BACOLOD CITY — Some 41 delegates and 77 performers from across the Visayas have converged in the cities of Bacolod and Bago, and in Murcia town in Negros Occidental for the four-day Lihok Arts Festival and Conference.
The event, which kicked off Wednesday afternoon, is presented by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), in partnership with The Negros Museum, under the theme “Cultural Movement Towards Inclusiveness and Transformation”.
Festival director Tanya Lopez welcomed the opportunity to bring the participants together to share their best practices, challenges and benchmarks as well as for the creative industries to showcase their products.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Creative Industry Trade Fair, a side event of Lihok 2018, opened to showcase the various crafts and items from 14 exhibitors.
NCCA’s Lutgardo Labad said Lihok is a harvest of community-based creative industries.
The delegates and participants came from Panay, Bohol, Samar and Negros, who are under the NCCA-Visayas Region Island Cluster Programs.
The event highlights 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, including the “Panakayon” of Capiz/Panay, “Bokag:” Bol-anong Kabilin Atong Bahandi of Bohol, and “Layag” of Samar/Leyte.
The Negros Museum in Bacolod has scheduled film screenings on August 23 and 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring eight short films which were part of the Sine Negrense: Negros Island Film Festival 2017.
On Thursday afternoon, a theater performance of the Dagway Sigmahanon-Capiz titled “Damgo: Mangarap sa Sobrang Init ng Panahon”, was held at the Ramon Torres Ma-ao Sugar Central National High School in Bago.
The Bacolod-based San Agustin Performing Arts will present the “Panggas: Sowing the Bounties of the Arts through Community Empowerment” at the Murcia Public Plaza at 2 p.m. on Friday.
On Saturday, a Baybayin Workshop will be held at The Negros Musem, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
At 4 p.m., the Kasing Sining-Bohol will perform the “Dagon sa Hoyohoy: Dagohoy The Bohol Musical” at the John Paul II Cultural Center of the Sacred Heart Seminary in Bacolod.
Discussions on “Culture in History and Education,” “Cultural Diversity, Environment and Identities;” and “Mainstreaming Culture in Policy and Development” are being tackled by the delegates during the workshops, forums and symposiums. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
