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			<title>Culture RSS</title>
			<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/culture-rss.html</link>
			<description></description>
			<language>en</language>
			<copyright>Soka Gakkai International (SGI) 2006</copyright>
			<ttl>120</ttl><item>
		<title>Mongolia's Sky Melody Ensemble Tours Taiwan</title>
                <pubDate>Sat, 13 Apr 2013 16:07:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2013/mongolias-sky-melody-ensemble-tours-taiwan.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ From
April 3-13, the Sky Melody Ensemble, made up of members of the National Song and
Dance Ensemble of Mongolia, toured Taiwan at the invitation of the Chin-Shuan
Cultural and Educational Foundation, a Taiwan Soka Association (TSA) affiliate.
Led by bandleader Bat-Orshikh Badarch and Japan-based Mongolian singer Oyunna, the
ensemble performed to full-house audiences in Kaohsiung, Taichung, Taipei and
Taoyuan, in a total of nine concerts.
Each
performance showcased traditional Mongolian music, dance, and vocal arts,
including Kh&ouml;&ouml;mei, overtone-singing (commonly
known as Mongolian throat singing), which is considered an intangible cultural heritage
of humanity by UNESCO.
The conclusion of the folk dance featuring milk bowls
The ensemble brought to life the history of ]]></description>		
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		<title>SGM Art and Cultural Exchange Aims to Deepen Malaysia-China Friendship</title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 07 Apr 2013 16:57:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2013/sgm-art-cultural-exchange-malaysia-china-friendship.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ In March and early April, at its Wisma Kebudayaan center, Soka
Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) organized a lecture and two exhibitions to celebrate and
further foster friendship between Malaysia and China through art and cultural
exchange. In his speech at one of the events, SGM General Director Koh Sia Feai
stated that relationships built through art and culture build friendships
across borders that last forever.
The first event, a lecture titled "Views on the Substance of
Confucian Learning in Late Imperial China" by Dr. Chu Hung-lam, professor
of Chinese Culture at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, took place on March
9. Professor Chu, who is also the director of the ]]></description>		
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		<title>Youth Peace Culture Festival Held in Argentina</title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 03 Mar 2013 10:42:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2013/youth-peace-culture-festival-argentina.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ On March 2 and 3, SGI-Argentina held their Fourth Youth
Peace Culture Festival at the Usina del Arte theater in Buenos Aires. A
total of 6,000 youth, including performers and guests, attended the event. The
festival also commemorated the 20th anniversary since the holding of SGI-Argentina's
first general meeting in February 1993 which was attended by SGI President Daisaku
Ikeda during his first visit to the country.
Entertainment included an array of songs and dances such as
tango and a performance by the SGI-Argentina Ikeda Vanguard Orchestra. Mr.
Ikeda also sent a congratulatory message.
Drum performance
[Adapted from the
March 10, 2013, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, Soka Gakkai, Japan; photos ]]></description>		
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		<title>Min-On Concert Association Hosts Shenyang Acrobatic Troupe Tour of Japan</title>
                <pubDate>Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:28:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2013/min-on-shenyang-acrobatic-troupe.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ On March 1, at the invitation of the Min-On Concert
Association, the Shenyang Acrobatic Troupe of China premiered at Sagami-Ono
Green Hall in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Titled "Sky Mirage," the 52-member show included drum juggling,
pole climbing, unicycle dancing and other such acrobatic feats.
The troupe has won awards at international acrobatics
festivals such as the Festival
Mondial du Cirque de l'Avenir in Paris and is currently carrying out a 41-city tour of Japan which
will run until the end of May, sponsored by Min-On together with many other supporting
groups including tv asahi and the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo. In early May, a
number of performers from the ]]></description>		
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		<title>SGI-Gulf Hosts Poetry Symposium in Dubai</title>
                <pubDate>Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:23:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2013/sgi-gulf-hosts-poetry-symposium-in-dubai.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ On February 14, SGI-Gulf hosted its second annual poetry
symposium, "The Poetic Heart: Connecting Humanity," at the Dubai Knowledge
Village in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The event was held in association
with Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai International Academic City.
Seven international poets recited pieces on the themes of
world peace, universal harmony and environmental protection in their native
languages of Arabic, English, Italian, Persian, Malayalam, and Japanese. Over 360
people, including dignitaries, artists and junior high and high school students
from some 20 schools attended the event.
