Institutional Dossier 2010

Casa Asia’s headquarters are located in the Baró de Quadras Palace, a modernist building dating from the beginning of the 20th century, designed by the Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch. The palace, which is listed as a Historic Artistic Monument of National Interest, was opened as the headquarters of Casa Asia in June 2003 and has several facilities which enable it to host various initiatives, activities and services that the institution carries out. As a result, it has become a renowned centre for information and learning on Asia and the Pacific in Spain and a meeting-point for Spanish and Asian society.

The Casa Asia Centre-Madrid, located in the Palace of Miraflores, was opened in June 2007 in response to interest from Asian ambassadors, as well as economic, social and cultural actors in Madrid. The centre, as well as carrying out activities, has a multimedia library, exhibition room, auditorium for lectures and classrooms for courses.

Institutional Relations

Casa Asia has established collaboration agreements with more than a hundred institutions and organizations such as the Japan Foundation, the Korea Foundation, the Siam Society and Asialink. It is a member of the board of trustees of the Spain-Japan Foundation Council and the Spain-China Forum and has worked with the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) since its establishment. It also maintains a fluid relation with the Asia Society and has established contacts with the Ibero-American Secretariat General, the China Institute, Harvard University and with centres dedicated to the Pacific in Mexico, Santiago de Chile and Buenos Aires.

Signing of the Memorandum to reintroduce Spanish into the Filipino education system in the framework of the V Spain-Philippines Forum (2010)

FORUMS Casa Asia promotes the organization of forums with Asian countries with the aim of strengthening bilateral relations and promoting exchanges in fields such as those related to culture, economy, academia and cooperation.

Bilateral forums are held with India, the Philippines and Korea, and feature the participation of representatives from civil society and governments from both countries.

CASA ASIA AWARD Ever year Casa Asia gives an award in recognition of people and institutions from Asia, the Pacific and Spain who through their projects or activities have made an exceptional contribution to the furthering of understanding, dialogue and harmony between these societies or have stood out for their work on behalf of dignity and human rights in these regions.

People and organizations who have received the Casa Asia award include: Miguel F. Rovira from the EFE news agency and the Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe (2009); the Indian NGO Chingari Trust and the Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid (2008); the publishing house of Popular Chinese Literature and the Jesuit Kike Figaredo (2007); the Suma collection of Spanish art from the Prefectural Art Museum of Nagasaki and the Marugame Hirai Museum in Japan (2006); the Pakistani Mukhtar Mai, the journalist Rosa Maria Calaf, and the Spanish Coordinating Committee of NGOs for Development (2005); Professor Raimon Panikkar and the Spanish Department from the University of Beijing and the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai (2004).

The Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz-Gallard贸n, with the prize-winners from 2009

Ahmed Rashid and Chingari Trust

2008

Personalities who have visited Casa Asia

Her Royal Highness Princess Cristina

Gloria Macapagal President of the Philippines

Nguyen Minh Triet President of Vietnam

Muhammad Jatami Former Iranian President

Mohammad Ehsan Zia Afghan Minister of Reconstruction and Development

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Abdul Raheem Wardak President of the Afghan Minister of Defence Kazakhstan Senate

Chandrika Kumaratunga Former President of Sri Lanka

Hong-Koo Lee Former Prime Minister of South Korea

Li Zhaoxing Former Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister

Yoon Young Kwan Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade from the Republic of Korea

Vishaka N. Desai President of the Asia Society (United States)

Bilaibhan Sampatisiri Vice-President of the Siam Society (Thailand)

Sid Myer President of Asialink (Australia)

Mukhtar Mai Pakistani Teacher and Human Rights Defender

William J. Perry Professor from Stanford University and former US Defense Secretary

Asian Communities

Casa Asia has become a meeting point for the Asian communities who live in our country.

Among other activities, in the framework of the new China Strategy a study has been undertaken on the Chinese community in Barcelona and Madrid. Further studies will follow on communities from Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh in both cities. At the same time, the findings of these studies were presented at a session of conferences which began in 2010, with the aim of publicizing the reality of immigration from this region.

Education Casa Asia offers an ever-widening range of courses every year to disseminate, as well as Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese, Sanskrit, Hindi, Indonesian, Tibetan, etc.), the culture of this continent. To that end, the courses cover other specialized disciplines such as ikebana (Japanese floral art), shadow theatre, Bollywood dance, the ceremony of Japanese tea, traditional Chinese medicine, haiku and Hindu meditation, amongst others.

