Festival hopes to put an end to IP’s tag as 2nd-class citizens
ROXAS CITY – The Dungog: Indigenous Peoples (IP) Festival 2009, which the Capiz provincial government and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) will jointly mount here on Oct. 2-6 this year, hopes to put an end to the unfair tag on the indigenous peoples as second-class citizens.
This was stressed by Capiz provincial tourism officer Alphonsus “Al” Tesoro during a dinner talk with the local press last week.
Tesoro said he also hopes that through the festival, the problem on discrimination, which has hounded the indigenous peoples for years, will soon become a thing of the past.
This year’s festival, which is part of the IP Month Celebration, is envisioned as a celebration of peace, bringing together representatives of more than 100 ethno linguistic groups of which 16 major cultural communities will feature their traditional houses, cultural resources, practices/rituals, chants, music, songs and dances, stories, traditional arts and crafts and indigenous games.
Explaining further the main rationale behind the staging of this year’s indigenous peoples festival, Tesoro said the event recognizes the indigenous peoples’ rights not only toward self-preservation but, more importantly toward boosting their self-worth and self-esteem.
“The festival is all about the indigenous people’s totality as a human being. Thus, the word “Dungog” which literally means “dignity,” Tesoro said.
Tesoro said the festival is one effective way of uplifting the plight and morale of the indigenous peoples... that they may become productive members of and be a part of mainstream society.
The two most recent indigenous people’s festivals were hosted by Davao for Mindanao in 2007 and Santiago City, Isabela in Luzon in 2008. This year, it’s the Visayas region’s turn to host the event, with Capiz in particular as a host province.
Adel Suenith, chief, Project Monitoring and Evaluation Division of NCAA, explained that Capiz was chosen as this year’s IP Festival venue mainly because of the interest and enthusiasm shown by its officials led by Gov. Victor Tanco Sr. and Tesoro.
Tesoro, she said, is also an active national executive council member of the NCAA Board.
Suemith said the NCAA has shelled out P6-million for the event while Capiz came up with a P2.1-million counterpart fund.
The local tourism officer, meanwhile, disclosed that local officials from Kalinga province headed by Gov. Floydelia R. Diasen and from Anilao in Iloilo have confirmed their participation to the festival as part of their Lakbay Aral programs.
Some 40 delegates from the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN), including a representative from UNESCO, are also coming for the festival.
Meanwhile, in her letter to Governor Tanco, NCAA executive director Cecile Guidote-Alvarez said that during the festival, traditional artists and cultural masters will be recognized, and discussion fora for IP rights and other concerns on preservation, promotion and development of traditional culture will also be included.
Also during the festival, Alvarez said communities will have inter-active activities such as performances, exhibitions, fora, lecture-demonstrations and workshops on traditional crafts and cuisine, and indigenous games.
At the same time, Alvarez said, a particular tradition of a community will be highlighted for the appreciation and understanding of other communities and of the students from various schools, colleges and universities as well.
Likewise, she said, traditional arts and crafts produced by cultural masters will also be available at designated booths/houses.
Alvarez disclosed that a special feature of the festival is the initiative to link our own to the international community of indigenous and the new union indigenous broadcasters. (with reports from Dungog: Publicity and Promotions Committee)