Welcoming cultural diversity
Six months ago, with the aim of breaking down social barriers and easing convenience for readers, Bao Bon Phuong, which had already topped 30,000 in circulation, started discussions with various convenience store chains about the possibility of moving to the magazine racks inside stores. Yet, with the exception of the OK chain of stores, with which it reached a formal agreement to move onto the racks on January 10, the others refused to make a deal.
Chang Cheng frankly acknowledges that part of his strategy of "cultural struggle" is to bring together disadvantaged immigrants into a powerful movement. After creating a self-supporting media platform, these media outlets should then enter the mainstream, allowing Taiwan natives to see what is impressive about this group of people. That will prompt interest in greater understanding. Taiwan natives will realize that these immigrants not only have feelings, but also have talents and aspirations, and want to read and create publications. It is only because they have so long been denied the right to have their voices heard in the media that they have become invisible people in a foreign land.
Tony Thamsir, who has experience working in different kinds of media, holds that these media outlets with small audiences of immigrants are largely limited to coverage that is "aimed at their own kind" because they find providing adequate coverage of their own community hard enough as it is. He also criticizes the mainstream media for portraying these immigrant groups as "creators of social problems," full of criminals and runaways and functioning to bring down the wages of the native population. The only other coverage will focus on these groups' colorful festivals and celebrations. The sum result is that the media has perpetuated stereotypes about Southeast Asians in Taiwan society.
Kuang Chung-hsiang, assistant professor of communications at Chung Cheng University and the president of Taiwan Media Watch, has a different take on this issue: In an era of globalization where populations are increasingly mobile, far-sighted nations will actively provide special media services for foreign workers and immigrants, he says. They should regard these efforts as "laying the foundations for cultural diversity."
Kuang points out that in Australia, in order to serve immigrant populations from Europe, Asia and Africa, the government throughout the day broadcasts films and programs for these groups on public television, both in the native languages and with English dubbing. The number of programs in each language is set in proportion to the size of the immigrant group's population. Through these television programs, viewers of any ethnicity can quickly gain a sense of the life experiences of these immigrant groups and even an understanding of their cultural values. The broadcasts are helpful in promoting social tolerance and harmony, but even more importantly they provide a powerful means of cultivating a global outlook and a sense of global citizenship.
On the other hand, Taiwan's cultural policies toward foreign spouses are aimed mainly at encouraging them to learn Chinese or at forcing them to take "naturalization tests." And the "short-term guest labor system" that treats foreign workers as belonging to their employers not only creates divisions within society but also runs totally counter to individuals' human rights and the right of assembly.
Lorna Kung is a consultant for the Taiwan International Workers' Association and the executive director of the Scalabrini International Migration Network-Taiwan. She argues that the government should, as soon as possible, formally acknowledge that Taiwan is a multicultural and ethnically diverse place. It should allocate greater resources to deal with that reality, she says, by listing Southeast Asian languages among the choices for "mother language curriculum," by creating special television channels for newly arrived immigrants, and by clearly protecting foreign workers' right to days off and vacations, among other measures. By treating immigrant groups well and helping them reach their full potential, Taiwan society will help itself most of all.
(background pictures) Vietnamese migrant worker Tran Thi Dao's Heroes depicts hardworking workers and immigrants who have left their homeland.
Since 1989, several million foreign workers have come to Taiwan to fill the lowest rungs of the local labor market. They have made major contributions to life here, but mainstream society has largely ignored their voices and denied them their rights. The radio shows and newspapers in Southeast Asian languages that have appeared in recent years represent the first step toward change.
Given a forum to express their opinions, foreign workers and foreign spouses demonstrate a surprising and boundless creativity. Bao Bon Phuong often receives submissions with illustrations from its readers. The illustrations and essays, from left to right, "New Year's" by Nguyen Thi Nhung, "Women's Day" and "Labor Day" by Tran Duy Hung, and "Mid-Autumn Festival" by Tran Thi Tuyet Nhung.
Ne Ne Ho, who hails from the Philippines, publishes The Migrants from her living room. She encourages her fellow nationals in Taiwan to contribute. "Even just a few lines of poetry would be great," she says. "No matter how tired, you've got to exercise your brain. Otherwise you'll go crazy!" She is holding her granddaughter, who, though only one year and ten months old, can already recognize photographs.
Senior journalist Chang Cheng compares Bao Bon Phuong to the "Web 2.0." Readers are not only the main characters, but they also serve simultaneously as writers and reporters. He is happy to serve as a stepping stone for them to advance their messages far and wide.
Since 1989, several million foreign workers have come to Taiwan to fill the lowest rungs of the local labor market. They have made major contributions to life here, but mainstream society has largely ignored their voices and denied them their rights. The radio shows and newspapers in Southeast Asian languages that have appeared in recent years represent the first step toward change.
Southeast Asian spouses in Taiwan / source: MOI (as of end Nov 2008)
Since 1989, several million foreign workers have come to Taiwan to fill the lowest rungs of the local labor market. They have made major contributions to life here, but mainstream society has largely ignored their voices and denied them their rights. The radio shows and newspapers in Southeast Asian languages that have appeared in recent years represent the first step toward change.
Southeast Asian workers in Taiwan / source: CLA (as of end Nov 2008)
Given a forum to express their opinions, foreign workers and foreign spouses demonstrate a surprising and boundless creativity. Bao Bon Phuong often receives submissions with illustrations from its readers. The illustrations and essays, from left to right, "New Year's" by Nguyen Thi Nhung, "Women's Day" and "Labor Day" by Tran Duy Hung, and "Mid-Autumn Festival" by Tran Thi Tuyet Nhung.