TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A music festival raising awareness about the February 28 massacre is to commence in Taipei on Thursday.

Tomorrow is National 228 Peace Memorial Day, and marks the 72nd year since the Kuomintang military dictatorship began opening fire on public protestors, killing thousands and suppressing dissent that began over one woman’s sale of contraband cigarettes.

Each year since 2013, a group of young Taiwanese activists have helped host an event that both pays respect to the lives lost in the tragedy, and encourages reflection on the current human rights situation in Taiwan.

GongSheng228 (共生音樂節) will take place from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28 along Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei. The theme of this year’s event is “heteroglossia” (眾聲喧嘩), which host Hsu Hsiang-bi (徐祥弼) explains in an introductory video is due to the irresolvable dispute over whether historical wounds can be healed by forging a single truth or respecting divergent opinions.

GongSheng228 has already hosted a number of lectures, tours, film screenings and exhibitions among other activities to inform the public about the importance of the incident, Hsu says. The organization hopes its diverse approaches to addressing human rights issues can further advance transitional justice.

The line up for tomorrow’s event features a diverse range of performances and short lectures on the main stage, alongside an exhibition space that will host a variety of Taiwanese NGOs promoting many of the country’s pressing human rights concerns.

(Image by GongSheng228)

Those who wish to donate to the cause and ensure the festival can return next year may do so via this zeczec page. For more information, please visit the Facebook event page 第七屆共生音樂節－眾聲喧嘩.