CICI forum talks 'culture, fairness and communication'

Panel members and guest speakers of the 2021 Culture Communication Forum pose in front of guest speakers who joined via video call on Wednesday. [COREA IMAGE COMMUNICATION INSTITUTE]

The Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI)’s 2021 Culture Communication Forum (CCF) took place Tuesday and Wednesday at the Grand Hyatt Seoul hotel in central Seoul.

CICI is a non-profit organization dedicated to public diplomacy and promoting Korean culture. Its annual CCF, which started in 2010, gathers renowned cultural leaders from around the world to discuss a wide range of topics regarding culture in their respective countries and on a global scale. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, CICI has been conducting the forum with a mix of in-person speakers and video calls.

The topic of this year’s CCF was “culture, fairness and communication.” On Tuesday, the first day of the forum, invited speakers and panel members discussed the ambiguous impact of online platforms and social media on society, and how the online sphere can be more inclusive of minorities and less privileged individuals.

On Wednesday, the forum’s second and final day, CICI’s president Choi Jung-wha’s opening speech was followed by guest speakers’ presentations on a myriad of issues pertaining to fairness; ranging from basic income to equal access to culture and medical services.

Canadian filmmaker Scott Miller Berry advocated the necessity of basic income in order to alleviate systemic oppression and poverty, sharing his personal experience of how Covid-19 relief funds in his country helped him and other artists get by when the pandemic hit last year.

Miriam Sun, co-founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) Shanghai, stressed the importance of equal opportunities given to artists as well as the general public. Equal access and opportunities to art is a key mission of Sun's, and she is also striving to discover more talented female artists to make MoCA Shanghai’s exhibitions more diverse.

“The internet and social media is helpful as it allows artists to directly communicate with MoCA to present their art and ideas,” she added. MoCA also visits and hosts events on college campuses in China so that more students can access and experience art.

Other guest speakers and discussion panel members included U.S.-based medical NGO Afrimed Network’s media relations director Rod Fritz, Singaporean Ambassador to Korea Eric Teo, Mexican Ambassador to Korea Bruno Figueroa, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General Kim Won-soo, PMC Production’s artistic director Song Seung-whan best known for the hit musical “Nanta,” Visiting Professor Sohn Ji-ae of Ewha Womans University, photographer MJ Kim, French newspaper Le Figaro’s East Asia correspondent Sebastien Falletti and more.

The two-day forum concluded with a closing speech by Dinesh Patnaik, Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

The annual CCF is held jointly with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korean Culture and Information Service and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]