Visitez Luang Prabang, et le reste du Laos

Luang Prabang Half-Marathon

Benolaos — 2019-06-10T08:30:05Z

The route will wind past many of Luang Prabang's top attractions such as Phousi Hill, the former Royal Palace and Wat Wisunalat; and will include three kilometres along the tranquil Nam Khan and Mekong rivers. Runners can choose to compete in 7km, 14km or 21km categories.

To register the race and for Hotel reservations, click here.

Website : www.luangprabanghalfmarathon.com
Facebook : www.facebook.com/LuangPrabangHalfMarathon?ref=hl

History of the race

In 2013 (its 1st year), the race, called ‘La Procession', drew around 250 participants from all over the world who ran to raise funds to build a vocational training centre.

In 2014, runners were lacing up their sneakers to support the construction of the Lao Friends Hospital for Children, which aims to provide high-quality health care for the children of Laos.

In 2015, runners were part of fundraising efforts to maintain the new pediatric hospital (www.fwab.org). The charity donations also benefited the Lao Girls' Health Empowerment Project (Eau Laos Solidarité), and Big Brother Mouse, to foster education amongst Luang Prabang's youth.

View online : Official Website

Biking Man Laos 2019

Benolaos — 2019-03-26T16:15:31Z

"Explore the jewel of eastern Asia, the kingdom of the million elephants. Challenge yourself in a mountain race across the tropical jungle, Follow the Mekong river and go meet the many ethnic villages", that's how the Biking Man presents this special #1 Lao Edition, starting and finishing of the race in Luang Prabang.

See the video Introducing BikingMan Laos #1 bikepacking race

What's included in my registration

Bag storage at race start and finish
Local SIM card with data (for foreign athletes)
OSM map and GPS route
Survival map water and tear-proof
GPS Beacon dedicated to tracking and safety
Live tracking platform with dedicated app
Laos special edition cycling jersey

Goodies from partners

Race briefing with official bib cap of the race
Media car dedicated to race promotion
Professional photographers on the road
Hot meals and BikingMan volunteers at start and checkpoints
Access to BikingMan Series ranking and finishers' goodies

View online : Official website page

Exhibition at TAEC

Benolaos — 2018-10-31T12:27:27Z

TAEC's newest special exhibition, “Voices of the Wind: Traditional Instruments in Laos” is now on display after more than two years of extensive research and documentation in remote regions of northern Laos led by Belgian ethnomusicologist and curator, Dr. Marie-Pierre Lissoir, and the TAEC research team.

A highly interactive and intimate exhibit, display spaces communicate three important contexts of instrumental practices: ritual, instrument-making, and courting. Through village scene re-creation, audio stations, and interactive video and photograph kiosks, visitors will enter a world rarely seen by the general public.

In Laos, music and musical instruments are a part of everyday life. For entertainment, courtship, or rituals, to banish loneliness, teach children, or communicate with the spirits, musical practices touch every member of a community during every part of the year. There is now a struggle and urgency to document these instruments from construction to playing as modernity takes over and replaces intimate settings and songs with amplifiers, microphones, and pre-recorded music. Music is the voice of a community, the voice of a country. A voice that is constantly evolving, like every human activity.

This exhibit also coincides with the recent UNESCO inscription of the music of the mouth organ or “khaen” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This is the very first inscription for the country on the ICH list and a positive step forward for safeguarding the transmission of knowledge, skills, and meaning of this emblematic instrument for future generations.

TAEC would like to acknowledge the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation for making this critical research possible, and William Klausner for supporting the creation of the exhibition.

“Voices of the Wind: Traditional Instruments in Laos” will be on display until the Fall 2020.

