Short-video platform TikTok made an appearance at the recent Techsauce Global Summit where its representatives talked about TikTok’s mission in capturing and presenting the world’s creativity, knowledge and precious life moments. Surayot Aimlaor, marketing director TikTok Thailand, also illustrated how TikTok’s key features allow users to create, edit and share a unique a 15-second video on mobile and become part of the creative community worldwide.

In his keynote speech, Surayot unveiled TikTok’s visions along with its key success as the world’s leading social platform for users to express talent and creativity through cutting-edge technology right from their mobile device.

In the less than two years since its launch in late 2017, TikTok has rocketed to the top and is now the most downloaded application on both Play Store and App Store worldwide.

TikTok is a rising-star social platform for brands to communicate with their target audiences in a variety and number of executions. It has also enjoyed success in conducting talk-of-the-town partnership campaigns with such brands as Big Mountain Music Festival, S2O Songkran Festival, and SOS Children’s Village Thailand for its Send A Heart CSR campaign.

TikTok is now available in over 150 markets and in 75 languages with a robust localisation strategy to encourage users to create and interact with content relevant to local cultures and trends.

One Sunday afternoon in my senior year in college back in 1991, I watched Dass Entertainment’s “Onlaweng Phleng Nangfa” at MBK Hall with one of my best friends, having won a pair of tickets from a radio show quiz. I can still recall that we had a delightful time at what was Dass’s grandest stage production to date. Lighthearted and straightforward, the colourful mix of drama, action, comedy, romance and fantasy – the mixed-genre story of which Thai audiences are always fond – featured commendable performances by a large group of professional singers, stage thespians and aspiring young performers.

I had almost the same impression last Sunday afternoon at M Theatre when Dreambox revived the production with the new title “Nangfa: The Musical”. This was notwithstanding the fact that Daraka Wongsiri had considerably updated the book, added new songs and had others rearranged by a team of composers including veterans like Sutee Sangsareechon and Kaiwan Kulavadhanothai. No matter how pleasant the scenes with young and adult angels were back then and still are now, I couldn’t help but think how much fun they would have been with cross-gender casting, although it wouldn’t count as family entertainment in this conservative country.

As in many of Daraka’s works, female characters have meatier roles, and thanks in part to her longtime collaborator Silpathorn artist Suwandee Jakravoravudh, they came alive on stage. However, this also meant that the audience almost forgot that there’s a male lead character until the charismatic police officer Chanchai, incognito as a beggar, had a chance to pour his romantic heart out in solo number “Someone” towards the end, when Kemawat “Keng” Rerngtham’s heartfelt rendering brought smiles to our faces.

As the title character angel wondering why people no longer made wishes, Elisabeth “Rose KPN” Ruangkritya has developed, through different roles in Dreambox’s musicals, from a singer into a true musical theatre performer. Here she was equally comfortable singing, acting and dancing and could carry the whole show. Her charactisation work, marked by primness and properness in addition to optimism and even naivete reminding me of a preinternetera convent schoolgirl, was spoton, making it both charming and occasionally comical. Shining bright in the supporting role of Mai Fa was Nisachol “Nest AF” Siwthaisong whose singing prowess was well complemented by her deft comedic timing that reminded many audiences of another Dreambox regular Kanokwan Buranond. Almost unrecognisable in her thug character Sin who didn’t want to be called by her birthname Sinchai, was Phatchalarwaree “Jasmin” Damrongthamprasert, and allowed for a little gender diversity in the story now that our education ministry has put it in school textbooks.

Nangfa descended upon our City of Angels with five wishes for we humans, and right now I have two urgent ones to ask her. My first is that our country will soon be truly democratic, and that means her people all agree to disagree and believe that harmony is when people, young or old, think differently and accept that fact. My second is that all members of the new cabinet are really fit to each task and ready to push our country forward, not just those who need to be in charge simply because of their political, or familial, connections. But of course that wouldn’t be family entertainment and so to keep our mind off Thai politics for a few hours, we can simply enjoy this musical, in which none of the police are corrupt, with our kids.

