12 November 2013 - The Philippine Embassy in Athens, Greece reported to the Department that National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Chairman Felipe M. De Leon, Jr. visited Greece from October 21 to 25 for a lecture series/roundtable discussion on Philippine arts and culture. The Chairman’s visit is part of the Embassy’s “Meet My Country: The Philippines” series under its economic and cultural diplomacy program.
The Embassy organized a roundtable discussion for Greek art and culture experts at the Ambassador’s residence on October 22. A number of participants, including museum directors, musicians, university professors, art historians and writers attended the event.
The event aimed to: promote Philippine arts and culture to Greek art/culture experts and scholars for them to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the rich and colorful cultural heritage of the Philippines; learn from the Greek experience in promoting and preserving the country’s cultural heritage; and share experiences and exchange information on each other’s cultural policies, programs, strategies and activities.
Chairman De Leon’s presentation, entitled “What Makes a Filipino Filipino” dwelt on the distinct characteristics that underlie Filipino cultural identity such as the Filipino core value of “kapwa,” and the value-orientations engendered by this core value, which are: that Filipinos love to connect; that Filipinos like to experience the multi-dimensional wholeness of life; and that Filipinos are highly participatory. These characteristics are also evident in Filipino visual art, sculpture, music, architecture, furniture, fashion, and food. Parallelisms were also drawn on common features between Philippine and Greek culture and the psyche of both peoples (e.g., Christian values, close family ties, etc.).
The NCCA Chair also delivered two lectures for Filipino audiences. The first lecture was for high school students and teachers of the Philippine School in Greece, and the second was for the members of the Filipino community. These lectures aimed to expose Filipinos in Greece, particularly second and third generation Filipino youth and Filipino community members who have long been residing in Greece, to Philippine arts and culture in order for them to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the cultural heritage of their homeland, and rekindle in them a sense of pride for their rich cultural heritage.
The participants had a fruitful exchange and sharing of ideas and experiences on best practices in promoting Philippine and Greek cultural heritage to each other, and explored possibilities for enhanced cooperation through increased exchanges in the field of arts and culture.
The lecture to Filipino students entitled “Living Filipino Cultures” focused on the eight different cultures that exist in the Philippines today, namely: Kultura ng pagdidiwata of Philippine indigenous peoples, which invoke deities, nature spirits, and ancestral spirits; Kultura ng pag-uukir at pag-uuma of Filipino Muslims, which involves poetic mysticism and devotion to Islam; Kultura ng pamamanata of village folk, which is manifested by devotion to patron saints and village community; Kultura ng pananahan, which refers to the popular culture of the Philippines and reflects devotion to the home and family; Kultura ng paglilining/ pangangatwiran or the culture of reflection and reasoning of eminent thinkers, writers, experts, specialists; Kultura ng pag-aaliw or the culture of entertainment of popular entertainers, celebrities, sports heroes; Kultura ng pamumuna/pagtutol or the culture of social criticism, concern, protest of activists and progressive groups; and Kultura ng pagka-Pilipino/ pagkabansa, which is a devotion to being Filipino and to the nation.
Chairman De Leon also discussed the importance of promoting Filipino cultural identity, which could be a basis for economic competitiveness. He presented the indicators of Filipino cultural identity and gave concrete Filipino examples of originality (first of its kind), indigenousness (native to the place), authenticity (purity or genuineness), uniqueness (only one of its kind), historicity (connection to past significant events), magnitude (superlative degree or extent) and excellence or greatness (in artistic, intellectual, scientific, humanistic, or technical quality).
two-week cultural immersion program in the Philippines which enables Filipino youth overseas to rediscover their Filipino roots and appreciate the richness and diversity of their heritage.
The Filipino community in Greece greatly appreciated Chairman De Leon’s lecture, entitled “Ano ang Kulturang Pilipino?” held on the evening of October 24 at the Embassy. He discussed the Filipino core values of “kapwa” (shared identity/goodness/divinity), “pakiramdam” (shared inner perception), and “kagandahang loob” (shared humanity). They were fascinated with the Chairman’s discussion of the many ways (verbal and non-verbal) by which Filipinos express themselves, and the richness and diversity of the Filipino language, as manifested by the 88 different Filipino terms for “looking” or “seeing” and the hundred Filipino words for “touching.”
Following the lecture, the students expressed interest in sharpening their skills in the arts. They also expressed the desire to learn more about their Filipino roots. Chairman de Leon said that the NCCA has a program where Filipino artists could be sent to train budding young artists overseas. He also encouraged them to join the Lakbay Aral program of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), a
The Filipino community also immensely enjoyed the portion of the lecture, where the Chairman played a few popular Filipino tunes on keyboard such as “Maalaala Mo Kaya,” “Dahil Sa Iyo” and “Saan Ka Man Naroroon,” and had them humming along with the melodies. He highlighted the songs’ classic status and their lasting impact from one generation to another. He also played a few bars of the very popular Filipino Christmas song “Pasko na Naman” to the delight of the Filipino community, which was composed by his father Felipe P. De Leon, National Artist for Music. END