CHA-TIME with SEACHA
Digital monthly talk with a new cultural heritage theme each year.
Cha-Time with SEACHA is a monthly program for sharing knowledge and expertise on common cultural heritage issues in Southeast Asian countries. Talks are held virtually on Saturday afternoons. The program lasts about an hour and a fifteen minutes each time, with a 20 minute presentation by a guest speaker and up to an hour for interactive discussion, roundtable chat, and Q&A with the audience. SEACHA founding members nominate speakers from their countries to present on topics that are relevant to the theme of the year.
Consider sharing your unique experience and knowledge and contact us at [email protected].
Check out our upcoming talks and register to participate.
February to June 2024 Theme: “From Tradition to Innovations: Asian Wisdom in Climate Action”
The traditions we hold close culturally are not only special in our hearts, but many of them are also sources of wisdom for sustainability and innovation. From the applications of heritage philosophies to modern day practice, to the fusion of traditional and modern architecture to optimize energy efficiency, there are a plethora of lessons we can take away from age-old cultural practices to encourage climate actions in the future. We will take these lessons from across the Asian continent and feature speakers who will help us reflect on the ways we can innovate and combat climate change locally in our regions and beyond. In remembering our roots, we can begin to ask ourselves where we lost our way in relation to the climate and environment, and begin to find our way again in a modern context.
Past Activities
Previous themes
2021 Theme: “Building Climate Resiliency through Local Community Wisdom”
Under this theme, 10 ASEAN countries talked about how cultural wisdom can be used to mitigate climate change from various perspectives; namely built heritage conservation, wisdom of vernacular architecture, open spaces design, city planning, social practices, sericulture, and other perspectives of intangible cultural heritage. Each presentation draws on the knowledge and experience of those engaged in cultural heritage issues in Southeast Asia.
2022 Theme: “Traditional Cultural Wisdom for Climate Action”
For the second series of Cha-Time with SEACHA, we welcome speakers from the next generation of cultural and climate professionals, ages 18-35, whose work, study or interests focus on cultural heritage and climate resilience. Under this theme, you will learn from young practitioners and hear about what they aim to push forward at the policy level for Southeast Asian countries.
2023 Theme: “Cooling the Earth with Cultural Wisdom”
For the third series of Cha-Time, we invited youth speakers across Southeast Asia to speak to the crisis we face as temperatures rise because of humanity. Under this theme, we had our first in-person Cha-Time and found methods to mitigate climate change through ancestral cultural wisdom.