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Dear participants and judges of all the five HPA contests:

Please accept my sincere greetings for you—though we may have never seen each other before, we have become tacit friends by means of the exchanges of folklore photographs. On behalf of the China Folklore Photographers Association (CFPA), I would like to extend my genuine appreciation for your selfless and persevering devotions to this contest; the ten-year achievements of HPA (Humanity Photo Awards) belong to you!

As you know, HPA, launched in 1998 and successfully held five times, is the first photography contest in the world to encourage extensive record of multi-cultures and advocates dialogues among different civilizations, which has attracted wide participation of photographers from nearly 100 countries. Due to our fulfillment in the past ten years, we have great confidence in our ability to build an enormous folklore photo gallery, which will present a splendid sight for the whole world.

However, CFPA alone is not able to assume this heavy global responsibility of recording and salvaging the world folklore cultural heritage which will eventually be preserved to be shared by all the human beings. Therefore, CFPA has been dedicated to the preparation of establishing the World Folklore Photographers Association (WFPA) in hope of calling upon photographers throughout the world to undertake this great mission. In 1999, a preparatory conference of WFPA was initiated jointly by the UNESCO and the CFPA for the first time, with representatives of 18 countries present who had a discussion on this inspiring issue. In 2005, after a successful exhibition of the photographs selected from the previous four HPA contests in Japan’s Aichi Expo, I leaded a group of CFPA staff to the headquarters of the UNESCO in Paris upon their invitation, and planned another exhibition of the HPA works as the opening of the celebration activities for UNESCO’s 60th Anniversary. In that exhibition, Mr. Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, and I together invited the European participants of HPA to visit Paris, which once again gathered photographers having a common dream of preserving folklore cultures.

With the practical experience of the five HPA contests over the past ten years, we believe the time was ripe for establishing the World Folklore Photographers Association. I hereby cordially invite you—all the participants of the HPA contests, to join in WFPA: Let us build up a new photography world! And we are eagerly waiting for your proposals for the future development of WFPA.

Your energetic participation will be of great importance for WFPA. WFPA needs and welcomes folklore photographers with diverse cultural backgrounds from every corner of the world. By the end of 2008, I will invite you—who passionately take part in the construction of WFPA, to visit China for an 8-to-10-day investigation tour in our Cultural Experiencing Zone. Meanwhile, we will convene another preparatory meeting of WFPA for its further development

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that the 6th HPA contest will begin to receive the submission of participating photos in mid September. We welcome your unique works! This contest will be distinct from the previous five in terms of its award ceremony featured with the Oscar suspense and its host city selected through an Olympic-style bidding process. We hope you will appreciate the new reforms and continuingly give great support to our HPA contest.

We are EAGERLY looking forward to hearing from all of you.

The Statutes of the World Folklore Photographers Association (Draft)

Chapter Ⅰ General Principles

Article1. The Chinese title of the association is “世界民俗摄影家协会”.

The English title is “World Folklore Photographers Association”.

The acronym: WFPA

Article2. As an independent non-profitable body granted by UNESCO, WFPA is an international non-governmental organization.

Article3.Mission:

To undertake the projects of UNESCO------ Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage, and Mondialogo whose aim is to record, to spread, and to share all diverse cultures. To unite those who love folklore all over the world and to call on those who are willing to shoulder the responsibility for this cause to record authentically the development and changes of all nationalities’ folklore by means of photographing; to explore, rescue, preserve and study folklore cultures and phenomena which are on the verge of vanishing; to carry forward the spirit of humanism as well as to promote and to strengthen the understanding and communication among different nationalities so as to make contributions to the world peace and prosperity and development of the world folklore cultures.

Article4. Scope of work:

(1)        To sponsor the international folklore photography contest named“Humanity Photo Awards”.
(2)        To organize and project all kinds of activities of reporting and photographing folklore cultures all over the world, especially to salvage the world cultural heritages by photographing, to enhance the protection awareness for world cultural heritages of all the governments and all the people;
(3)        To collect, exhibit and publish folklore photographic works, to build an internationally authoritative museum of folklore photos.
(4)   To publish Journals of the Association, to foster theoretical and academic researches on folklore photography, and to popularize the concept of folklore photography.
(5)   To develop responsible cultural eco-tourism by constructing cultural and ecological sharing zones in order to instruct local people and encourage them to learn the local culture, to adore it and to inherit it; to set up a healthy value of development—the local culture, as a core, absorbs and learns from other outstanding cultures.
(6)        To improve academic and theoretical studies on folklore photography, to train and enlarge qualified photographers, to set up teaching institutions of folklore photography.

