‘Culture Shock 2005’: NCCA’s year-long project

NCCA’s "Culture Shock 2005" is a year-long program of activities slated to start on June 18 to honor Rizal (who was born on June 19) and to coincide with the country’s month of independence.

"Culture Shock 2005" – exhaustive and mind-blowing as we shall see later – was prepared by Hexilon Alvarez, the brilliant lawyer son of Cecile Guidote Alvarez, NCCA executive director. She being also the Presidential Assistant on Culture, the long-ranging "Cultural Shock 2005" is in support of President Arroyo’s 10-point agenda and initiatives to "end the culture of corruption in Philippine society."

Unable to attend NCCA’s two-day summit on "The Power of Arts and Media in Breaking the Cycle of Corruption and Poverty," I requested for materials, which would serve as basis for the discussions.

The youth are directly involved in the fight against corruption and poverty; consequently, Mrs. Alvarez who, as a government official is allowed to have a confidential assistant, asked her son Hexilon – her direct link to youth – to prepare the giant project. However, Hexilon will have nothing to do with the implementation of the projects relating to "Culture Shock 2005."

Production costs these days are sky-high yet the one million pesos (or more) reportedly earmarked for "Culture Shock" is a drop in the bucket. To illustrate: the amount will not even cover the expenses for a hypothetical single-night dance concert requiring costumes for a big cast, props and sets, lights, director’s and technical assistants’ fees, etc. etc.

By contrast, "Culture Shock 2005" is a widely-ranging, far-sighted program that will not take just one night but a whole year to implement! Incidentally, since Mrs. Alvarez took over as NCCA executive director, she has become "notorious" (to her colleagues) for drastically reducing budgetary expenses. I was told that before her time, a single project could cost one million pesos. Her frugality may be seen, for instance, in her having considerably brought down the printing costs of the cultural magazine Agung despite her having added pages to it.

"Culture Shock 2005" aims to open the NCCA and OPAC (Office of the President’s Advisory Committee) to wider sectors including the poor and marginalized through a series of sub-events combining both mainstream and alternative means and strategies to promote awareness of both culture and the arts.

The various sub-events are a program launching, a fashion show, a televised tour of Philippine Heritage Sites, a leadership training seminar, a national exposition, a digital photography contest and a victory concert. Space limitations will not allow a detailed description of all the sub-events but here are highlights of some of them.

The proposed fashion show will display various weaves and creations in one venue where people can appreciate them and reawaken a sense of cultural pride, promote local products and designs, thereby creating opportunities for industry development.

A cosmopolitan and youthful showcase of Filipino ingenuity and artistry, the fashion show will highlight the various traditions and ethnicity, particularly in the various indigenous weaves, cloths and beadwork from the country’s different geographical locations.

The logistical requirements enumerated herewith will show why a project can entail enormous expenses; a fashion show needs streamers, stage backdrop materials, sound system, ramps/catwalks, raw materials, designers, models, radios (for team leaders), service vehicle, merchandise, registration tables, ID cards, table identification tags, camera accreditation table, ample parking space, parking aides, ushers and usherettes, projection screens/monitors, microphones, tables and chairs, dressing rooms for talents, dressing room for VIP talents, standby generators, food and drinks, security, laptop and supplies, merchandize display partitions, merchandise tables and chairs.

A leadership training seminar will be a two-week youth seminar exclusively for leaders organized in cooperation with the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges and the Coordinating Council for Private Educational Associations. It will be open to in-school youth in the tertiary levels nominated by their respective communities and/or campus organizations, and prescreened by the PASUC and COCOPEA.

The competitive and highly interactive training seminar will put emphasis on actual skills necessary for any youth leader to succeed in the outside world.

The objectives of the televised tour of World Heritage Sites are to promote culture and national pride through tourism; to place the Sites at center stage, especially after the deadly tsunami that struck neighboring tourist destinations; to maximize government tie-ups with neighboring economies, and create opportunities for potential tourists in the millions; to create international media mileage opportunities for the Philippines; to strengthen working partnerships with all sectors involved.

The "Culture Shock" national exposition will be the venue where all the components/modules, as well as partnerships with the various sectors, agencies and organizations involved, will be tied up and put on display. Cultural elements, e.g., movies, songs, dances, fashion, literature, livelihood and industry (this may include culinary arts, farming, fishing, craftsmanship and even religion) will be showcased in one setting where people can experience the Philippines in its magnificent entirety.

Various activities like film-showing, poetry-reading, live-band playing, street dancing, culinary fests and exhibits will be staged for families and young crowds to appreciate and enjoy in one venue, without traveling across the islands to experience.

The national exposition project aims to promote awareness of regional ways of life, evolution and innovation, as well as the hip artistry that brings forth national identity; to promote positive cultural traits to reinforce government programs and development as a people (values of productivity, ingenuity, youth involvement, women empowerment); to promote the arts both as a tool for cultural identity and as an industry, thus reawakening the pride of our heritage and eventually, generating jobs for many.

"Culture Shock 2005", if totally promoted and implemented, can unite our people in a determined fight against corruption and poverty.