RP ethnic performance impresses Londoners

Rather belatedly but unavoidably owing to the number of notices and communications I receive daily, I am acknowledging a most gratifying report from our conscientious, diligent and innovative Ambassador to London Cesar B. Bautista.

He begins thus: "The cultural diplomacy program has hit a record high this year with so many events strategically directed towards the upliftment of the Filipino image in the country where the number of our professionals has increased by leaps and bounds in the last few years."

The recent activities included the participation of Joey Ayala, Grace Nono in a two-week festival with other musical groups in several venues such as Regents Park, Kew Gardens and Greenwich Park, with tens of thousands heartily applauding.

The other event was the fourth Igorot International Conference attended by more than 500 delegates, the majority of whom came from the RP and US; other delegates represented Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Ireland, Austria and the UK. The Igorot Global Organization (IGO) of more than a thousand members world-wide traces its ethnic roots to the Cordillera provinces of Northern Luzon.

Issues discussed: The need for the empowerment of Igorots through education, political mobilization and advocacy to encourage them to exercise their rights /The need to implement customary and national laws in the Cordillera regarding ancestral lands and political structures /The need for a clear interpretation of ownership, utilization and possession of land, forest and other resources / The need to review the IPRA (Indigenous Peoples Rights Act).

Gala night at Conway Hall, Holborn, hosted by Dr. Caridad Fiar-od, presented a special number by the Kalingas and the Bontoks who in full Igorot attire, performed the tadek, the tupaya and the Bontok dance to thunderous applause.

The conferees concluded that Igorot dances, songs and chants should be preserved considering their uniqueness and power to strengthen identity. Traditional knowledge of Igorots should be documented and preserved, while clannishness and tribalism should be discouraged.

Ambassador Bautista’s prefatory remarks pointed out that 1) The Igorot UK has played a leading role in the Filipino community, 2) that the Filipino community and the Philippine Embassy have a good working relationship with the British Museum.

At the Diaspora Music Village – a two-week festival of World Music – six Filipino musical artists led by Ayala and Nono gave almost daily performances for three weekends in the aforementioned venues. They were joined by ten other international musical groups as well as 27 London-based artists in giving appreciative audiences endless programs of African, Latin, Middle Eastern, European, Caribbean, East Asian and Southeast Asian rhythms, chants, songs, instrumental music and choreography with each open-air concert lasting for at least nine hours, yet leaving the audience asking for more!

The weekend concerts, workshops and performances were held at the British Museum, October Gallery, selected schools and international showcases at the Union Chapel in Islington.

According to those who attended the performances, the Filipino group was one of the most applauded in all the Diaspora concerts. It had thus provided thousands of Londoners of various nationalities – as also cultural authorities and experts in the UK capital – an eye-opener to the musical genius of Filipino artists. Further, their appearance at the Diaspora Music Village could presage the start of a more permanent Philippine presence in the arena of World Music.

Congratulations, Ambassador Baustista!