Creativity Summit Reaches Out to the Marginalized

Aimed at addressing the eight UN Millennium Development Goals (UN MDGs), the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) led by Chairman Vilma Labrador, Executive Director Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, and Deputy Executive Director Malou Jacob in cooperation with the International Theater Institute (ITI) is set to open the Creativity Summit on Kalahi Cultural Caregiving and a Short + Sweet Festival on March 9-15.

It is a prelude to the AMCA-SOMCA AFA forging the example of forming culture with social content for presentation in the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting as the Philippines is honored as the 1st ASEAN Culture Capital 2010-2011 in conjunction with its role as host of the AFA.

Featuring harvests from Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao in dance, music, drama and film, the creativity summit will bring together the marginalized sector of the society—the physically challenged, the frail and the elderly, the street children, prisoners, abused women, refugees of armed conflict and victims of climate change disasters among others, with special highlights on their creations in the Short + Sweet Festival.

Performing at the creativity summit are Marilac Hills Center for Abused Women, Tahanang Walang Hagdan, the Elsie Gaches, and the Ortho-Pedagogical Institute for Dance. For Music, Angklung Ensemble of Golden Acres, Nayon ng Kabataan (street children), Ambassadors of Light (Blind Chorale Group with the Earthsavers Dream Ensemble) and the String of Sampaguita from the National Bilibid Prisons will delight the audience with a musical ensemble.

The Government Internship Program, consist of unemployed youth who are under the care of the Manila City Hall Youth Development Program will perform “Sa Dalampasigan,” a 10-minute play about mature people who have lost hope and reason to continue living.
A visual arts exhibition will also feature works of the sick such as the Brave Kids (cancer victims) and the Tagaytay Drug Rehab Center.

Two short films will be presented by Pili at Pino, a visual arts and film enthusiast group of marginalized youth from Manila, In line with this, there will also be an Animation workshop to be conducted through Tuldok with the pilot testing results demonstrated and discussed.

An exciting aspect of the Summit is the Music Fusion, synergizing native instruments with indigenous and traditional voices and other creative sound makers with movement, dances, and songs—mixing and matching, melding and interweaving the produce of each regional representation into one total theater performance. Project director is Dr. Mars Cavestany with Gardy Labad as Music Director and Wally Tuyan, and Gigi David as choreographers. Stage management is composed of Gigi Perate and Ronnie Martinez.

Conducted nationwide, the Kalahi Cultural Caregiving Program is in line with poverty alleviation program of President Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo aimed at achieving the eight UN MDG. This program utilizes the Earthsavers Dreams Methodology which involves human resource development, eco-social rehabilitation, and values education through the arts and media and sports and sciences. Its holistic approach underscores the therapeutic and participatory values derived from meaningful and relevant arts training that culminates in a showcase of talents in the field of visual arts, music, dance, theater arts, creative crafts, media and animation and broadcast modules.

The Short + Sweet Festival, on the other hand, will feature performances also from Luzon, theVisayas and Mindanao. From Luzon, there will be performances from the Tagbanuas and Palaweños and from the BALER Arts Academy with the Gawad Kalinga Tatalon Performing Arts. The Lihok Visayan Contingent as well as Tagum group, Tampaken Lum-Alay Cultural Dance Ensemble and the Bukidnon State University will be joining Luzon Short and Sweet Harvest.

For more details, contact Rene Napeñas, Head of the NCCA Public Affairs and Information Office and PIAF Media Director at 527-5529, 09285081057, 09275582656 or PIAF Deputy Festival Manager, Vanessa Marquez at 527-2209 or 09186380412. Email us at ncca.paio@gmail.com.