Aug 262013
 

Tekee Media has taken out one of the new Australian Arts in Asia Awards announced by Arts Minister Tony Burke

MEDIA RELEASE

The Hon Tony Burke MP
Minister for Minister for Immigration, Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship Minister for the Arts

INAUGURAL AUSTRALIAN ARTS IN ASIA AWARD FOR EAST TIMOR

An Australian musician working in East Timor has taken out one of the new Australian Arts in Asia Awards announced by Arts Minister Tony Burke in Sydney tonight.

Minister Burke presented the award to Tekee Media who took out the Music category for their musical publication Lian Husi Klamar: Musika Tradisional Husi Timor-Leste (Sounds of the Soul: The Traditional Music of East Timor), written by musician Ros Dunlop.

“These awards were created to recognise, celebrate and promote the Australian artists contributing to stronger, deeper and broader cultural links with Asian nations through their work in their countries,” Minister Burke said.

“Our relationship with East Timor is significant, and the contribution of Australian artists is demonstrated by the 2 nominations we received from artists engaging with East Timor.”

“Tonight we are celebrating this artist taking out the award for the Music category, along with the remaining 13 awards shared between Australian artists and arts organisations engaging with their counterparts from China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Mongolia.”

“I congratulate Tekee Media on their creativity and dedication, and thank them for their contribution to our relationship with East Timor through their strong collaborative partnerships with arts organisations in East Timor.”

Lian Husi Klamar: Musika Tradisional Husi Timor-Leste (Sounds of the Soul: The Traditional Music of East Timor) is the culmination of an extensive 10 year project in East Timor. The author recorded the traditional music of East Timor, a deeply hidden culture in danger of extinction, thus preserving it for future generations.

The book is published in two languages, Tetun and English and communicates the rich and diverse culture of Timor’s music making to the world. The book is further enhanced with paintings by Timorese artists, whose works depict various aspects of traditional musical culture.

There are transcriptions of songs in both western and Indonesian notation and also has an accompanying CD and DVD.

Tekee Media is a music-based organisation that is committed to helping the East Timorese revive their indigenous music and put it to practical contemporary use through the East Timorese education system. Their Sounds of the Soul publication is the culmination of a 10 year project to record and preserve the traditional music of East Timor.

The Australian Arts in Asia Awards were created to help promote the Australian Government’s commitment in the national cultural policy Creative Australia to the increasing engagement of artists and arts organisations in cultural exchanges building collaborative partnerships with their international counterparts.

For more information on the awards, visit: http://arts.gov.au/asiaawards

Thursday, 1 August, 2013