From the Curator: “Music can be explored in so many ways. There is the role of music in traditional ceremonies and celebrations, but also the crafting of instruments, playing techniques, and the decline of apprenticeship. Laos is particularly fascinating because many instruments are used to communicate, whether to pass a message through the mountains with the powerful sound of a leaf, or to express ones love with the discreet sound of the jaw harp. Speaking about music is speaking about life in Laos, its changes and challenges.”– Dr. Marie-Pierre Lissoir

Hmong instrument maker and musician: “There are so many people making qeej, but if I am the one who is able to help document the process of making it from the beginning to the end, then I hope my knowledge is able to inspire people not to let go of their culture and traditions, not to let go of your ancestors and family spirits. I want to leave this message behind for the future generation.”– Mr. Neng Chue Vang

TAEC's objectives of this exhibition:

Demonstrate the diversity and similarities in musical practices among minority groups in Laos.
Expose unexpected sounds and instruments to visitors in an innovative experiential space. The scenography of the exhibit and its use of different mediums will allow a deeper understanding of music and its techniques.
Stimulate local and foreign visitor interest in Laos' musical traditions and its importance to society through special events and outreach at the Centre.
Highlight, document and safeguard endangered practices and instruments.

Discover the people of Laos at the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre. TAEC is the only museum and learning centre in Laos dedicated to cultural diversity. The Centre is engaged in a broad range of museum and community engagement activities, reflecting its commitment to supporting living ethnic minority communities to preserve and promote their cultural heritage while looking towards the future.

Located in Ban Khamyong, Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, the museum and shop is open 9am until 6pm, closed Mondays. Admission is 25,000 Lao kip for adults, free for children under 12 and Lao citizens. The TAEC Boutique on the main road in Ban Vat Sene sells fair trade crafts made by ethnic groups. It is open from 9am – 9pm every day.

Contact:
Kristy Best, Director Sales & Marketing
kristy taeclaos.org
www.taeclaos.org
Mobile +856 20 5544 7895

View online : http://www.taeclaos.org

The Master Classes

Benolaos — 2018-01-06T09:29:26Z

The exhibition will showcase the creative work of six Lao students who have attended a one month workshop on drawing and painting. You will be able to discover the artworks of those new talents from January 5 2018 until February 6.

Seeds of Culture: From Living Plants to Handicrafts

Benolaos — 2018-01-06T08:38:27Z

Text from TAEC website

We are honoured to work with Dr. Yukino Ochiai, ethnobotanist and professor at Ryukoku University in Kyoto as the guest curator for this special exhibition exploring the importance of nature to culture. For over 15 years, Dr. Ochiai has focused her research on the grass plant Job's tears (Coix), or mak dueay, amassing an unparalleled collection of objects featuring the plant's seeds. This exhibition draws on Dr. Ochiai's field research in Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar to show that the wild and domesticated plants of Job's tears are used as food, medicine, and beads by ethnic groups belonging to different linguistic categories. In addition, this special exhibition provides insight into the clothing and changing lifestyles of the region's ethnic minorities, including the Akha, Chin, Karen, Jinghpaw and Palaung. In particular, the seed beads have been used for costume decoration in beautiful and striking combinations. On display are unusual artefacts, including a Chin headdress that uses porcupine quills and magnificent necklaces from 14 different countries in Africa, Asia, and South America.

“By displaying the whole process from living plants, seeds and items in this exhibit, I hope to share an idea with TAEC visitors; how material culture is based on plant diversity and the environment,” Dr. Ochiai said.

Visitors are treated to a visually stunning experience allowing them to explore the meaningful role of the environment in daily lives of rural ethnic communities. Also, with the addition of discovery corners, an extensive activity centre, and ethnobotanical garden, the museum is perfect for children and adults.

TAEC Co-Director Tara Gujadhur says, “In the past, ethnic groups gathered different kinds of natural materials from the forests and fields, including cotton, plant dyes, and the seeds of Job's tears. Nowadays, these natural materials are being replaced by those from markets, such as machine-made textiles, chemical dyes, and synthetic fibres. This is just one indicator of the upheavals these communities are undergoing–resettlement of villages, dependence on a market economy, and erosion of cultural practices and customs. We are looking forward to shedding more light on these issues through this exhibit.”

We gratefully acknowledge Professor William Klausner, EXO Foundation, and Saffron Coffee for their generous support of the exhibition.

Full moon day

Benolaos — 2018-01-05T10:00:54Z

The days of the full moon is called Van Sin Ngiae 15 kham, holiday especially for all manual workers and those whose job can disturb by noise. These days we will avoid visiting artisan villages if we want to observe or participate in traditional activities.

