Better Business
October 2006
Banner photo: Partially Harvested Corn Field/corbis
Cultural Celebrations
Singapore Soka Association's performance during the
country's National Day celebrations
[Singapore Soka Association]
Singapore Soka Association (SSA) representatives took part in Singapore's 41st National Day extravaganza at the National Stadium on August 9. Singapore's top leaders, including President S. R. Nathan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, joined 60,000 citizens at the main event. Some 1,300 members of the Singapore Soka Association participated in gymnastic and cultural displays. SSA has participated in the National Day celebrations 21 times since first being invited in 1981.
SGI-Korea's fife-and-drum corps in full swing
[©Seikyo Shimbun]
The SGI-Korea Young Women's Division Arirang Fife-and-Drum Corps and Azure Light Chorus participated in international festivals in South Korea and China respectively during July. The Gangneung Youth Performing Arts Festival in Gangneung, South Korea, brought together performing arts groups from throughout the world for the sake of fostering intercultural understanding, while the World Choir Games in Amoy, China, featured more than 400 choirs from 80 nations.
The Peace Charity Culture Festival in Malaysia
[©Seikyo Shimbun]
Soka Gakkai Malaysia held a Peace Charity Culture Festival commemorating Ipoh City Day from June 9-11. The festival aimed to promote culture in the community and help create a harmonious society. The 800-plus performers ranging from elementary schoolchildren to adults presented modern and traditional dances, songs, chamber music, baton twirling and gymnastic displays, celebrating humanity's diversity and people's resilience, determination, courage and persistence. The festival raised RM200,000 (approximately US$54,000) to be donated to 28 charitable organizations.
An African dance performance by SGI-USA youth
[Azumi Nii]
Meanwhile, some 4,000 SGI-USA youth members from nine states sponsored a music festival held at the Lincoln Center in New York on July 16. The audience was treated to rap music, African, Latin and Asian dances, choruses, gymnastic displays, African drumming and hip-hop performances created around an epic poem presented to SGI youth members by SGI President Ikeda in June 1980.
