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EDITORIAL: An
opportunity lost
So much for all President Ma Ying-jeou¡¦s (°¨^¤E) talk about flexing Taiwan¡¦s soft
power. A recent incident has shown that when such an opportunity actually
arises, the Ma government shies away.
Described by some comic-lovers as the graphic novel equivalent of Cannes, the
annual Angouleme International Comics Festival in France attracts more than
400,000 visitors. It was thus, no doubt, a great honor when the organizers
invited Taiwan to be featured as the theme country for the festival in January
next year.
For anyone who takes pride in being Taiwanese and is eager for any opportunity
that allows Taiwan to make its mark on the international stage, the offer surely
presented a great platform from which the country¡¦s comic book artists could
shine. One would also think the government would embrace such an opportunity.
However, to the disappointment and shock of many, the Government Information
Office (GIO) rejected the invitation, citing a limited budget and a lack of time
to prepare for the event.
That explanation is anything but convincing.
What¡¦s more, the festival in August last year dispatched a representative,
Nicolas Finet, to Taiwan in a bid to gain more insight into Taiwan¡¦s comic book
development. During his stay, Finet reportedly met with GIO officials and comic
book artists to gain insight into the country¡¦s comics industry and gauge
interest in participating in a key way in the event. In other words, if the GIO
had really wanted to follow through with the plan, it would have kept a close
eye on developments.
The GIO¡¦s excuse that it did not have time to prepare was just that, an excuse,
and a poor one at that. If anything, such reasoning only highlights its
incompetence and inefficacy and reveals it to be an organization incapable of
coordinating the nation¡¦s comic book industry.
Seeking to curb a possible backlash over its rejection of the invitation, GIO
Minister Philip Yang (·¨¥Ã©ú) yesterday was quick to announce that Taiwan would,
nonetheless, be featured as the theme country at the International Festival of
Comic Books in Chambery, France, in October. Yang went on to add that size isn¡¦t
all that matters, as the Chambery event, which is smaller than the Angouleme
festival, had offered Taiwan preferential terms and conditions.
Granted, quality matters more than quantity, but in the case of Taiwan, which is
consistently being marginalized on the international stage because of Chinese
oppression and saber-rattling, one would think that the GIO would see the value
of a festival which offered far greater exposure.
This incident is reminiscent of the report not too long ago in which a number of
outstanding Taiwanese comic book artists chose to relocate their workshops to
China as the result of inducements from that country.
In this context, shouldn¡¦t the GIO have seen the Angouleme invitation as an
important opportunity to help promote the nation¡¦s work and artists in any way
it could?
Taiwan¡¦s neighbors, including South Korea and China, have in recent years
created substantial incentives to encourage the development of the local comic
book industry. The GIO, by contrast, should ask itself what it has done to
promote the nation¡¦s comic book industry, apart from sponsoring the odd drawing
competition here and there with meager cash awards.
At this year¡¦s Angouleme festival, nine Taiwanese comic artists participated in
the festival¡¦s 24-hour graphic marathon, in which they took up the challenge to
create a 24-page comic book within 24 hours. There is, however, only so much
artists can do on their own to promote Taiwan and their work without support
from the government.
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