“Nangfa” is the first of the three musicals this year when Dreambox – Dass as it was known in an earlier reincarnation – is celebrating the 33rd anniversary of their musical productions. Next up is the highly anticipated new work “Namngoen-Thae”, an adaptation of two-time SEA Write laureate Win Lyovarin’s novel coming to the stage in August, and then in November their revival of “Mae Nak”. We will probably have to leave our kids at home for both.

Two More Weekends

– “Nangfa: The Musical” continues this weekend and next at M Theatre, on New Phetchaburi Road, between Thong Lor and Ekamai. It’s staged on Saturday at 2pm and 7.30pm and on Sunday at 2pm.

– In Thai, with no English translation. Tickets are from Bt1,200 to Bt2,500 at http://www.Dreambox.co.th, and by calling (085) 416 66614.

Keris can be found in those parts of Southeast Asia infused with Malay culture – southern Thailand, southern Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia – but are most often associated with Indonesia and particularly Java and Bali. There they are embedded in complex socio-cultural realities as expressed in rituals, sacred ceremonies, performing arts, martial arts, epics and magic among others.

This rich tradition will be the focus of the book launch “Balinese Keris: Metal, Masculinity, Magic” at the Siam Society on July 9 at 7pm and at SEA Junction on July 14 at 5pm.

The book, written by cultural expert Garrett Kam and published by C Zwartenkot Art Books, encapsulates major aspects of Balinese keris from their manufacturing to their gender and spiritual dimensions. It describes the keris’ rich contexts while recognising the highly accomplished art of the blade, hilt and scabbard.

At the launch, the writer will talk about his book and perform a keris dance. In a symbolic gesture, he will then hand the book over to Pornrat Damrhung, professor of theatre and dramatic arts at Chulalongkorn University, as representative of the art and culture community in Thailand.

There will be limited copies of the book available for sale and the author will be glad to sign them on request.

Admission is free, but donations are most welcome to enable SEA Junction to continue its activities and keep events accessible to the public.

For more information and reservations, call (097) 002 4140, email southeastasiajunction@gmail.com, or visit http://www.SiamSociety.org.

The scratching of crayons on paper fills the air as the children at Lazare camp in war-ravaged Central African Republic draw scenes from daily life.

They draw armed men. Armoured vehicles. And they use red. Lots of red.

In a makeshift tent, glasses perched on her nose and her feet in the dust, psychologist Mamie Nouria Meniko pores over the creations — an indicator of the children’s mental health, and a much-needed outlet.

“Their problem is that they suffer daily exposure to violence,” she says.

The 43-year-old Congolese runs a Red Cross programme at the displaced people’s camp to identify and help kids suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“Drawing helps children to express what they are feeling. It shows what children cannot say out loud,” Nouria Meniko says.

“Sometimes, some of them start crying as soon as they start drawing.”

The town of Kaga Bandoro housing the camp is a case study for the instability and violence that plagues the CAR.

Some 330 kilometres north of the capital Bangui, the town lies on a strategic junction of routes used by nomadic cattle-herders.

For five relentless years, Kaga Bandoro was in the hands of armed groups – militias who control four-fifths of the troubled country.

Typically claiming to defend specific ethnic groups or religions, the militias fight for resources and carry out extortion and acts of violence.

In a nationwide population of 4.5 million, thousands have lost their lives, nearly 650,000 have fled their homes and another 575,000 have left the country, according to UN figures as of December last year.

Many children have seen beatings, rape or murder. Some have seen their homes invaded, their parents humiliated, hurt, abducted or killed.

In Kaga Bandoro, relative calm returned last month with the arrival of the armed forces after the government and 14 warlords signed a peace pact in February – the eighth in a series of treaties.

For now at least, the militiamen are confined to their base, although sporadic violence continues on the outskirts of town.

The Red Cross programme has enabled Nouria Meniko to identify 233 children aged five to 15 who bear symptoms of PTSD.

Seated on a mat, she asks a group of six children: “Who had a bad dream last night?” Three hands are raised. Holding her little sister on her lap, 10-year-old Florine confides her nightmare.

“My mother and father came to pick me up but I told them I couldn’t come,” she says. Her parents were killed in 2013 by the Seleka, a mainly Muslim armed group.

