To manifest the implementation and importance of immigrants’ human rights and multiculturalism, the Ministry of the Interior set December 12 as the “Migrants Day” of Taiwan. The National Immigrant Agency, for the first time, moved to Tainan and cooperated with Tainan City Government to hold a grand celebration event, “Taiwan, Diversity Calls It Home” at the Chimei Museum.
The event attracted more than a thousand people, new residents, and migrant workers participating in. The Minister of the Interior, Xu Guoyong, and the Mayor of Tainan City, Huang Weizhe, also attended the event. Apart from the ambassador, Neijon Rema Edwards of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, joining in, there were also many honored guests from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Italy, the United States, Japan and, South Korea blessing the country together. Additionally, they carried out the ceremony of naturalization and praised the outstanding new residents and migrant workers in a warm and lively atmosphere.
The opening of the event broke through the traditional and invited new residents to enjoy the splendid performance of the Local “Ten- Drum”, which gained a standing ovation. Besides, new residents from various countries brought in excellent multicultural performances such as Egyptian Whirling Dervish, Cambodian Apsara Dance, Chinese Cheongsam Catwalk, Indonesian Shaman, Paraguayan love songs, as well as 13 cultural exhibition booths of South America, Bolivia, and African culture brimming the event with exotic atmospheres as if it was a small global village. The celebration event moved to Tainan City having 400 years of history to present the value of Taiwan’s inclusiveness and multiculturalism and combined the local elements of Tainan to invite an indigenous dance group to compete with a traditional dance group of the middle east. A participant passing through all of the booths would earn a pair of Tainan’s special hollow cake meaning “happiness” in Mandarin.
“I love Taiwan! I’m truly Taiwanese! Awesome!” This year’s event, for the first time, included the ceremony of naturalization and invited many naturalized representatives to join such as the former chief of Belgium Office in Taipei, Mr. Min Ziyong, a U.S.-based foreign analyst named “Mr. Taiwan”, Peter Kurz, an Australian artificial intelligence expert, David Lee, a British designer who built the international platform of Taiwan’s creative workers, Ian Perkins, a South African offshore wind power expert who loves Taiwan, a daughter-in-law-to-be, Sawano Koichi, and a son-in-law-to-be, Zheng Chengjiao. Minister Xu Guoyong and Mayor Huang Weizhe respectively issued certificates of ROC Naturalization and presented a souvenir of the centenary establishment of the Office of the President to recognize them as true Taiwanese.
Moreover, to appreciate the new power brought by the immigrant, many contributors were lauded by the government such as an Indonesian worker, Maya, who groups migrant workers and initiates the activity of beach cleanup to maintain the beautiful coastlines of Taiwan, Fr. Hugo Peter, who is a Swiss and has devoted to Taiwan for more than 40 years, and a Vietnamese, Ms. Ruan Meixiang, who has come to Taiwan for studying a doctorate, promotes International Vietnamese Proficiency Test(IVPT), and advocates the exchange and communication of New Southbound talents, and Ms. Li Jinxian, who respects her parents and has touching stories…etc. The audience all witnessed the glorious moment and expressed their gratitude to these contributors.
Xu Guoyong stated that there are currently more than 550,000 new residents who have come to Taiwan due to marriages, plus the new second-generation children, the total number is mostly one million. Furthermore, there are hundreds of thousands of foreign people working hard, studying hard, preaching, and investing in businesses that have contributed a lot to Taiwan’s infrastructures, economic developments, senior care, and cultural life...etc. The immigrant has made Taiwan more and more brilliant and achieved this unique style of the current society. Minister Xu used the drumming performance as a metaphor that many kinds of drums can play a variety of sounds of drums to present Taiwan, an immigrant country, as a colorful land.
The mayor of Tainan City Government, Huang Weizhe, also said that no matter whether they are new residents, old residents, new Taiwanese, or indigenous Taiwanese, all of the people are family. New residents from various countries have formed Taiwan to become an immigrant society, and these immigrant colors have also enriched the local food culture and the residents’ lives. Every new resident who comes to Taiwan has a different story, whether it is because of marriage, work or study, they live together in this city. It is hoped that through this Migrants Day celebration event, new residents could feel the thoughtful service of this city and regard Taiwan as another hometown, and more new residents are welcome to join Tainan, this big family.