BAMBOO SCHOOL The Bamboo School is an intercultural education project developed by Casa Asia which brings the Asia and the Pacific region closer to the school population (preschool, primary, secondary, adult and non-formal education), through a variety of social and cultural activities. In Barcelona, this programme offers several different courses and workshops, in Casa Asia as well as in schools. From the beginning of the 2009-2010 academic year, the Bamboo School was extended to Madrid in order to cover the growing demand from the education sector.

SCHOLARSHIPS IN SUPPORT OF RESEARCH Casa Asia has two yearly aid programmes: the Ruy de Clavijo scholarships, for research projects and cultural cooperation, and the Antoni Montserrat programme, which promotes the visit of Asian personalities to our country in order to participate in meetings, courses, seminars and cultural festivals. Casa Asia also awards the Marco Polo Prize every year, a literary competition which gives the prize of a trip to an Asia-Pacific country to a student in the 3rd or 4th year of secondary school.

CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE The headquarters of the Confucius Institute in Beijing, which is dedicated to the promotion of the Chinese language and culture, Casa Asia and the Autonomous University of Madrid opened the first Confucius Institute in Spain in 2007. Its aim is to respond to the growing demand for the study of this language in our country. In 2008, the headquarters of the Confucius Institute, Casa Asia, the University of Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Barcelona signed an agreement to establish a Confucius Institute in Barcelona.

Casa Asia’s courses

Economic and Cooperation

His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias and other authorities at the opening ceremony of the Global China Business Meeting (2008)

ASIA FORUM The Asia Forum is a financial and business meeting which every year brings together business people and prominent European and Asian experts in order to analyze the current economic situation in Asia and the strategic challenges which it raises for the establishment of Spanish companies in this market. In 2008 the Forum gave way to the Global China Business Meeting, which was attended by business people and presidents from the main Chinese and European companies, and, in 2010, to the Global India Business Meeting, attended by business people from India.

“LA CAIXA”- CASA ASIA SCHOLARSHIPS Since 2004, Casa Asia and the Fundación “la Caixa” have promoted a programme of 10 scholarships for a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai, with the aim of training young executives who can subsequently join Spanish companies. Since 2007, five scholarships have also been granted for MBAs in the Indian School of Business (ISB), in Hyderabad.

BUSINESS COURSES These provide information on the economic and business situation, business culture and key aspects in the different phases of internationalization that a company must undertake in order to gain access to Asian markets. Business courses have been organized on China, India, Japan and South Korea and are aimed at executives and business people wishing to establish commercial or investment relations in Asia-Pacific countries.

WORKING BREAKFASTS AND CONGRESSES

This department’s regular programme of activities includes a series of seminars, working-breakfasts and congresses related to business and cooperation with Asian countries. Amongst others, the Congress on Asian Tourism should be highlighted, which was held for the second time in 2010 in collaboration with Turespaña, Turisme de Barcelona and Turisme de Catalunya, and the seminar “Africa, the new Chinese frontier”, organized in 2008 in collaboration with Casa África.

GOVERNASIA The goal of the GovernAsia programme is to provide information on the situation of governance in emerging or developing countries in the AsiaPacific region, through different mechanisms. These include the website www.governasia.com and the International Conference, which deals with diverse subjects, such as climate change and renewable energy, social responsibility of foreign businesses in China, digital cities, e-governance and micro-credits for development.

ASIA INNOV@ In the Asia Innov@ Conference, which is an annual event, subjects of innovation, scientific affairs of the day and technological development in the Asian continent are analyzed, via debate with prominent Asian experts.

Robotics, nanotechnology and information communication technologies (ICT) in Asia are some of the subjects which have been covered in this conference.

Micro-credit conference (2009): Jennifer N. Riria, director general of the Kenya Women Finance Trust, Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President of Women’s World Banking and Nurjahan Begum, director general of the Grameen Bank

GOVERNANCE AND COOPERATION Activities related to cooperation for the socio-economic development of Asia and the Pacific, following the guidelines of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development, represent a course of action for Casa Asia. The promotion of innovation, good governance and environmental sustainability in developing Asian countries are the three main lines of work and reaffirm Casa Asia’s commitment to contributing in the best possible way to the achievement of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.

Culture Casa Asia has an annual exhibition programme in Barcelona and Madrid, and also works in collaboration in this area with other Spanish and Asian institutions, museums and cultural centres. Casa Asia has also established an annual film programme in both sites, and participates in festivals in Spain which have sections dedicated to Asian cinema. Activities also cover artistic and cultural theory and practice through the organization of seminars, such as “Asian Maps� and participation in cultural activities, such as the Manga Room, the Barcelona LOOP Festival of Video Art, The Night of Books, The Night of Theatres and The Night of Museums, among others.