To help the children manage their trauma, the psychologist teaches them breathing and relaxation techniques.

“When I feel bad, I do these exercises and I think of a nice meal,” says Florine, whose name has been changed to protect her identity.

To her right sits 12-year-old Herve, attending his third therapy session.

Herve’s drawings always show the same things: pickup trucks with machine guns mounted on the back. A body in a river. A hand in a well. A house on fire, with his dad inside.

“I have to draw to get the images out of my head and be able to sleep,” he says.

Herve’s mother, widowed by the Seleka in 2013, says the sessions have helped the boy and her relationship with him.

“Before, he used to cry all night. This week, he’s only woken up five times.”

The therapy also helps parents understand why a child may be craving attention or behaving aggressively.

“Before, when he didn’t obey me and did something silly, I used to hit him,” Herve’s mother admits.

“I didn’t understand. But now I know why he did that, and we talk to each other.”

Professor Jean-Chrysostome Gody, the head doctor at Bangui’s paediatric hospital, says mental problems linked to conflict are widespread in a country that has been gripped by violence since 2003.

But the issue is also taboo.

“It’s a real public-health problem,” Gody says. “Untreated trauma can cause depression and even lead to violence – it fuels the vicious circle.”

Children such as Florine and Herve who have witnessed extreme violence have a lifelong burden, adds Nouria Meniko.

“We can’t wipe out anything out,” the psychologist says with a sigh. “What we try to do is to help them live with the trauma.”

From the Zen capital of Los Angeles to the Champs Elysees comes the calming voice of a British Buddhist monk-turned entrepreneur, introducing American-style online mindfulness to the stressed-out French.

“Relax your muscles, breathe,” Andy Puddicombe, the bronzed co-founder of the app Headspace, intones by videoconference to a roomful of participants gathered on Paris’s ultra-chic shopping artery.

The Englishman and his French team are hoping to replicate the US success of Headspace with a French-language version, in a market where New Age philosophies from the “Anglo-Saxon” world are often viewed askance.

Its path has been helped by the success of French mindfulness app PetitBambou, which launched in 2015 – five years after Headspace – and claims more than three million users in France for its free and paid platforms.

Both apps use guided meditations for an array of situations – from coping with bereavement to just getting through a difficult day at work – with support from online counsellors, funky animations and videos.

In France as in the United States, Britain and elsewhere, companies have been signing up to subscriptions for their employees.

PetitBambou says it has secured “hundreds of licenses” from companies such as Deloitte and railways group SNCF and that it has nothing to fear from Headspace, which along with rival Calm has come to dominate the US market.

In a Paris studio, working on voice recordings for the app, PetitBambou co-founder Benjamin Blasco said his company was in any case aiming for the long haul.

“We broke even three years ago. We will not sacrifice anything on the altar of marketing,” he says.

“We do not try at all costs to keep people in the app,” he adds, “but to solicit a two-way exchange and tailor therapy to the user’s needs. Meditation is not a miracle tool, rather a mental hygiene: what’s essential is regular practice.”

Investors are certainly buying into the concept. Calm – which like Headspace was co-founded by a British emigre to California, Michael Acton Smith – raised $88 million (Bt2.75 billion) from a fundraising round in February.

That gave it a valuation of $1 billion, which Smith noted made Calm the first “mental health unicorn”.

“Unicorns” are start-up companies with a billion-plus valuation.

But like Headspace, Calm has its sights set further afield. In Britain it has enlisted actor and TV presenter Stephen Fry to record bedtime stories for use on a popular feature that helps users get to sleep.

“America is only 4.5 percent of the total global population, so there are a lot of other people that can enjoy the product and help the company grow,” Smith told CNBC after the investment round.

According to figures from Marketdata, the US mindfulness market as a whole including the dozens of apps on offer topped $1 billion in 2017, and should double that by 2022.

Helped by the growth in apps, a survey by the National Centre for Health Statistics found 14 per cent of Americans had meditated in 2017, a threefold increase in five years.

Headspace alone says it has 50 million users worldwide, and has raised $75 million from investors in total, despite marketing a product that preaches “digital detox”.

The paradox is not lost on Richard Pierson, the company’s other British co-founder.