ChapterⅡ Membership

Article5.The Association is mainly consisted of outstanding photographers. Formal membership takes effect after the verification and approval of applicants by the Organizing Committee of WFPA.

Article6. Pre-membership will be granted to photographers or amateurs with a certain level of professional folklore knowledge, as long as they abide by the Statutes and are willing to devote to the undertaking of folklore photography.

Article7. Honorary membership will be granted to scholars who have made great contribution to the theory of folklore photography; or to personages from all walks of life who have made great contribution to promote the undertaking of folklore photography.

Members’ Rights and Obligations

Article8. Members enjoy the right to put forward suggestions and criticisms to the Association. They have the right to vote and to be voted.

Article9. Members enjoy the right to participate in the HPA contest hosted by the Association, and to take part in activities such as international interviews, photographing, exhibition, communication and seminars, etc.

Article10. Members have the right to withdraw from WFPA.

Article11. Members enjoy the right to apply for training programmes, courses as well as further studies in the academic institutions of the Association for further study or training.

Article12. Members have the right to require the Association to protect the copyright of their works from being violated with the help of international organizations concerned. 

Article13. Members shoulder the obligations to abide by the Statutes, carry out its resolutions and pay membership dues to the Association as stipulated.

Article14. Members shoulder the obligations to collect or take pictures of folklore cultures of their countries.

Article15. Members shoulder the obligation to help other members of the Association or from other countries to visit, take photos, exhibit, etc. in their own native lands.

Article16. Members shoulder the obligation to introduce and absorb new members into the Association.

Article17. Members shoulder the obligation to maintain the good image and prestige of the Association.

Article18. Members who violate WFPA’s Statutes will be deprived of their membership.

Chapter Ⅲ Organizational Structure

Article19. The supreme power organ is the Membership Congress, which convenes once every four years.

Article20. Functions and powers of the Membership Congress:

(1)      To decide on major issues of WFPA.
(2)      To listen to and examine activity reports and financial statements from WFPA. Award the Treasurer with an Incorruptness Certificate.
(3)      To elect the Executive Council.

Article21. The Executive Council is composed of several members (within 50 persons). The Executive Council convenes a conference every other year, when the Membership Congress is not in session.

Article22. Functions and powers of the Executive Council:

(1)      To elect the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, the Treasurer and the Chief Officer of the international secretariat of WFPA.
(2)      To discuss and decide on the important issues of WFPA.

Article23. To set up a Board of Supervisors which adopts an appointment system and monitors the day-to-day work of the Executive Council.

Chapter Ⅳ Funds

Article 24. The funds of WFPA come from:

(1)      The Foundation Committee of WFPA.
(2)      Social donations and sponsors’ assistance.
(3)      The membership fees.
(4)      Other commonweal donations.

ChapterⅤ Supplement

Article25. This Statutes comes into effect only after being approved by the Membership Congress of WFPA.

Article26. The right of revision of the Statutes belongs to the Membership Congress of WFPA, and the interpretation right to the Executive Council.

Article27. The termination of activities of WFPA should be subject to vote by the Membership Congress and approved by the majority to be valid.

Organizational Committees of the World Folklore Photographers Association

The setup of the organizational committees of WFPA aims to promote healthy development of the world’s folklore photography by effectively organizing, publicizing, educating, researching and other kinds of activities.

Ⅰ. The Association shall set up a board of supervisors consisting of one president, one vice president and three supervisors.

    In the context of the principles of WFPA, the board of supervisors shall formulate resolutions relating to the developing direction of the Association, monitor the work of the Executive Council and review relevant financial reports.

Ⅱ. The Association shall set up the positions for a couple of permanent honorary presidents and honorary presidents, one president, two vice presidents, one secretary-general, two deputy secretary-generals and one treasurer.

    Candidates for honorary presidents shall be personages of a worldwide prestige. President shall take chare of convening the Executive Council, and be responsible to conduct daily work management of the Association. Secretary-General shall be in charge of handling daily affairs. Deputy Secretary-Generals shall be appointed by the president, and take the responsibilities of assisting the work of secretary-general.

Ⅲ. Working bodies in the headquarters of the Association shall take charge of handling daily affairs, coordinating the work of each department, and the planning and organizing of major programs.   