Highlighted Exhibitions

The Rebirth of a Nation September - December 2006

Pierrre Gonnord January - April 2006

Iranian Graphic Design February - April 2008

Indian Narratives in the 21st Century July - September 2009

China. Portrait of a Country The Sea with Two Names Video Art from Korea (1949-2008) September – October 2006 March – May 2009

Takashi Murakami October - November 2007

Beijing Time. La hora de China December 2009 – March 2010

Toyo Ito March - May 2009

Other cultural activities CINEMA IN CASA ASIA Casa Asia collaborates with, amongst other film festivals, the Barcelona Asian Film Festival (BAFF), which awards the Durián de Oro to the best film, and in the Orient Express-Casa Asia section of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival. Every week the institution also screens a double bill of Asian cinema and, throughout the year, special seasons such as the Series of Korean Cinema, the Hong Kong Cinema Week and Japan Cult Cinema.

Caraka Laras, from Indonesia, in La Noche en Blanco’s Asian Route

CULTURAL NIGHTS IN MADRID The Asian Route is Casa Asia’s contribution to Madrid´s all-night cultural festival, Noche en Blanco, through an eclectic and contemporary collection of activities which brings an Asian flavour to this Madrid evening.

Furthermore, since 2008, the institution has participated in The Night of Books and The Night of Theatres which are also held in the capital.

ASIAN MAPS (ARCO) As part of the International Festival of Contemporary Art (ARCO), Casa Asia has organized the “Asian Maps” seminar since 2004, which encourages dialogue around art through round tables between Spanish and Asian artists.

Politics and Society

Issues related to gender, development and the culture of peace are given special prominence in lectures and seminars organized by Casa Asia. Current political, social and cultural subjects of major relevance in the region are covered. Book presentations and documentary screenings are also organized.

EAST-WEST DIALOGUE Since 2004, the East-West Dialogue has been held annually with a distinguished group of politicians, former heads of State and Government, academics and representatives of non-governmental organizations and civil society from the East and West with the aim of promoting better understanding and international cooperation between both cultures and civilizations, as well as increasing political and cultural exchanges. Every year, the Dialogue, which is committed to the Millennium Development Goals and the national plan for the Alliance of Civilizations, is held with the collaboration of UNESCO, the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), the Club of Madrid, the Fundaci贸n Tres Culturas, the Association for the United Nations in Spain (ANUE) and also receives sponsorship from the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID).

IBERO-AMERICAN OBSERVATORY FOR ASIA-PACIFIC Since 2006, Casa Asia, in collaboration with Casa de Am茅rica, has promoted the Ibero-American Observatory for Asia-Pacific, which consists of a digital platform (www.iberoasia.org) at the disposal of the Ibero-American community. It also carries out activities in Spain and collaborates in international events, with the aim of improving relations and information exchange on Asia-Pacific and its links with Ibero-America.

Central Asia Observatory

This project emerged from collaboration with the Elcano Royal Institute of International Studies and Strategies and the Fundaci贸n CIDOB and has been in operation since 2008. The Central Asia Observatory consists of an information portal and permanent framework for research, discussion and specialization in the region (www.asiacentral.es), updated on a daily basis and is exclusively dedicated to informing on the latest developments from Central Asian countries.

Technology and Cyberculture From digital life to videogames, via mobile phone culture, gadgets and a whole array of urban trends, Casa Asia promotes through a new project the dissemination of these new social trends related to digitization, in which Asia is a pioneering region. The “Asia Geek” series of conferences, which began in 2009 in Barcelona, looks at digital life and urban trends in countries such as Japan, China and the Republic of Korea through interaction between the public and experts on cyberculture and Asia.

In addition to this, there is the “New Urban Cultures”, an initiative from the Ministry of Culture which works in collaboration with Casa Asia and different Spanish Embassies and Institutos Cervantes in Asia. Its aim is to increase the understanding of our country’s urban culture through conferences, film screenings and exhibitions, at the same time seeking to establish new networks between Spain and Asian countries, as was the case in 2009 in Tokyo and in 2010 in Seoul.

Experts and intellectuals who have visited Casa Asia

Muhammad Yunus 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate (Bangladesh)

Zainah Anwar Ramin Jahanbegloo Founder of the Sisters in Islam Iranian intellectual (Malaysia)

Indira Nath Professor of Immunology (India)

Fukaya Takashi Former Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism (Japan)

Attiya Inayatullah Member of the Pakistani Parliament

Mitiko Go President of Ochanomizu University (Japan)

Rajendra Pachauri 2007 Nobel Peace Laureate (India)

Li Junfeng President of the China Renewable Energy Entrepreneurs Club

Grigori Marchenko President of the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Azita Rafhat Member of the Wolosi Jirgha, Afghan Parliament

