TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Taiwan Youth Association for Transitional Justice will host the 12th annual Gong Sheng Music Commemoration on Wednesday (Feb. 28) to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the tragic 228 Massacre.
Held at Liberty Square, the event is themed 'Polyphonic Channels Under the Scar' and aims to explore how the 1947 228 Massacre has left a lingering scar on Taiwan's history. The event intends to foster discussions about past, present, and future societal issues stemming from this historic trauma.
The event encompasses music performances, a human rights marketplace, and interactive exhibits, offering participants a multi-faceted remembrance of the 228 Incident. Artists set to perform include Crescent Lament, PóTó Hardware Store, A RooT, and Enno Cheng.
Scholars and activists, including Wu Rwei-ren from Academia Sinica’s Institute of Taiwan History, Cheng Chu-mei, the daughter of late democracy advocate Cheng Nan-jung, and Yang Ta-cheng, lead singer of Fire Ex., will be delivering short talks, sharing their perspectives on the 228 Incident and transitional justice.
In addition to music and speeches, exhibitions will narrate overseas 228 commemorations during the Martial Law period, 228 Massacre Incident-related arts, and memories linked to various monuments, providing diverse perspectives for discourse. Interactive exhibits are intended to give visitors a chance to engage with history.
A human rights marketplace comprising 36 units from various fields discussing topics such as indigenous peoples, migrant workers, laborers, gender, environment, education, and political violence healing, a crucial subject of transitional justice, will be featured.
The Gong Sheng Music Commemoration, as the largest civilian 228 Massacre commemoration event, scrutinizes the government's efforts towards transitional justice. With collective efforts from different societal sectors, Taiwan has achieved the institutionalization of transitional justice and the unveiling of political archives.
The Taiwan Youth Association for Transitional Justice appeals to all political parties, both in power and in opposition, to acknowledge their duty towards transitional justice. The association calls for recognition of the essence of transitional justice in sustaining democracy and healing Taiwan's historical wounds.