“Although there is the irony that the phone is probably causing us a lot of our stress, our hope is that by using Headspace, you’ll be able to teach yourself the techniques that you need to learn in order to be able to use your phone in a more mindful way,” he says.

Many of the techniques in mindfulness apps are rooted in Buddhism and have long been familiar to practitioners in Asia. But what, if any, science underpins the apps?

Boosters got new backing with a US scientific study released in late April that looked at the effects of an experimental mindfulness app aimed at smokers.

The app helped many participants cut their smoking or give up altogether, by helping to rewire impulses in the brain linked to addiction.

The world of mindfulness “has become a business, but there is an ethical dimension”, comments Dominique Steiler, a professor at the Grenoble Ecole de Management who specialises in the “well-being” economy. Apps “are a good way to get started”, but users should be encouraged ultimately to sever the smartphone cord and meditate alone, he says.

Making recycling “fun and sexy” is what Taiwanese entrepreneur Arthur Huang hopes to achieve through his mini Trashpresso – a mobile recycling plant that converts plastic waste into consumer products such as coasters and candlemakers.

The Trashpresso consists of a 12m container housing a solid waste processing line.

It is the first innovation of its kind to be showcased in Singapore and was displayed at a Recycle Right event in Toa Payoh on Saturday (June 15). The Trashpresso compacts the recycling process into three steps – reducing the size of the plastic waste, purification and reshaping.

Likened in appearance to a “candy-making machine” by Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor, it can transform 135 grams of pellets or recycled flakes into a set of three colourful hexagon-shaped coasters in less than 10 minutes.

Speaking at the Toa Payoh HDB Hub atrium, Dr Khor noted that Mr Huang’s company Miniwiz has been “innovative in converting waste materials into beautiful products”.

“If you recycle right, you can turn trash into treasure,” she said. For instance, when used bottle caps are shredded into plastic flakes and placed into the Trashpresso, they are transformed into coasters after the three-step process.

“This will help extend the life of these materials. … This is what we call a circular economy approach. Giving our waste plastic a second lease of life,” she said.

Recycling right has taken on new urgency as the amount of waste disposed of in Singapore has, in the past 40 years, jumped seven times to 7.7 million tonnes last year – enough to fill 15,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools – and the contamination rate of the blue recycling bins is at a high 40 per cent, Dr Khor said.

Even though the country incinerates its waste, if Singaporeans continue to waste resources at the current rate, the country’s only landfill at Semakau will run out of space by 2035.

To help Singapore in its efforts towards becoming a zero waste nation, the answer may lie in decentralising the recycling process, said Mr Huang, founder and chief executive of Miniwiz, which develops recycled plastic materials for use in building construction, interior design and consumer products.

Founded in 2004, the company moved its headquarters to Singapore last November. It has an R&D centre in Taiwan, a manufacturing plant in Shenzhen, as well as an office each in Beijing and Milan.

“Four years ago, we wanted to create a machine that rewards people for recycling,” said Mr Huang, who developed it with his team.

“The idea is to get it closer and closer to consumers. We are now in talks with many shopping malls and hotel chains in Singapore, which produce a lot of trash for recycling.

“We are planning to launch the mini Trashpresso and the smart trash collecting Robin system in Shanghai in October. But there will be a mini Trashpresso set up in Singapore. We are still deciding whether we should make it automated, or let humans do the recycling.”

The Robin is a trash sorting system that allows users to track and earn points if they sort the waste correctly.

Recycling right is not difficult or time consuming, Dr Khor said.

“First, read the labels on the blue recycling bins … and we will be changing this so it is even clearer … to find out what recyclables you can put in,” she said. Clothes, toys, shoes and pillow cases are not recyclable.

“Second, make sure your recyclables in blue recycling bins are clean and dry. Any packaging with food or liquids will contaminate the other recyclables. This will waste the efforts of other Singaporeans who are doing their part.

“Third, you do not need to sort the materials that you put into the blue bins. We practise a co-mingled recycling system.”

Dr Khor explained that this means recyclables will be sorted centrally at material recovery facilities after they are collected from the blue bins.

