Taiwan and Slovakia will expand cultural exchanges under a pact inked May 22 by the Council of Agriculture’s Forestry Bureau and Slovak Economic and Cultural Office Taipei.
Concluded by FB Director General Lin Hwa-ching and SECOT Rep. Martin Podstavek, the agreement centers on promotion of forestry-related activities and events strengthening environmental conservation. It is also part of joint celebrations marking the U.N.-sanctioned International Day for Biological Diversity.
Lin said one of the agreement’s first cooperative efforts is publication in Slovakia of picture book “Lokot, The Fish that Lived in a Tree, A Tale from the Pangcah Tribe” by
Bratislavia-headquartered firm Perfekt.
The title represents an innovative bureau undertaking to teach young people of the need to care for and respect Mother Nature, Lin said, adding that plans are in the pipeline to make it available in rural elementary schools around Taiwan.
According to Podstavek, the book is certain to be well-received and will share the beauty of Taiwan with the children of Slovakia.
Pangcah author Miya said the heartwarming story is inspired by a traditional tale of mutual assistance and interconnection between the land and the sea. The Pangcah, or Amis as they are also known, are one of Taiwan’s 16 officially recognized indigenous groups.
Indigenous peoples have lived in Taiwan for millenniums. The latest statistics from the Cabinet-level Council of Indigenous Peoples puts the population of Taiwan’s tribes at around 567,000, or 2 percent of the country’s 23 million total.
The pact is another example of strong Taiwan-Slovakia cooperation. In December 2018, historic Alishan Forest Railway in southern Taiwan sealed a sister deal with Cierny Hron Forestry Railroad. (TYT-E)
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