WEBZINE ACC

“This movie was filmed and recorded in its entirety in Rome, Italy.” It’s the first scene of the classic masterpiece “Roman Holiday.” The reason the creator of the film made it clear about the filming and recording location in the first scene of this globally renowned film, “Roman Holiday,” was to highlight that the film was made with the sponsorship of a US original production company and that the original expenses were incurred in Italy.

The Origins and Significance of International Aid
in the Cultural Field

After the Second World War, the United States enacted an international aid program called the Marshall Plan to help rebuild and economically support Europe. Officially known as the European Recovery Program (ERP), this international aid program had the primary objectives of rebuilding Europe, restoring the US economy, and countering communism by establishing pro-American anti-communist systems. The economic aid provided by the United States to its allied European nations was also implemented in cultural sectors such as film production.

The US government required production companies to film and record only within the recipient country as a condition for economic support in the Marshall Plan. Through the cultural support of the Marshall Plan, renowned films such as Quo Vadis and Ben-Hur were produced. The majority of the locations featured in the film Roman Holiday, which was produced in this way, have become famous tourist attractions, and it has been evaluated that the film had such an impact that 100,000 scooters similar to the one seen in the movie were sold after its release. The effects of the aid were successful to the extent that this became a popular rumor among the people.

While it is understood that the United States does not provide aid in the cultural sector these days, the support for European film production under the framework of the Marshall Plan is considered a precursor to modern-day Official Development Assistance (ODA) in the cultural field. The cultural aid provided by the United States in the film production field is seen as having contributed to Europe’s economic prosperity by investing relatively small amounts compared to infrastructure development, but achieving significant effects. The cultural aid from the United States had a positive impact on the cultural pride of the Italian people and contributed to an increase in their national income. The experience of cultural aid from the United States is providing insights into the cultural Official Development Assistance (ODA) project implemented in collaboration with Kyrgyzstan by the Asia Culture Center (ACC).

Manas Statue and the National Historical Museum in the central Ala-Too Square in the capital city of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

The large national flag, the statue of the heroic figure Manas, and the National Historical Museum in Ala-Too Square can be considered as key elements in shaping the national identity of Kyrgyzstan as an independent country after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Cultural Identity of the Nomadic Country Kyrgyzstan
on the Silk Road

ACC began implementing ODA projects with the Ministry of Culture of Kyrgyzstan in 2022, based on the agreements reached during the Cultural Ministers’ Meeting between Korea and Central Asia held in 2012 and 2015. Located in the middle of the Silk Road, Kyrgyzstan has been developing its national identity by emphasizing the nomadic lifestyle, Altaic heritage, and the epic hero Manas since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

More than 90% of the territory of Kyrgyzstan consists of mountainous areas. Traditionally, the Kyrgyz people, who were nomadic mountain dwellers, would move down into the valleys and villages during the cold winters and migrate up to the mountains during the hot summers. This allowed them to provide fresh grass for the animals that were more vulnerable to heat. Therefore, traditional knowledge about seasons, grass, and animals was essential to their way of life. Furthermore, mutual respect and etiquette among individuals and communities who lived by raising animals were important rules that nomads followed to protect and support one another in their way of life. The Kyrgyz people, who have traditionally passed down their history through oral storytelling rather than written records, hold the epic poem “Manas” in great esteem, considering it more precious than life itself. This epic poem encompasses all of these elements mentioned above. Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov emphasized the significance of the epic poem “Manas” as equivalent to the Kyrgyz people and referred to it as an encyclopedia that encapsulates their lives. He conducted interviews with Sayakbay Karalayev, one of the epic narrators, and recorded his version of the three-part epic poem.

ACC planned an ODA project to support cultural development in collaboration with Kyrgyzstan, which has developed around nomadic culture. In doing so, the Center paid attention to the oral culture and the history of the land left by various indigenous peoples. Moreover, the Center started a cultural heritage program, recognizing the distinct development of the nomadic culture in the north and the settled culture in the south.

View of Osh, the second-largest city and a gateway city on the Silk Road, located in the southern part of Kyrgyzstan
(as seen from the Museum Complex Sulayman)

Construction of the Kyrgyzstan Digital Cultural Resource Management System and Cultural Development

After gaining independence in 1991, Kyrgyzstan transformed the building of the Lenin Memorial Museum in its capital into the National Historical Museum. The building, resembling a large white mausoleum, now serves as a showcase of the country’s history. Additionally, the statue of Lenin that was located in front of the museum was moved to a different location. Furthermore, in the place where the statue of Lenin once stood, a statue of the national hero Manas was erected. Instead of completely eradicating the remnants of the Soviet era, they were relegated to the back, while the central square of the capital, Bishkek, known as Ala-Too Square, was redesigned to showcase the greatness of the Kyrgyz people. The newly created National Historical Museum of Kyrgyzstan utilized Soviet-style artifact management and exhibition methods to showcase the history of the land, divided into different periods, and made accessible to the public.

Kyrgyzstan, with the majority ethnic group being Kyrgyz, aimed to create exhibitions at the National Historical Museum that would revolve around Kyrgyz culture and serve as a foundation for civic education. However, due to the historical fact that Kyrgyz people migrated from the upper reaches of the Yenisei River in the Altai region of Siberia to present-day Kyrgyzstan, the exhibition composition in the museum could only represent the history of the land divided into different periods. As a result, the National Historical Museum exhibited a portion of the hundreds of thousands of artifacts excavated nationwide. Among them, there were symbolic artifacts that were explained in connection with the Silk Road, such as the Nestorianism, the Nestorian Cross, and the Golden Mask.

Left: The Nestorian Cross currently on display at the National Historical Museum of Kyrgyzstan. This clay artifact, featuring a cross shape, was discovered at a residential site in the Chuy Valley of northern Kyrgyzstan.

Right: A replica of the Golden Mask currently on display at the Kyrgyzstan Nomadic Civilization Center. It was discovered near the village of Shamshi in northern Kyrgyzstan in 1958 and is speculated to have been used as a death mask in the 5th century AD.

ACC is supporting the establishment of an integrated digital management system that allows cultural resources, including from the National Historical Museum of Kyrgyzstan and other national museums, to be registered and utilized. The Center is also providing support for the digital archiving of cultural resources. The hundreds of thousands of cultural resources that are currently managed through analog record books and information cards will meet nomadic traditional storytelling and be provided to people around the world in various forms after 2025. While the results of ACC’s efforts may not be as dramatic as the movie Roman Holiday, it is hoped that they will contribute to the cultural pride of the people of Kyrgyzstan and attract a larger number of visitors to the country. ACC hopes that these efforts will help Kyrgyzstan become a leading tourist destination.