After the mid-term elections, the rest of the month of May bustled with heritage-related activities, and not the usual type of heritage activities. I am referring to the 1st Kabilin Fest on May 18, 2013, a cultural stewardship program of West Gorordo Hotel, and the forthcoming Gabii sa Kabilin on May 31, specifically UP Cebu’s participation.
Held on International Museum Day, May 18, 2013, the 1st Kabilin Fest launched the Paulina Constancia Museum of Naïve Art (MoNA). In partnership with creative practitioners in the community, this gives the Cebuano public the opportunity to experience a myriad of interactive cultural heritage workshops under one roof. The day started with Tindak Sugbo, a bike tour of heritage public spaces and buildings. The afternoon saw a series of workshops for dulaan (toys), huni (music), kasugiran (folklore), mugna (arts and crafts), suwat (ancient writing), sawsaw (salad dressing), heritage conservation, and human rights. The highlight was the launching of the museum.
The hotel and its cultural stewardship program is managed by the Lee siblings, children of the late Judge German Lee. Paulina’s art “brings us in touch with a seemingly distant and almost imaginary world in which people are still connected to Nature and each other. In these times of high technology, materialism and consumerism, people have become disconnected.” Through the museum and its program, West Gorordo Hotel provides the opportunity for Cebu locals and visitors to rekindle their connectedness with themselves, with each other and with nature. I facilitated the workshop for kasugiran where together with two UP students we narrated one of the stories from “Matod Pa sa Lola ni Noy Kulas,” a compilation of Cebuano stories through a 2009 project of Smart and Sun Star Daily. The interaction after the workshop revealed the need for schools especially teachers to use indigenous stories to develop early appreciation for our heritage and beginnings of pride of place. I particularly enjoyed the ethnic music percussion workshop where we learned to play percussion and accompanied the ethnic dances performed by artists group from Davao. Psychology volunteers of UP Cebu organized the bike tour and came up with a short documentation on the natural and cultural heritage of Cebu. Congratulations to Edna Lee for coordinating activities of the 1st Kabilin Fest.
UP Cebu’s participation in the Gabii sa Kabilin on May 31, 2013 will be unique because it will showcase the institution in the context of local and national history, hence the theme – “UP in the History of Cebu and the Nation.” Why the theme? First of all, the administration building was declared a heritage site by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. The community should understand why a place or building becomes a heritage site Focusing on its history in the context of the local and national histories, one gets a glimpse of the journey of an educational institution established to answer the need of the community and surmounting the economic and political pressures of the various periods of our history. Since there is no museum, the building is in itself the museum still intact from the time it was built in the late 1920’s. Visitors will be guided on a walking tour around the campus. Singers of the UP Serenata will render memorable Cebuano songs. Art works of UP Cebu Fine Arts Students will be exhibited (withsome for sale) at the lobby of the Cebu Cultural Center. Video showing of the performances of the Philippine Madrigal Singers, the UP Singing Ambassadors, the UP Concert Chorus, and the UP PEP Squad, will provide added features. Souvenir items like Kabilin T-shirts, UP key chains and embossed book marks of the UP Cebu administration building will be available.
Here’s the guide to UP Cebu’s Gabii sa Kabilin Program on May 31, 2013:
6:15 – 7 p.m. for the opening ceremonies (Ritual by UPSTAGE), musical rendition (UP Serenata).
7:00-7:30 – Opening and viewing of exhibits (Oblation square)
7:30 – Opening of art works (lobby of Cebu Cultural Center)
8:00 -8:30 video showing of UP’s Madrigal Singers, UP Singing Ambassadors, UP Concert Chorus, Kontra Gapi, and UP PEP Squad (Oblation Square).
Tickets are priced at Php 150 and available at the UP Press Bookstore. Contact cellphone no. 0917-3295201.
UP alumni are invited to reconnect with their alma mater.