Philippines: 2010 ASEAN Cultural Capital

The Philippines has been recognized as the ‘cultural capital’ of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2010 and 2011. As the first country given this distinction in the 10-member association of countries in the region, the Philippines hosts this year’s ministerial and experts meeting on culture and arts (AMCA-SOMCA) and the 4th ASEAN Festival of the Arts to be held in March.

This early, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), in cooperation with other agencies including the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Education, and the Provincial Tourism Office of the province of Pampanga, is now getting ready for the festival.

With the theme “The Best of the ASEAN,” this year’s festival aims to showcase what the member-countries consider to be their best. It could be a performance, book, exhibit, film, and the like. NCCA Executive Director with a creative team of artists from the International Theater Institute and NCCA synergized with an interdisciplinary group of arts coordinators in Pampanga are focused in preparing a rich panorama of the diverse wealth of talents and resources.

In other news, the year 2010 has been declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as the International Year of Rapprochement of Cultures. The declaration of the present year as such makes “rapprochement of cultures the hallmark of all policy-making at local, national, regional and international levels, involving the greatest number of relevant stakeholders.”

Thus far, over 300 proposals have been submitted from various member states. In an open-ended list of activities for the year in connection with the rapprochement, the Philippines has pledged to promote the culture of peace through interfaith dialogue, education and the arts and to undertake a cultural festival on traditions and crafts with the participation of women and youth and intercultural dialogue activities with indigenous communities including the varied events for the celebration of the Dia Del Galleon and the performances centered on collaborative productions on the constellation of literary giants Tagore, Casaire, and Neruda.