ThailandIFF as a Self-Development Platform for International Artists through Leisure
(1) Philosophical Foundations of ThailandIFF
Thailand International Folklore Festival (ThailandIFF) is a self-development platform for international artists that employs Leisure as a philosophical and practical framework for personal, cultural, and spiritual development.
This concept emerged from the author’s long-term academic and field research. Between 2004 and 2020, while supervising doctoral candidates in the Ph.D. Program in Regional Development Strategy,
the author conducted extensive fieldwork throughout the six countries of the Mekong River Basin. By synthesizing findings from 120 doctoral dissertations and engaging directly with 23 ethnic communities across Southeast Asia, two recurring foundations of sustainable human well-being were identified:
F: Folklore
S: Self-Reliance Healer
To further examine and validate these findings, the author established the Surin International Folklore Festival (SIFF) at Surin Rajabhat University (2006–2016).
The festival served as a living research laboratory in which approximately 2,800 international artists from 23 countries participated. Beyond being a cultural event, SIFF functioned as an experimental platform where doctoral researchers investigated the deeper philosophical significance of folklore and self-reliance within intercultural contexts.
Beginning in 2017, the project evolved from a university-based initiative into a community-based platform hosted by Buddhist temples throughout Thailand. Consequently, SIFF was transformed into the Thailand International Folklore Festival (ThailandIFF) (2017–2026), expanding its activities to 65 Thai temples.
Over the past two decades, ThailandIFF has engaged approximately 5,000 international artists from 32 countries and more than 90,000 local community participants.
Drawing upon research records from laboratory hibernation experiments together with reports generated through SIFF and ThailandIFF, the author developed the FSPW+L Cycle within the I-BOWON framework:
F: Folklore
S: Self-Reliance Healer
P: Inner Peace
W: Wisdom
L: Leisure
The author proposes that the concept of a Folklore Festival represents a practical embodiment of Aristotle’s philosophical conception of Leisure.
According to Aristotle, Leisure (Greek: scholē—the etymological origin of the English word school) does not refer merely to idleness, relaxation, or amusement.
Rather, it denotes a state in which individuals are liberated from economic necessity and the demands of earning a livelihood. Leisure is the condition through which human beings pursue Eudaimonia—the flourishing life—and thus constitutes the highest purpose of human existence.
Within Aristotle’s philosophy, genuine leisure should be devoted to activities possessing intrinsic value, including philosophical contemplation, appreciation of art, music, poetry, and active participation in civic life. These activities cultivate intellectual excellence, moral virtue, and spiritual flourishing.
From this philosophical perspective, the author identifies a close relationship between Leisure and the Thailand International Folklore Festival (ThailandIFF).
Although the modern term folklore did not exist in ancient Greece, Aristotle attributed great importance to public festivals, communal rituals, religious celebrations, and dramatic performances. These cultural practices correspond closely to his conception of meaningful leisure in at least two respects.
First, folklore festivals promote moral and social development. They provide communal spaces where people gather to transmit cultural traditions, music, dance, oral narratives, and collective memory across generations.
Aristotle regarded such communal participation as essential for cultivating virtue, strengthening interpersonal relationships, and encouraging generosity and civic responsibility.
Second, folklore festivals foster aesthetic appreciation during leisure. Music, dance, and traditional performing arts are not merely forms of entertainment but opportunities for intellectual and spiritual cultivation. In Politics, Aristotle argues that music and the arts should be learned not for utilitarian purposes but because they enrich leisure and elevate the human spirit.
Accordingly, Aristotle understood leisure as time liberated from work and economic necessity—a condition that enables the cultivation of intellect, virtue, and the pursuit of Eudaimonia. Likewise, ThailandIFF offers a contemporary and practical manifestation of this ideal by transforming leisure into meaningful engagement with folk arts, music, cultural heritage, inner peace, and intercultural friendship.
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