Running from 8.30am to 5pm, the festival will offers participants the chance to explore career development, learn insights from true airline professionals, and lodge their applications for several positions. The festival also offers participants information on airline-related jobs including pilots, cabin crews, engineering, safety & quality assurance and ground services with professional staff from various departments on hand to offer advice.

Apart from strong commitment to the development of tourism and trade of the countries, Vietjet is constantly expanding its flight network and offers great career opportunities and a professional working environment to the young generation.

Last year’s “Vietjet Sky Career Festival” was a big success with more than 2,500 people participating. Many successful candidates are now working at Vietjet and will come along on Saturday to provide support and guidance at the event.

Find out more at http://www.VietjetAir.com or http://www.Facebook.com/VietJetThailand.

Organised by Farmgroup, it brings together galleries, local and international artists and collectors under one roof with the aim of creating a vibrant and supportive community in which art can thrive.

The sixth annual Hotel Art Fair on June 22-23 partners with W Bangkok, a hotel where art and design are appreciate.

This year’s conversation will centre on the topic of “Breaking Boundaries”. Art can break boundaries by pushing and evolving and its mission is to seek and express human emotions and point of view.

This year’s event will showcase the most diverse selection of participants yet, from local talents to emerging artists to major galleries all over Asia.

Be immersed in the works of more than 30 galleries and independent artists, including Richard Koh Projects, Artemis Art, L+/Lucie Chang Fine Arts, the Drawing Room, Korea Tomorrow, Clear Gallery Tokyo and B-gallery.

Local venues represented will include Number 1 Gallery, Joyman Gallery, Subhashok the Arts Centre, La Lanta Fine Art and Gallery Seescape.

“Spectrum” by the Autistic Thai and Na Kittikhun Foundation, features extraordinary artworks with a high level of creativity.

Thai digital artist Purin Phanichphant will be showcasing his playful interactive pieces that transcend the relationship between the viewers and the digital world.

Admission is free. Learn more at https://HotelArtFair.com and https://HotelArtFair19.eventbrite.com.

Organised by Farmgroup, it brings together galleries, local and international artists and collectors under one roof with the aim of creating a vibrant and supportive community in which art can thrive.

The sixth annual Hotel Art Fair on June 22 to 23 partners with W Bangkok, a hotel where art and design are appreciate.

This year’s conversation will centre on the topic of “Breaking Boundaries”. Art can break boundaries by pushing and evolving and its mission is to seek and express human emotions and point of view.

This year’s event will showcase the most diverse selection of participants yet, from local talents to emerging artists to major galleries all over Asia.

Be immersed in the works of more than 30 galleries and independent artists, including Richard Koh Projects, Artemis Art, L+/Lucie Chang Fine Arts, the Drawing Room, Korea Tomorrow, Clear Gallery Tokyo and B-gallery.

Local venues represented will include Number 1 Gallery, Joyman Gallery, Subhashok the Arts Centre, La Lanta Fine Art and Gallery Seescape.

“Spectrum” by the Autistic Thai and Na Kittikhun Foundation, features extraordinary artworks with a high level of creativity.

Thai digital artist Purin Phanichphant will be showcasing his playful interactive pieces that transcend the relationship between the viewers and the digital world.

Admission is free. Learn more at https://HotelArtFair.com and https://HotelArtFair19.eventbrite.com.

Several hundred thousand Thais are now living in Europe, mostly women with children. While many are Eurasian by birth, keeping them in touch with their mothers’ culture is seen as a vital part of their future and so teaching Thai to these kids has become one of the priorities for many volunteer groups of Thais throughout the continent. One of the organisations at the centre of this effort is the Federation of Thai Language and Culture Teachers in Europe (FTTE).

Set up in Lugano, Switzerland in March 2010, the FTTE has developed methods and curricula for teaching the Thai language and culture in existing schools while also supporting new ones. It raises funds to publish the series of Thai course books titled “Sawasdee”, developed by Salee Silapasatham, which are used in many schools throughout Europe and it also promotes such cultural activities as teaching traditional dance, Thai musical instruments and even organises summer camps in Thailand for children from various European countries.