On that day, more locals will join the Morning Alms.
Before participating, we recommend to read the Rules to respect for this unique cultural/religious tradition.

In the morning of the Van Sin Ngiae, the search for bonzes is marked by an influx more massive than usual of faithful. The bonzes themselves are more likely to leave the temple which gives the ritual a special intensity, even more in recent years with the influx of Thai visitors at certain times of the year for some Buddhist festivals.

New moon day

Benolaos — 2018-01-05T09:55:51Z

The day of the new moon is called "Van Sin Ngiae 1 kham". It's a holiday, especially for all manual workers and those whose job can disturb by noise. These days we will avoid visiting villages working in handicraft, if we want to observe or participate in their activities.

On that day, more locals will join the Morning Alms.

Before participating, we recommend to read the Rules to respect for this unique cultural/religious tradition.

Notice that Buddhist holidays often coincide with Buddhist festivals and animist festivals.

Luang Prabang Film Festival

Benolaos — 2017-11-01T01:37:00Z

With cooperation from the Department of Cinema (a division of the Ministry of Information and Culture) of the Lao PDR, the annual Luang Prabang Film Festival (LPFF) presents films on a Southeast Asian theme to tourists and locals in December every year.

The screenings take place in non-traditional venues (both indoor and outdoor) in the former royal capital of Laos, as Luang Prabang has no working cinemas. After the festival, a smaller selection of films tour other major provinces in Laos, with screenings and mini-festivals held over 2-night stops in each city.

Between the yearly events, ongoing educational projects attempt to raise awareness about film in Laos, creating a long-term, sustainable project that seeks to support a burgeoning industry and art form.

View online : Official website

A 600km march of elephants

Benolaos — 2015-08-23T05:26:00Z

A team of 12 elephants will walk about 630 km across the Xayaboury and Luang Prabang provinces, passing through elephant populated areas and cultural sites and disseminating both environmental education material and art performances in towns and villages. In Luang Prabang 8 more elephants will join the caravan for a unique procession in the World Heritage city.

It is important that the elephant is seen in a positive light to support conservation work. Elephants are a source of pride for the Lao people and it is urgent to reactivate the public support for the species.

En route, the caravan will stop daily in villages it crosses. Theater, music and performances will be offered to the public on the subject of the elephant, ambassador of biodiversity and cultural diversity. Because the elephant is both a species ‘keystone' in ecosystems and revered emblem of a people, a nation Laos.

The aim of the caravan is to be a living, walking message. The elephants and their mahouts are making this journey to meet the people of Laos to say : ‘Don't forget us. We are your natural and your cultural heritage, and we need your help.'

The caravan will give people the chance to get up close with the elephants and take part in performances and educational activities.

It will revive popular and government support for the elephants which have played such an important role in Laos culture, but now exist on the brink of extinction. This caravan will be a game changer for elephants in Laos.

We will highlight the urgent need to protect the habitat. If we save the elephant's territory, we help all the other species too. And we can take elephants out of the cruelty and destruction of logging and into a better life.

If we save the domestic elephants we will secure a population that can potentially breed with wild elephants and increase their numbers in the future. For that we need the right people to take care of them – mahouts. This caravan will encourage young people to learn the skills of the older mahouts before their wisdom is gone forever. With their knowledge and wider action to protect the forest we can save the elephant in Laos and prevent the loss of one of the world's great treasures.

We invite you to join the elephants on this journey towards hope and support us in safeguarding their future.

630 km
53 days walking
Average distance of 19km/day
46 villages crossed
12 elephants from Xayabury province
8 additional elephants joining in Luang Prabang city
A team of 66 people

Participants

The Elephant Conservation Center
It is the only elephant hospital and nursery in Laos. It is committed to ensuring the health, wellbeing and perpetuation of endangered elephant populations. Sebastien Dufﬁllot is the co-founder of ElefantAsia, the Elephant Conservation Centre and the Elephant Festival in Laos and Regional Programme Manager for Southeast Asia for “Des Eléphants et des Hommes.” In 2002, Sebastien travelled 1.300 km with 4 elephants from Champassak to Luang Prabang in Laos's ﬁrst ever Elephant Caravan.
Community Learning International and “Des Elephants et des Hommes” will work together to develop and deliver the educational component of the caravan. The arrival of the caravan in villages in Xayaboury and Luang Prabang provinces represents an opportunity to send an educational message to young people and their parents. Thus, at each step, our team will conduct outreach activities in the community and provide illustrated books to school children.

