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▲ Councilor Lee Sunhwa. Photo courtesy of Lee Sunhwa
I sincerely hope that Jeju will emerge as an “Island of Arts and Culture” in the year 2013.
Cultural and artistic collaboration as an expression of love between the people of Jeju and others across the globe is the most authentic form of “The World Comes to Jeju, and Jeju Goes to the World.” It is my great desire that preservation of The Gallery: Casa del Agua will serve as a catalyst.
The beautiful nature of Jeju, and Jeju people’s unique traditional culture, are impressive and have captured the attention of people around the world. Jeju people, however, for whom the nature, dialect and other features are very familiar and natural, tend to subcon-sciously undervalue them as a result.
The Jeju haenyeo, or women divers’ culture is an example. These brave women of Jeju embody the economic independence of Asia, from whom the world can learn. In Jeju, however, this diving is no longer considered a good job and the number of divers has gradually declined.
It is therefore of foremost importance to obtain UNESCO protective listing for the haenyeo way of life, thus providing recognition and respect for this ‘mother’s culture,’ as an example of the cultural heritage of humanity.
Inspired by the nature of Jeju Island, a variety of the world’s artists. including Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta of Casa del Agua, have freely explored their creativity in Jeju. I hope that this will be the year in which their artwork can be preserved and respected.
Furthermore, there is a growing number of immigrants residing here, and while their cultural backgrounds may be different from that of Jeju native people, they share an immense love for the island.
We need a cooperative effort, now more than ever, to reach out to one another in order to coexist and communicate as one people, dreaming together of Jeju’s bright future.
Jeju’s unique culture and traditions can be preserved side-by-side with cultural diversity, for true prosperity; in con-sistently working together while acknowledging our differences, we can create a new culture.
The 21st century zeitgeist is a spirit of cultural fusion which I embrace.
By Lee Sunhwa contributor@jejuweekly.com
