The Ministry of Culture is implementing many projects and activities, under its short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans, in developing Thailand into an ASEAN Cultural Center.
Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat said that the plans had been discussed at a recent meeting, which came up with 13 projects and activities to be carried out in 2015, when the ASEAN Community goes into full effect.
Among the projects, an ASEAN Cultural Center will be established at the Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center on Ratchadamnoen Avenue in Bangkok. It will feature exhibits showing ASEAN cultural heritage and way of living. The center will offer various services for searching for information about ASEAN countries. There will be a library and an exhibition site, and cultural products will also be on sale, as well. The center is expected to be officially opened on 8 August 2015, which marks the ASEAN Day Celebration.
The Culture Minister said that a book, Do & Don’t Cultural Practices in ASEAN, will be published to provide better knowledge and understanding about the cultures and identities of various ASEAN countries. A seminar on ASEAN indigenous textiles will be held among various events.
From 27 February to 1 March, an ASEAN food festival will take place at the CentralWorld Shopping Complex in Bangkok. The Religious Affairs Department will hold a seminar on the topic “Beliefs, Religions, Virtue, and Ethics in ASEAN” at the National Library on 27-28 March.
Between 21 and 26 April, a meeting on ASEAN and Asian literature and culture will be held in Phuket. Throughout the month of May, a photo exhibition will be held featuring the ASEAN way of life. A workshop for ASEAN teachers of music and classical dance will be organized from 16 to 19 June.
A Chinese opera will take place at the Thailand Cultural Center throughout the month of July. In August, there will be a seminar on ASEAN languages and songs, as well as demonstrations of ASEAN performances, organized by the Fine Arts Department.
An international meeting on ASEAN folk performances will be held at the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Center in Bangkok from 4 to 6 September. In October, an ASEAN film festival will be held at the Siam Paragon Shopping Mall in Bangkok.
Throughout the month of November, there will be an exhibition on ASEAN heritage at the National Museum Bangkok. From 1 to 10 December, an ASEAN Ramayana Festival will take place at Sanam Luang ceremonial ground.
The Culture Minister stated that all these projects and activities aim to raise ASEAN awareness and understanding among the people, who would learn more about ASEAN cultural similarities and differences. They are included in the plans to develop Thailand as an ASEAN Cultural Center.