Students from “Rak Don Tree Thai” group, from Waldkirsch and Kippenheim, Germany showed off their skills on traditional Thai music instruments at the FTTE Gala Dinner. The group was founded five years ago and also taught language and classical dance to Thai children.

As it marked nine years of continuous work, the FTTE held its annual meeting in Berlin from May 31 to June 2 on the topic “The Role of Thai Language (Native Language) abroad”. More than 130 members from 11 countries attended. Besides providing intensive workshops on many education-related topics, it also served as a platform for teachers to share their experiences and exchange ideas, tricks and tips on how to improve teaching Thai back home.

“The nature of teaching Thai as a second language to children varies in Europe,” says Salee, who has been recognised as one of Thailand’s best teachers of English and has also organised workshops throughout Europe for more than a decade.

“In Scandinavian countries, such as Norway and Sweden, the government provides Thai teachers to help ease the integration process for the kids. The Thai teachers give them tuition in all subjects in Thai as well as teaching the local language. These Thai teachers, all native speakers with a bachelor’s degree, are civil servants and receive the same pay as other teachers.

Salee Silapasatham

“Elsewhere in Europe, it is a gathering of like-minded people who see the importance of kids being able to speak and have a good command of the Thai language. This has resulted in Thai schools spreading all over the continent. Some receive support from Thailand’s Office of Non-formal and Informal Education while others are entirely organised and managed by themselves.”

Sara Fenati of Italy’s Thai–Cervia School was taking part in the conference for a second year. Last year she attended the event in Norway in a private capacity and found it so beneficial that she convinced the school board to send her to this year’s event again on behalf of the school.

Sara Fenati

“I met so many inspiring Thai teachers and learned so much. Some of tricks I learned, I was able to adapt to my class and it really works,” says Ferati who was born and spent the first 15 years of her life in Thailand before moving to Italy.

Thai-Cervia school has been established for five years and currently has three classes, two teachers and 12 students in total, ranging from five year-olds to teenagers. Sara, 22 and a Eurasian herself, says she never thought of becoming a Thai teacher but saw the importance of having a good command of Thai and grabbed the opportunity when it presented itself. “It’s fun and challenging,” she explains.

The challenges of teaching Thai in Italy come from both the private and public fronts, she adds. “We have kids whose mothers never speak Thai to them but expect that after taking a once-a-week class, they will be able to speak Thai. That’s not going to happen,” Fenati points out.

“In some cases the Italian fathers do not support the idea, which makes it even more difficult for children to have a good attitude towards the language and the courage to practice it.

Unlike in Scandinavian countries, the lack of government support means they have to pay high rent for the classroom space, which in turn becomes a burden for parents as they have to pay high fees for the class.

“But attending these events has made me so proud to be Thai and has given me the courage to continue teaching,” she smiles.

Regular members of the FTTE have also seen progress. Unakorn Silpi, a member of FTTE’s Projects and Activities Committee and a mother of two who lives in France, has been coming to the meetings since 2011. “You can see that FTTE has stabilised and became stronger. At the beginning when they just started, all members were new to it and needed some time to learn and adjust to working with each other. Now everyone knows what it is about and their roles, so working together is much smoother. Besides, it is more organised – we already know who will host the event for the next two years. The hosts-to-be can start their preparations well in advance.”

Unakorn says she has benefited a lot from the activities. “My daughter attended the FTTE’s Music Instrument summer camp in Belgium for two consecutive years. She loves it and it has inspired her to do more.”

Now that the FTTE’s “Basic Thai Language for People Living Abroad” curriculum, which was developed in close consultation with Salee and is primarily for young children, has received endorsement from the Thai Education Ministry, the organisation is working on another major task.

“We are creating a curriculum for teaching the Thai language to adults,” explains Supannee Boontook, director of Projects and Activities. “We hope to set a standard of teaching Thai language to foreigners in European countries. Once it’s finished, we will also seek approval from the Ministry of Education in Thailand. This does not mean that we will force people to use our curriculum but we want to have it as a reference that everyone can look up to and adapt to their own uses.”

Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of FTTE and the annual meeting will be held in Hague, the Netherlands between April 24 and 26 on the theme “Thai Language in the Digital World”.