Ⅳ. Professional Committees

1.  The Organizing Committee. It shall review and absorb both group and individual members and be responsible to promote the liaison between members and relevant organs of the Association.

2.  The Academic Committee. It shall start academic researches among members, scholars, experts and, academic institutions and societies related from all over the world with the aim to improve the theoretical system of folklore photography and contribute to figure out effective methods of recording, protecting, inheriting and sharing cultural heritage by research and discussion.

3.  The Educational Committee. It shall be responsible to provide training for members, to popularize knowledge of photographing, to enhance protection awareness of cultural heritage among members. Furthermore, it shall take charge of setting up a formal Institute of Cultural Heritage Education.

4.  The Press Committee. It shall take the responsibilities of publishing works for the Association and its members as well as some commissioned works related. The scope of work covers the Association’s journals and website, paper media on major activities of the Association, CD-ROMs, book series on cultural heritage, photo albums for individual members or for several members, etc.

5.  The Film Committee. It shall expand the latest filming means as a guidance which enables members to record the cultural heritage more efficiently. Meanwhile, it shall foster rapid and convenient exchanges and communications of the recorded cultural heritages.

6.  The Committee for Special Programs. It shall be in charge of the host of the international biennial “Humanity Photo Awards (HPA)” contest, the management of the World Folklore Photographic Gallery, the exhibition and performance forum of intangible cultural heritage, and the development, planning, organizing and implementing of other major programs.

7.  The Foundation Committee. It shall take charge of the fund-raising, management and financing work in order to guarantee the day-to-day work of the Association, the host of HPA contest, the management of the World Folklore Photographic Gallery and the exhibition and performance forum of intangible cultures, etc.

The Short-term Tasks of WFPA

Being the founder of the ‘Humanity Photo Awards’ contest, it is the bounden duty of China Folklore Photographic Association (CFPA), to establish the World Folklore Photographers Association (WFPA), and play an important role during the construction process. So far CFPA has started the consultation in several countries regarding the registration of WFPA, and much more work is waiting for the energetic participation from photographers with the same ideal.

1. A new start point for HPA

The previous five HPA contests have witnessed a collection of more than 100,000 images of over 8000 photographers from 94 countries in total. It is extremely precious that each participating works featuring a series of photos, which consummately depict various folklore customs. Based on our former accomplishment, we have been exploring more innovative practice in the 6th HPA contest in hopes that a lot more folklore photographers will take part in this unique photo festival. In order to draw a worldwide attention and speed up the global popularization of the HPA contest, we have conceived to hold the award ceremony featured with the Oscar suspense and the host city is selected through the Olympic-style bidding process:

a.    To combine the final evaluation with the prize awarding, preserving more suspense and excitement for winners as well as for the other nominated photographers. To invite the jury members to attend the award ceremony and intercommunicate with the winners and other participating photographers.

b. To divide the high reward of the prizes into the transportation fees for more winners. To encourage extensive interaction among photographers, which shall be helpful to create diverse categories of photos and to enhance the theme of the award ceremony—to share more multitude cultures.

2. To establish a Foundation of Cultural Heritage Preservation and Development (FCHPD)

The Foundation of Cultural Heritage Preservation and Development is the support of the operation of WFPA, which will raise funds through sponsorship of governments, financial groups and other foundations of different countries. The establishment of FCHPD will extensively encourage the world’s enthusiasts, who feel responsible for all the human beings and its various developing civilizations, to take advantage of their professions, recording systematically every footprint and every echo of the history they pay attention to, and preserving the vanishing cultural heritage to consummate memories of the mankind and displaying the diversity of civilizations of the globe. Meanwhile, FCHPD shall continue reminding the whole world to take the responsibility of remembering heritages of the mankind as the common mission to fulfill by all generations.

3.       To prepare the establishment of the World Folklore Photographic Gallery

World Folklore Photographic Gallery will be the first large-scale gallery storing human photographs of folklore cultural diversity, including paper photos and digital photos. It will make use of the HPA contest and a system of signing contracts with photographers, to call for enormous photographers and amateurs to take the responsibility of extensively recording the world cultural heritage, to collect more diverse and colorful photographs to enlarge the photographic archives, to preserve precious cultural gene archives and the inspirations for artistic innovations for all the human beings.

4.       Others: to set up cultural and ecological experiencing zones with most distinct characteristics of the world, to develop training programs of folklore photography, etc.

WFPA is waiting for more constructive proposals from all over the world!

The China Folklore Photographic Association