Fukuoka cultural prizes promote Asian studies

Fukuoka cultural prizes promote Asian studies

JAKARTA (JP): R.M. Koentjaraningrat, a prominent Indonesian
scientist, will receive the Grand Prize Award today at the 6th
Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prizes l995 in Fukuoka, Japan.

Fukuoka is located in the north of Kyushu island, the southern
most island in Japan.

Koentjaraningrat, a professor of anthropology, was chosen by
the committee for his significant contributions to the
establishment and development of anthropology in Indonesia. The
professor has also studied traditional Southeast Asian cultures.
His scientific works are considered monumental.

The Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prizes, sponsored by the city of
Fukuoka and the Yokatopia Foundation, were established in l990 to
honor individuals who have made outstanding achievements in the
cultivation and advancement of academic studies, arts and culture
in Asia -- thus contributing to the promotion of culture, mutual
understanding and peace in Asia.

Among past recipients are renowned American anthropologist
Clifford Geertz (l992), Chinese writer Ba Jin (l990), highly-
acclaimed Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa (l990), Indian
sitar Maestro Ravi Shankar (l991), former Thai prime minister
Kukrit Pramoj (l990) and Filipina architect Leandro V. Locsin
(l992). The only Indonesian who has received the prize is
historian and social scientist Taufik Abdullah. He won the
International Academic Prize in l991.

The prizes fall into three categories: the Grand Prize,
Academic Prizes, and the Arts and Cultural Prize.

The Grand Prize is presented to a recognized and
internationally respected individual who has made outstanding
contributions to intellectual and cultural formation of Asia. The
total prize is 5,000,000 yen (US$49,751).

The International and Domestic Academic Prizes are given every
year to a person or a group of people who have made extraordinary
achievements in the field of Asian studies, thus contributing to
the promotion of the world's understanding of the region. The
International Academic Prize is given to a non-Japanese person or
group, while the domestic prize is, of course, given to a
Japanese person or group.

The recipients are selected by the Fukuoka Asian Cultural
Prize Committee. There were 3,400 nominees from 53 nations for
the 6th Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prizes l995.

This year's winners include Prof. Hahn Ki-un, a noted educator
from South Korea who will receive the International Academic
Prize. Professor Hahn is one of the founding fathers of the
Korean education system. The professor labeled his theory
Foundationism in l957 when he was studying at Columbia
University. Foundationism has been further theorized and
systemized into a unique philosophy and theory of education,
accumulating his 40 years of research activities. Prof. Hahn's
major work entitled History of Korean Education (l963) is the
first book ever written on the entire history of the Korean
education system and ancient philosophy. The book has been
translated into several languages, including Japanese.

The Domestic Academic Prize was won by Prof. Noboru Karashima.
The 62-year old professor is a prominent expert on Indian history
and South Asia. He studies at the Institute for the Study of
Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa at the University of
Tokyo. His scientific works such as Cyclopedia of South Asia
(l992) Introducing India (l977), Historical Dimensions of State
and Society in Southeast Asia and The Dravidian World (l994) have
contributed to the Japanese people's understanding of South Asia
and Southeast Asia.

The Arts and Cultural Prize will be presented to Korean-born
video artist Nam June Paik. The 62-year contemporary musician is
a world pioneer in video arts. He studied music aesthetics at the
School of Aesthetics and Art History at the University of Tokyo.
After graduation, he went to Germany to study contemporary music.
In l959, he gave his maiden performance in Dusseldorf, Germany,
and shocked the audience by destroying a piano. He used 13
television sets for his video experiments with magnets in a solo
exhibition in l963. He later moved to New York and created
various innovative visual art works such as video sculpture,
video installation and satellite art. Paik has laid the
foundation of video art as a new expressive area of art. (raw)