju International Peace Forum (2008 GIPF) and the 2008 Nanjang-Human-Free Concert posters in the following University:

1. Chonnam University

The front gate of Chonnam University is where the historic May 18 Democratic Uprising started. At midninght of May 17, 1980, when the nation was put under martial law, martial troops deployed inside the Chonnam National University campus started clubbing students without mercy and carried many of them off to an illegal detention. Around 10 AM of May 18, students gathered and protested at the front gate of Chonnam National University against the martial troops that blocked the entrance of the university. This was the first clash that led the student to demonstrate at Gwangju Station and Geumnam-ro. During the period, the martial troops hauled the arrested citizens into the Science Department Building. The mass beatings led to some deaths and the bodies were buried on the campus and later excavated. The science Department Building was destroyed when the front gate was rebuilt. The Yongbong-cheon (Yongbong Stream) and a bridge crossing it are now covered with earth.

2. Chosun University

Students from this university together with Chonnam University had led the local democratization movement even before the May 18 Uprising. Chosun University students played a pivotal role in the leading group of the citizen's force during the uprising. The martial forces advanced to this campus right after the government expanded the scope of martial law across the nation which went into effect at midnight of May 17. The campus was also a place where many arrested citizens and students were cruelly treated and detained in gyms and makeshift tents by the club-wielding martial forces.

These universities are famed as important symbol of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising. In the 1980's students from these universities lead demonstrations together with the Gwangju citizens against military dictatorship.

We also spread some brochures in the following places:

1. Gwangju Bus Terminal (U-Square)

During the uprising the former Intercity Bus Terminal site was the transportation hub to cities and countries all over Jeonnam. In the afternoon of May 19, a large-scale rally was held here in protest against the excessive crackdown by martial force. The troops stormed even into the waiting room of the terminal and underpass next to it and wielded bayonet indiscriminately, instantly turning the place into a bloody scene and a state of confusion. The news of the military brutality was quickly spread to every place especially the Jeonnam areas by people who left Gwangju by intercity buses. This place was once used by paeatroopers as their quarter.

2. Gwangju Station Square

The square was the scene of fierce fights between the citizens of Gwangju and the martial troops during the May 18 Democratic Uprising. On the night of May 20, the heated demonstrations were met by martial troops with gunfire directed at the unarmed crowd protesting against the bloody suppression and atrocities. Besides the many injured citizens, two dead bodies were found on the morning of May 21. The bodies were carried to the Jeonnam Provincial Hall Square, stirring the anger of tens of thousands of citizens of the Democratic Uprising.

These places are also symbolic of the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising.

In the case at the university, we first ask for permit from the university student leaders council to post the posters. Posting those posters is aimed at announcing 518 events to the university students and for university journalist to cover it.

links:
http://www.connam.ac.kr/en/
http://twurl.nl/brpj0n
http://twurl.nl/tobftc
www.518folkschool.blogspot.com