BACOLOD CITY — Three cities in Negros Occidental will host the Lihok 2018, a four-day festival and conference on August 8 to 11, featuring the performances and works of Visayan artists and craftsmen.
Presented by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), in partnership with the Negros Museum, the event will gather about 150 official delegates and participants from Panay, Bohol, Samar and Negros, who are under the NCCA-Visayas Region Island Cluster Programs.
Lihok is a Visayan term that means “to move” or “to take action.”
Cleo Patricio, coordinator for Lihok 2018, said in a press briefing on Friday the activity will tackle various themes focusing on social inclusiveness towards culture.
This year’s event will highlight the works of artists in the communities under the “Mugna” cultural development project in Negros Island and the three other island cluster programs of the NCCA.
These are the “Panakayon” of Capiz/Panay, “Bokag:” Bol-anong Kabilin Atong Bahandi of Bohol, and “Layag” of Samar/Leyte.
The three host cities are the local government unit (LGU)-partners of the Negros Cultural Foundation in the implementation of the “Mugna” project.
The activities in Bago on August 9 will have the theme “Culture in History and Education;” Talisay, on August 10, “Cultural Diversity, Environment and Identities;” and Bacolod, on August 11, “Mainstreaming Culture in Policy and Development.”
As a side event, the Lihok Visayas Creative Industry Trade Fair will also be held from August 4 to 12.
Through a showcase of interdisciplinary and collaborative performances, the arts festival seeks to “bring out traditional expressions fused with contemporary forms” and through the conference, the delegates can “address major issues in culture and arts through workshops, forum and symposia”.
Organizers said Lihok Visayas “hopes to contribute to the growth of a creative economy that will develop the environment that would make it possible for artists, creative individuals, artisans, craftsmen, and innovators to produce their work with fewer impediments and also have a means or an organized system to market their creations.”
The forerunners of Lihok Visayas, also known as One Visayas, are the 1st Visayan Arts Fair launched in Cebu City in 2009, and the One Visayas Culture and Arts Expo held in the Province of Capiz in 2010. (PNA)