Media representatives
They will accompany the caravan. The adventure of the caravan and the Luang Prabang celebrations will lead to the production of a TV documentary, highlighting the amazing journey, the spectacular celebration and the important need for elephant conservation in Laos. One ﬁlm crew will accompany the caravan in its entirety while other international TV crews will join the celebrations in Luang Prabang. A professional team of photographers, illustrators and writers will recount the epic journey of the elephant caravan, bringing the elephant's call to action to an international audience. The publicity leading up to the celebration in Luang Prabang and depicting the performances will highlight the location's role as an important and exciting tourist destination in the region.

The Luang Prabang celebrations will be held under the High Patronage of:

HE the Prime Minister
The Ministry of Education and Sports
The Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
The Department of Interior Security
The Department of Defense
The Governor of Luang Prabang Province
The Governor of Xayaboury Province
The Director General of UNESCO (World Heritage)

Patrick and Margot Auzier
They are creative and innovative ‘masters of ﬁre'; specialists of monumental ﬁre installations. The scenography and unique poetry of their shows - often described as ‘ﬁre operas' - convey a profound vision of the chosen natural landscape, giving a new life to urban and rural areas, fascinating the public and sublimating the environment. Their show will be presented along main city's avenues and rivers to celebrate the cultural riches and the beauty of Luang Prabang World Heritage City.

Khao Niew theatre group
It was established in Vientiane in 2008, and is directed by Lattanakone Insisiengmay. The company has staged ﬁve plays since its creation: Broken Dream (2010), What! (2011), Lao Pinocchio (2012), Metamorfoz (2011) and Music Elephant (2012). Over the years, Khao Niew's group has broadened its horizons by working on collaborative cultural and art programmes with both local and international artists including: Kabong Lao puppet theatre (Lao PDR), Turak Théâtre/Michel Laubu (France), Phare Ponleu Selpak (Cambodia), Jeobong Co. (Japan & Laos) and Teatr Piba (France). Khao Niew is an active member of the PETA-Mekong Partnership Programme (ASEAN partnership and support programme for the performing arts community within the Greater Mekong Subregion).
Khao Niew will invite international performers and musicians to join them for the production of an exclusive artistic creation during the Elephant Caravan.

Exhibitions of Visual Arts.
Various artists will contribute to the celebrations in Luang Prabang under the direction of Agnès Rosse. Contemporary artist Bibi will produce a monumental backlit elephant sculpture. Visual Artist Lionel Lauret will project still & animated images of elephants through the ages on Luang Prabang's landmark buildings.
Agnès and Caroline Rosse will show a retrospective exhibition of their elephant encounters in Laos since 2001 (Elephant Caravan 2002, Elephant Festivals 2008, 2010, 2012, Elephant Conservation Centre, 2012).
Yves Bernard and his Tuktuk Cinema will project the ﬁlm ‘Chang' (1927) on a giant outdoors screen on the banks of the Mekong river and set to music by the
Champassak Shadow Theatre Orchestra. Together, with their drawings, texts, ﬂoral, vegetal and glowing creations, they will create a unique poetic route across the city.

View online : Official announcement

Luang Prabang celebrates World heritage

Benolaos — 2015-03-12T18:19:15Z

Luang Prabang outlines plans to celebrate its 20th anniversary of its World Heritage Site listing by UNESCO this December.

Vientiane Times reported an official celebration will take place in Luang Prabang 7 to 9 December to mark the anniversary.

Activities will include seminars on the protection, conservation and development of the town as a World Heritage Site, as well as meetings and a public parade, photo exhibition, and drawing contest for young people.

These events will focus on Luang Prabang and its role as the country's top tourist destination while supporting handicraft sales, as well as cultural performances and sports.

The highlights of the event will be an elephant parade led by a white elephant.

From TTR Weekly