Dr.
Francesca Corrao from Italy, Dr. Qais Ghanem and Mr. Talal Al Sabiri from the
UAE, Mrs. Silvana Salmanpour from Iran and ]]></description>		
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		<title>SGI-Spain Participates in Poetry Reading in Madrid</title>
                <pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:10:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2013/sgi-spain-poetry-reading-madrid.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ On February 6, the historic Corral de Comedias de
Alcal&aacute; theater in Madrid, Spain, hosted a poetry reading as part of its annual
poetry series. Soka
Gakkai de Espa&ntilde;a (SGI-Spain) supported
the event together with the University of Alcal&aacute; and Amargord Publishing House.
The Corral de Comedias de Alcal&aacute; is a theater and museum
originally built in the early 17th century as an open-air theater. It currently
hosts a variety of performances from concerts, dance and theater to movie
screenings.
Professional actors, actresses and singers who are members of SGI-Spain's artists group presented 50 well-known Japanese&nbsp;waka&nbsp;and&nbsp;haiku&nbsp;together with 11 poems by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda against a backdrop of colorful ]]></description>		
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		<title>SGI-Macau Sponsors Guangxi-Macau Art Exchange</title>
                <pubDate>Sat, 12 Jan 2013 23:59:40 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2013/sgi-macau-sponsors-guangxi-macau-art-exchange.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ On January 12, SGI-Macau, together with the
Chinese Educators Association of Macau and Guangxi Arts Institute of Nanning,
China, cosponsored a student art exchange. The event was also supported by the Macau
Artist Society, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) and Macao
Polytechnic Institute (MPI), among others. 
In total, 25 students from Guangxi Arts Institute
and 73 students from 19 junior and senior high schools in Macau got together to
sketch and paint atop the Guia Lighthouse, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the historic
center of Macau. &nbsp;
Later the same day, an award ceremony for
the students' work was held at MPI and attended by distinguished ]]></description>		
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		<title>SGM Hosts International Calligraphy Exhibition and Convention</title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 16 Dec 2012 21:31:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2012/sgm-international-calligraphy-exhibition.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ From December 8-16, Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) hosted the 10th
International Calligraphy Exhibition and Convention, showcasing some 360 calligraphic works by
artists from 21 countries at its Wisma Kebudayaan center in Kuala Lumpur. The exhibition,
held for the second time in Malaysia, was co-organized by the International
Calligraphers' Federation, Negeri Sembilan Chin Woo Athletic
Association, the Calligraphy Society of Malaysia and SGM. 
Malaysian Minister of Health Y.B. Dato' Sri Liow Tiong Lai was
guest of honor at the exhibition's opening ceremony on December 8. In his speech he praised the effort that goes into producing
fine calligraphic work and, at a time when young people spend
more time ]]></description>		
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		<title>Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Donates "Tavola Doria" to Italy</title>
                <pubDate>Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:40:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2012/tokyo-fuji-art-museum-donates-tavola-doria-to-italy.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ In a joint statement released on November 27 in Rome, Italy, the Tokyo Fuji
Art Museum (TFAM) and the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities
announced that they have formally concluded an agreement of long-term
cooperation, as well as TFAM's donation to the Italian Republic of a major 16th-century
painting known as the "Tavola Doria."
An oil on panel (86x115 cm) painting, the Tavola Doria depicts a key scene
of the design for the wall painting of the Battle of Anghiari that Leonardo da
Vinci was commissioned to paint for the Palazzo Vecchio's Hall of the Five
Hundred in Florence, Italy.
Under terms of the agreement, the Italian ]]></description>		
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		<title>Min-On Showcases Indian Classical Dance Series</title>
                <pubDate>Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:45:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2012/min-on-indian-classical-dance-series.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ Celebrating
60 years of diplomatic ties between India and Japan, the Min-On Concert
Association hosted a concert series featuring some of India's most prominent classical dancers and musicians who performed at 12
different venues throughout Japan between November 26 and December 14. The series,
titled A Creative Integration of Indian
Classical Dances, featured three forms of Indian classical dance and a new
collaborative fusion called "Ekatava,"
specially choreographed for the Japan tour which began in Hiroshima.
The
concerts featured performances of East Indian Odissi by Daksha Mashruwala,
North Indian Kathak including a dance by award-winning Kathak dancer,
choreographer and teacher Uma Dogra and South Indian Bharatanatyam by Vaibhav
Arekar. Classical music performances ]]></description>		
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		<title>SGI-Uruguay Celebrates Diversity and Peace Through Music and Culture</title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 25 Nov 2012 16:34:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2012/sgi-uruguay-music-culture-festival.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ In October and November, SGI-Uruguay held two events promoting
friendship and peace through cultural exchange and music at its culture center
in the capital Montevideo.&nbsp;
The first was a choral festival for peace held on October
20. SGI-Uruguay General Director Hiroyuki Kaetsu opened the festival, which has
been held every year since 2009.The festival featured choral groups from a
diverse array of Uruguayan cultural traditions. The groups performed songs
ranging from well-loved classics to those of freedom and resistance.
Audience members at the choral festival (Oct. 20)
Representing the Afro-Uruguayan community and the musical
tradition of Candombe was Afrogama,
who performed a series of powerful
tunes including the Pan-African liberation
anthem "Nkosi Sikelel' ]]></description>		
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		<title>SGI Affiliate Brings Korean Performance Troupe to Taiwan</title>
                <pubDate>Mon, 19 Nov 2012 23:41:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2012/sgi-korean-performance-troupe-taiwan.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ The Chin-Shuan Cultural
and Educational Foundation, an affiliate of Taiwan Soka Association (TSA),
hosted the Seoul Performing Arts Company on a musical tour across
Taiwan from November 10 to 19.
The performance series was titled "The
Splendor of Traditional Korean Culture." It featured Korean folk songs and dances ranging from a traditional harvest prayer called "A Game of
Four Instruments"--in
which a simple sound play between two gongs and two drums expressed a vast range
of human emotion--to "Music from the Farming Masses."
The troupe greets audience members after their show in Taipei
The troupe performed to
full house audiences in the Yuanlin Township of Changhua County, Hsinchu City,
Kaohsiung City and ]]></description>		
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		<title>Youth Festivals Held in Bolivia and Peru</title>
                <pubDate>Sat, 17 Nov 2012 16:22:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2012/youth-festivals-bolivia-peru.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ In November, both SGI-Bolivia and SGI-Peru
commemorated the 50th anniversaries of the founding of the first SGI chapter in
their respective countries.
On November 17, SGI-Bolivia held a youth
culture festival in Santa Cruz, the theme of which was promoting humanism and
peace. Some 2,500 people attended, including 500 SGI-Bolivia youth from
throughout the country. Performances included a variety of folk dances.
Guests in attendance were former Rector&nbsp;of the Private University of Santa Cruz de la Sierra&nbsp;Jos&eacute; Antonio de Chazal Palomo; President Gonzalo Taboada L&oacute;pez of the National Academy of Science of Bolivia (ANCB);&nbsp;&nbsp;ANCB Former President Antonio Saavedra Mu&ntilde;oz; and Mois&eacute;s Fanor Salces Lozano and Rosario Leonor ]]></description>		
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		<title>Min-On Holds 16th Tokyo International Conducting Competition</title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 04 Nov 2012 11:46:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2012/min-on-16th-tokyo-international-conducting-competition.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ The 16th Tokyo International Music Competition
for Conducting organized by the Min-On Concert Association was held from
October 29 to November 4 at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. A total of 180
applicants from 29 countries had submitted documents and videos of their conducting,
and 24 outstanding candidates (17 male and 7 female) from Austria, Israel,
Japan, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, South Korea, Taiwan and the USA were invited
to compete in the two preliminary rounds and the finals. 
Required pieces for all candidates in
the first preliminary round consisted of two movements of Beethoven's Symphony
No. 1 in C major. In the second preliminary round, pieces by ]]></description>		
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		<title>Seafarers' Photography Exhibition Held in Yokohama</title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 14 Oct 2012 17:08:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2012/seafarers-photography-exhibition-yokohama.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ From October 5-14, "Beyond the Horizon," an exhibition of photography by the Hato-kai--a group of Soka Gakkai members involved in maritime occupations--was shown at Yamashita Park in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. The exhibition included some 80 photographs capturing the ocean&rsquo;s wild beauty, bustling port scenes and village life, as witnessed by seafarers when at sea and at ports of call.
Maritime work often requires seafarers to spend months or years away from their families and communities. The Hato-kai started as a group of 37 members in August 1971 as a means of providing a network of support in faith. 
In the ]]></description>		
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		<title>SGI-Korea Sponsors 78th PEN International Congress</title>
                <pubDate>Sat, 15 Sep 2012 23:17:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2012/sgi-korea-sponsors-78th-pen-international-congress.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ From September 9-15, the PEN International Korean Center hosted the 78th PEN International Congress at the Hyundai Hotel in Gyeongju, Korea, under the theme &ldquo;Literature, Media and Human Rights,&rdquo; focusing on the impact of media on literature and its role in defending the right to freedom of expression, including digital freedom. Some 1,000 writers from over 80 countries and territories&nbsp;participated in the various sessions and side events, which included literary forums, book signings, readings and exhibitions. SGI-Korea was one of four official sponsors of the event, alongside Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, the local government of Gyeongju, and the Korea Radioactive Waste Management ]]></description>		
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		<title>Youth Culture Festival Celebrates Taiwan Soka Association's 50th Anniversary, Exchange with Okinawa</title>
                <pubDate>Sun, 02 Sep 2012 23:55:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2012/taiwan-soka-associations-okinawa-50th-anniversary-exchange.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ From September 1-2, Taiwan Soka Association (TSA) held a two-day Youth Culture Festival commemorating the 50th anniversary of TSA at the Taipei International Convention Center. Some 10,000 people attended the celebration, including Soka Gakkai youth from Okinawa, Japan, who have enjoyed a long-standing tradition of cultural exchange with TSA.
Participants enjoyed an array of music by TSA's youth performing groups, including the Soka Victory Orchestra, Pacific Ocean Chorus, Angel Fife and Drum Corps, and Li-ming (Dawn) Dance Group. One highlight was a choral performance of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" in German. Youth members from Okinawa also performed a traditional Okinawan dance.
TSA ]]></description>		
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		<title>Soka Gakkai Malaysia Participates in National Day Celebrations</title>
                <pubDate>Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:58:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2012/soka-gakkai-malaysia-national-day-celebrations.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ On August 31, some 1,000 Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) youth members participated in Malaysia&rsquo;s 55th National Day celebrations at the National Stadium, part of the Bukit Jalil National Sports Complex in Kuala Lumpur. The theme of this year's celebrations was &ldquo;A Promise Fulfilled.&rdquo; SGM's performance included gymnastics, formations such as human pyramids and human towers and a flag display. The youth, the majority of whom were students and first-time performers, had been rehearsing for the event for about two months and were among 8,500 other performers.
SGM members perform at National Day celebrations in Johor State
An audience of 100,000 viewed the ]]></description>		
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		<title>Min-On Hosts Ghana Dance Ensemble's Tour of Japan</title>
                <pubDate>Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:37:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2012/min-on-ghana-dance-ensembles-tour-japan.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ On August 20, at the invitation of the Min-On Concert Association, the Ghana Dance Ensemble performed at the Nitori Culture Hall in Sapporo City, Hokkaido Prefecture. This performance, the first in a 19-city tour of Japan, launched the seventh installment of Min-On's "Musical Voyage Across Africa." The show featured a wide range of music and dance of the Republic of Ghana and marked the 55th anniversary of the country's independence.
Dancers performing Ahengoro
The performance included a medley of dances and songs, such as Ahengoro, Atsea, Jira and Gonje. Ahengoro is performed at ceremonial events such as the Akan ceremony during which ]]></description>		
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		<title>Singapore Soka Association Give Fiery Performance at National Day Parade</title>
                <pubDate>Thu, 09 Aug 2012 23:39:00 +0900</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2012/ssa-fiery-performance-national-day-parade.html</link>
	        <description><![CDATA[ On August 9, in celebration of 47 years of Singapore's independence, members of Singapore Soka Association (SSA) staged a pyrotechnic performance at the National Day Parade on a floating platform in Marina Bay. The celebrations, themed "Loving Singapore, Our Home," was viewed by some 26,000 spectators including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Tony Tan Keng Yam. This was SSA&rsquo;s 18th consecutive appearance in the National Day Parade.
The 640 SSA members, after over four months of practice and dressed in red and gold costumes, began their performance just after sundown with a minute-long shower of sparks from their pyrotechnic ]]></description>		
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