The rich culture, heritage and artistry of Mindanao and Palawan will be in the spotlight as the Philippines will host the first-ever Budayaw: The BIMP-EAGA Festival of Culture and the Arts, from September 20 to 24, 2017, in General Santos City.
A collaboration among different agencies and institutions including the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Mindanao Development Authority, Department of Tourism Region XII, the city government of General Santos, the provincial government of Sarangani, and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Budayaw will showcase the diversity of creative expressions of cultural masters and artists in the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) as well as raise awareness and foster appreciation on the landscapes, life-scapes and aspirations of peoples of the region.
The festival will feature different lectures, workshops, performances, shows, exhibit and other activities and events, which will foster understanding and solidarity among the multi-cultural populations of the BIMP-EAGA.
During the five-day festival, visitors can view iconic landscapes and cultural markers of the BIMP-EAGA in an interactive exhibit, which will be accompanied by lectures and fora to discuss the tensions of tradition and modernity embedded in the images.
A specially designed pavilion will be put up, serving as the shared domain of invited master weavers, who will show visitors how context shapes mastery of techniques over our natural resources.
Visitors will also experience the beauty of indigenous musics with performances using native musical instruments such as gongs, bamboo instruments, lutes and plucked-string instruments. Moreover, they can witness performing groups showcase the best of contemporary theatre, dance and music highlighting the threats and triumphs of communities on the road to peace, development, and resilience.
Visual artists will display outdoor installations as well as other works.
To make the Budayaw experience more immersive, there will be special tour packages for the visiting guests and tourists to explore the richness of Mindanao culture as well as its touristic destinations.
Aside from showcasing the diversity of cultures of countries of the region, the Budayaw festival will train the spotlight on the beauty of Mindanao, affirming and safeguarding its being wellspring of creativity and resilience.