Heizo Takenaka Director of the Global Security Research Institute from Keio University (Japan)

Ronnie Chan Chak Moel President of the Hang Lung Representative of the Ministry Group from China of Women’s Affairs from the indigenous province of Ratanakiri (Cambodia)

Siti Musdah Mulia Professor and adviser, Ministry of Religious Affairs (Indonesia)

Vandana Shiva Activist and theoretical physicist (India)

Artists and writers who have visited Casa Asia

Kenzaburo Oe Writer (Japan)

Nazim Zehra Journalist (Pakistan)

Salman Rushdie Writer (India)

Mo Yan Writer (China)

Vikram Chandra Writer (India)

Xinran Xue Writer (China)

Dai Sijie Writer and filmmaker (China)

Shobhaa DĂŠ Writer (India)

Yu Hua Writer (China)

Azar Nafisi Writer (Iran)

Bibi Russell UNESCO Artist for Peace (Bangladesh)

Haruki Murakami Writer (Jap贸n)

Manuel Ocampo Painter (Philippines)

Rong Rong Photographer (China)

Toyo Ito Architect (Japan)

Jos茅 Manuel Ballester Photographer (Spain)

Asia Festival

Casa Asia brings together cultures and traditions from the Asian continent through the Asia Festival which has been held every year in Barcelona since 2002. Dance, music, shows for children, workshops, exhibitions and a wide range of artistic traditional and contemporary expressions make up this multidisciplinary festival.

It is an unmissable event for anyone interested in the varied cultural expressions of Asia. Those attending are therefore not merely spectators but become an integral part of a festival which has the participation of citizens as one of its main attractions, and especially that of Asian communities living in our country.

The rock musician Cui Jian, the Akram Khan Company, the choreographer Park Soon-Ho, the video artist Kyungwoo Chun and the Filipino singer Grace Nono are some of the artists who have performed in this annual festival of Asian culture.

Services

MULTIMEDIA LIBRARY The Multimedia Library is a multimedia documentation centre on Asia-Pacific which acts as a support for Casa Asia’s educational and cultural activities. To that end it has almost 20,000 titles in different formats (books, CD, DVD), a newspaper and periodicals library and a video library, Internet access and has two locations: Barcelona and Madrid. As a special feature, the Barcelona multimedia library is home to the Daniélou audio library archive, an audio legacy from the French musicologist and philosopher Alain Daniélou, with more than 50 hours of traditional Asian music. The Multimedia Library in the Casa Asia Centre Madrid, for its part, houses the Confucius Library, which contains material from the Confucius Institute.

INFOASIA InfoAsia is the information point for Casa Asia and the Asia-Pacific region. Located on the lower ground floor of the Baró de Quadras Palace in Barcelona, and in the exhibition room of the Casa Asia Centre-Madrid, InfoAsia offers, as well as detailed information on courses and activities in Casa Asia and ClubCasaAsia, the sale of catalogues and publications, and registration for the Club, courses and bulletins from Casa Asia. It also offers information and recommendations for organizing trips to Asia-Pacific (itineraries, guides, travel agencies, etc.) and contacts related to Asia, such as business and cultural associations, schools, shops, businesses, restaurants, etc.

www.casaasia.es

INTERNET AND MULTIMEDIA Casa Asia has strengthened its presence in the Internet through a digital platform which updates on a daily basis almost a hundred sections in three languages: Spanish (www.casaasia.es), Catalan (www.casaasia.cat) and English (www.casaasia.eu). Casa Asia’s webpage has grown to become an international reference for Spanish content on Asia and the Pacific. Along with sections devoted to events calendars, news, databases of Asian centres and centres of study, micro-sites and other services such as the children´s sections, there can also be found videos, audio clips and images which enable Casa Asia to disseminate knowledge about the Asian continent.

Furthermore, the new website has a mobile phone version, offers syndication of content (RSS) and complies with Web Accessibility Initiative guidelines. In addition, Casa Asia can be found on the main social networking sites, and has more than 3,000 users on its own channels on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Youtube.

CLUBCASAASIA ClubCasaAsia was created in 2005 in order to offer activities related to the more playful expressions of Asian cultures and those related to well-being. It has offered courses in ayurvedic medicine, tangram, origami, feng shui, reiki, kundalini yoga, taichi, qi gong, wushu, bonsai/suiseki, Bhangra dance, Khatak dance, urushi, tea ceremony, talks on Japanese culture, among others. For young ones, the Club organizes handicrafts such as origami, Japanese wrapping, pottery, Chinese kites, traditional games such as tangram or go and yoga family sessions. In 2008 the Club also opened in Madrid.

Casa Asia Consortium:

Casa Asia Board of Trustees:

Partner companies: