The Asia Dialogue
September 21, 2019
By: Chia Sui Crystal Sun

What can indigenous media do in Taiwan? At its best it can strengthen indigenous identities by showcasing tribal heritage, helping to maintain local languages and providing a public sphere for debate about indigenous issues. Indigenous media can also convey significant meaning as an indicator of cultural and societal change.

When indigenous society encounters change, media is an important means to engage with social movements, cultural changes and the maintenance of endangered languages. From a cultural policy perspective, indigenous media records and preserves traditions, enhances and facilitates cultural forms such as music and crafts, and can also build connections to the wider world. Quality media productions can positively represent indigenous people and raise cultural visibility.

To become truly multicultural, society needs to value and advance each indigenous ethnic group

Taiwan Indigenous Television (TITV) is the most representative organisation of indigenous media in Taiwan and is governed by the Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation. TITV’s mission is to “develop themes dedicated to indigenous peoples and guarantee their right to have access to broadcast and other forms of media”. TITV offers programs in Chinese and indigenous languages and includes news programs designed to build dynamic connections to a wider world by showing major events in global indigenous communities. In 2017 under authority of the Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation, Alian 96.3 joined TITV to provide greater variety for audiences and to explore indigenous issues.    [FULL  STORY]