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.