WITH the advent of the Internet, do our children still appreciate Cebuano culture and heritage?
“Children are now into the Internet. But this should not mean that our culture and heritage should be forgotten. It is okay to learn new things but we should also know our culture,” said Casa Gorordo Museum curator Florencio A. Moreño II in an interview over “Pagtuki,” a radio program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) aired every Saturday over radio dyLA.
In the Pagtuki episode last Oct. 8, Moreño pointed out the need for schools and parents to initiate the teaching of Cebuano culture by, among others, letting children play Cebuano games, such as shatong, dakup-dakop, tumba-lata and labang-labang.
He said knowing one’s roots could improve children’s appreciation for Cebuano culture and heritage as well as make them proud as Cebuanos.
“Importante nga mintras bata pa sila, aduna na silay appreciation sa atong culture aron ila sab ma-share sa uban, hilabi na karon nga gitawag ang Cebu City og Asean City of Culture (While they are still children, it is important that they already develop a sense of appreciation of our culture that they could share with others, especially now that Cebu City is declared as an Asean City of Culture),” Moreño explained.
The Asean Ministers Responsible for Culture and the Arts Plus Three has selected Cebu City to be the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) City of Culture because of its creative industries.
To help develop children’s appreciation of Cebuano culture and heritage, RAFI initiates every year the “Kids at the Museum,” which allows children ages six to 12 years old from barangays in Cebu City to visit the museums and heritage sites and to play Cebuano games.
Children will also undergo literary workshops in writing Cebunano poems and storytelling of Cebuano stories.
Kids at the Museum runs every Saturday of October.