Our Purpose
For centuries, Uyghur culture has kept a unique way of expressing
the essence of the different religions, cultures and civilizations
that have crossed its path. By being important contributors to the
cultures of Central Asian and “the ancient Silk Road”, Uyghur
artists always have carried their cultural heritage through their
music, dance, theatre, poetry, craftmansship, and other forms of
expression. Uyghur culture and art have touched millions of hearts,
taking inspiration and paying it forward. Uyghur culture is an
example of mutual understanding and continuous exchange between
great minds through historical roads.
Now that the Chinese government is hell-bent on destroying the
culture, the customs, the language and religion of the Uyghur
people, or the Uyghur ethnic identity, the Uyghur homeland is no
longer a sacred keep of its heritage. As the combined fruit of the
tangible and intangible treasures produced along the vast historic
stretch of the Uyghur civilization, the Uyghur ethnic identity
including the Uyghur culture is in dire need of serious attention
and support now more than ever.
Thus, there is a desperate burden placed upon the shoulders of both
Uyghur and international communities to safeguard and carry on this
ancient culture, not only for its continuity for the Uyghur people
and Turkic people at large but also for the sake of perpetuating the
cultural diversity of the world. Preserving and promoting Uyghur
culture and arts symbolizes in itself artistic integration,
religious harmony, and cultural tolerance.
The Uyghur Projects Foundation will support the activities of the
Uyghur communities outside China that will
• Get the voices of the voiceless Uyghurs heard among the world-wide
communities.
• Promote peace and unity globally accross religions and borders,
and gender communications via the means of Uyghur culture.
• Stimulate intergenerational transmission of traditional Uyghur
music, dance and handcraft techniques to ensure the sustainability
of Uyghur heritage, using means such as Annual Uyghur Cultural
Festival.
• Create community-based art programs to educate younger generations
about their cultural identity, thus supporting Uyghur artists in the
field of Music, Dance, Poetry and Visual Arts.
• Help develop new ways of preserving and expressing Uyghur culture
and Uyghur ethnic identity.
• Help develop new ways of preserving traditional Uyghur medicine.
• Stimulate the collaboration of Uyghurs and international artists
to create a mutual understanding between other cultures and art
forms.
• Build bridges between Uyghur diasporas and international
communities on research and academic topics related to Uyghur
culture and Arts.
• Teach Uyghur language, culture and customs to the young Uyghur
generations living abroad, using means such as Summer Student
Program.
• Build and maintain an Uyghur information online database to
preserve Uyghur literature, Uyghur music, Uyghur songs, Uyghur dance
videos and e-books on Uyghur history and culture.