I would like to share with you my short visit to MAINS and ARENA Center in Seoul, on June 27th and 28th. It was an unplanned visit, yet from the very start, my trip to Korea was linked to ARENA. I was invited by the Korean National Commission for UNESCO to give the key note lecture in the opening of the UNESCO 1st Asian Youth Forum, in Jeju Island on June 25-28, 2007 to address the issue of “Intercultural/interfaith Dialogue to ensure peace.” On the letter of invitation, the committee mentioned that my name was endorsed by Arena Center executive director, Frances Lee (he later acknowledged that he did, but had forgotten about it). The other “ARENA connection” was Dr. Samuel Lee, at present the Secretary General of KNCU.
After delivering the key note lecture, I discovered that I was quite dispensable, as the vigorous 53 young people from the 24 countries took it on their own to draft their resolutions and action plans on intercultural/interfaith issues. Dr. Samuel Lee used his cell phone to connect to Jung Ok in Seoul and we soon cooked up an instant plan to visit the ARENA office and MAINS one day before my departure to Jakarta.
ARENA center program officer, Jiyoung Lee, picked me up at the Gimpo Airport at 15.40 on June 27th.. Although she never met me before, she apparently recognized my face from the ARENA website (the photo from the web was also used in the 1st Asian Youth Forum program book). In no time we arrived at the small but friendly atmosphere of the Sungkonghoe University compound, and dragged my suitcase up the “green house” 3 floored staircase to the ARENA center office. Compared to the Hong Kong ARENA office, the Seoul office – quoting Jung Ok –“has a small town or rural atmosphere”. The office takes up around one third of a whole floor, sharing the space with Sungkonghoe faculty members, including the office of Dr. Hur Song Woo, a gender scholar, one of the new ARENA fellows elected in the last year’s congress, whom I met during the Inter-Asia Cultural Studies Shanghai Conference earlier this month. Francis Lee welcomed me to the office that still have unpacked boxes from Hong Kong. It is quite apparent, that Francis and his staff have their hands full. While making myself home at the center, I cannot help overhearing Francis’s phone conversation with EED representatives about the missing reports from ARENA’s projects in previous years – which Peter Franke has been informing us in ARENA council mailing list.
Around 1700, Francis took me to MAINS, or to be exact, to come to Prof. Mohiuddin’s class on “Critical Understanding of Culture in Asia”, attended by 12 students from ten countries in Asia (Korea, Indonesia, Burma, the Philippines, Bangladesh, India, Mongolia, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka). They were the first batch of graduate students, who had just completed their first semester, starting in February, and was starting their first week of the summer semester. Among them was Nur Kholis, from Indonesian environmental organization, WALHI, who was just nominated as one of the new members of the Indonesian Human Rights Commission (the youngest member). We introduced ourselves, and promised to meet again for a discussion on multicultural issues at 9.00 the following morning. This guest lecture session was an instant suggestion by Mohiuddin, which everybody agreed.
After putting my suitcase in Mohiuddin’s appartment – 10 minutes walk from the campus, Mohiuddin, Francis and I boarded the subway to go to down town Seoul to meet with Jung Ok, and later on Jiyoung. We had dinner in a cozy organic, Korean style restaurant in Inchidong (One of the staff there had been a student in Sungkonghoe Korean NGO studies). Over dinner, and later Korean style tea, we were engrossed in discussion over ARENA matters until around 12.00. There was an enthusiasm in discussing the Regional School, which will commence in a few days to come. In the regional school on “Democracy and Democratization”. MAINS graduate students and local NGO activists will interact with MAINS faculty members and a number of ARENA fellows from the region.
By the time Mohiuddin took me back to his appartment, it was past midnight. Mohiuddin generously offered me the best room in the appartment, the one with an open window to let in the fresh night air. He also prepared the thickest and softest futton, pillows and bedcovers for me to snore through the night. He said that this had been and would be the first class accomodation for visiting ARENA fellows. But I will tell you about another treat that you need to ask him during your stay. In the morning, as soon as I woke up, there was a sweet aroma from the oven. Mohiuddin was warming up the precooked rice daal and chicken, home made by the codirector of MAINS himself! So far this has been the best breakfast of my life. Mohiudin told me that Ohashi, who had experienced this MAINS home stay treat, shared this perspective.
Back to Mohiuddin class at 9.00 in the morning, I started the discussion by raising a question : “Why is it – that in 21st century – we need so urgently to talk about ‘intercultural/interfaith’ dialogue, ‘multiculturalism’, as if awakened after a millenium to realize that “culture matters”? The class brought in very rich reflection on this issue, starting from the most personal dimension – one’s cultural identity – to the external forces that shape it (State policies, local and national forces, globalization, colonial history and postcolonial condition, U.S. neoliberal expansion and dichotomizing war on terror, etc). One student seemed a bit annoyed with my interactive approach and demanded me, as a speaker, not to ask questions but to give alternative strategies for inter-Asia NGO activists. This useful intervention prompted the class to further discuss the problems and issues faced by pro-democracy activists in facing intolerance, extremism, and complex and complicated cultural issues on the ground. We then discuss transborder position and ideology and multiple strategies –the use of structural as well as informal cultural pathways – in order to critically intervene with dominant, essentialist and violence prone cultural discourse and praxis. The discussion stretched until 11 a.m., when I had to rush to Incheon airport, Nay Tun Naing, a MAINS student from Burma and now living in Seoul in exile, accompanied me to catch the bus, outlining for me the painful history of Burmese pro-democracy student’s movement, which had stretched from generation to generation. My visit to MAINS had given me much more opportunity to learn than to share my knowledge! Coming back from my ARENA visit, reflecting on all the discussions I had with Mohiuddin, Francis, Jung-Ok, Jiyoung, Samuel Lee, as well as my encounter with MAINS students, I jotted down a few points to ponder:
· ARENA has experienced major changes in the last few years, especially in its relocation to Seoul, and the setting up of MAINS. There has also been administrative difficulties, unsmooth transition from one executive director to the other, twice with disagreement over compensation, and complicated matters as it deals with the intricate social relations, feelings, etc. The challenge that ARENA face is to exist as an NGO entity, with a strong movement idealism and social-political dynamism and at the same time to have stability and strong accountability of funding administration and management. How can we create ARENA organizational culture, which combines both aspects? Previous and present ARENA board ouncil of fellows, and executive body have tried hard to do so. I hope we all can support our ARENA center in this difficult time to clear up all the missing reports and to regain funders’ support and faith in ARENA. I felt that as a scholar/activist I have been much empowered by ARENA, and I believe that ARENA still have so much to give in the future.
· In the course of my involvement with ARENA, I have often wondered, whether in the comfort zone of regularly meeting with beloved fellows, we have unintentionally established a club with limited entry and restricted ways for regeneration. However, when I met the graduate students of MAINS, I feel that ARENA has found a means for the proliferation of alternative ideas, networking, and for regenerating of knowledge, scholarship as well as spirit of activism. I suggest that all ARENA fellows, who are planning to travel in Korea or the neighboring region to contact ARENA center or MAINS, so that they can visit MAINS and share their time and exchange knowledge and expertise with MAINS graduate students. I hope MAINS will make use as much as possible the heterogenous body of knowledge, experience and expertise of ARENA fellows and link them with MAINS graduate students – who can become our future fellows and partners in the region. The link up of ARENA regional school project with MAINS is a brilliant idea. I hope this will continue in the future.
I thank Francis Lee, Mohiuddin, Jung-Ok, Jiyoung, Samuel Lee, for this great ARENA and MAINS experience, and to all ARENA fellows, Warm greetings from Indonesia,
Melani Budianta
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