第三届全国区域少数民族 (“维 藏 朝 蒙”) 舞蹈课程展示暨课程建设的研讨会
The Third National Ethnic Minority Dance Symposium: A seminar and exhibition of performance and curriculum building
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Introduction
Introduction
This project is a compilation of images and videos that I took during a trip to attend an important dance symposium ( The Third National Ethnic Minority Dance Symposium: A seminar and exhibition of performance and curriculum building) in Ürümchi, Xinjiang Province, China in the summer of 2017. The political climate of today has cast these images and my understanding of the trip into a different political light. As such, I am grappling with understanding the dialogue between the past as captured in these videos and the present as reported almost daily in the news.
Regional Introduction
Regional Introduction
Ürümchi is the capital city of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous region.
Xinjiang covers one sixth of China's land mass but only has a population of 19 million people.
Turkic -speaking muslims, Uighur's make up 45 percent of Xinjiang's population but only 13 percent of Urumqi's population.
The rest of Xinjiang's population is made up of Han, Kazakhs, Hui, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Mongols and Russians.
In September 2018 the UN issued a report that says it has credible evidence to suggest as many as 1 million Uighurs are in detention camps. Most scholars agree that this number is closer to 2 million and the people and reasons for detention are completely arbitrary. Uyghurs from all walks of life, from high-ranking CCP officials to famous academics, to pop stars, to teachers, mothers, street cleaners, and young children are being put into camps. Anyone who has had contact with the people outside of China will be detained. Thus, although ostensibly "unpolitical," this project is highly and suddenly politically sensitive.
Political Introduction
Political Introduction
While the symposium I attended promoted the "silk road culture" and a vibrant spirit of cultural exchange, there was a highly visible security apparatus everywhere in the city.
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