ZAMBOANGA
CITY: A two-day celebration of the first ever Dayaw Festival will kick off in this
city late this month, information from the National Commission for Culture and
the Arts (NCCA) said.
The
said celebration, pushed as the biggest gathering of the country’s IPs, is
partnered by this city’s Indigenous Peoples Council of Leaders and the city
government.
Tentatively
set on Nov. 21 and 22, the festival will feature forums on issues and concerns
of the IPs, exhibits of traditional crafts, photographs and cuisines, identification
of cultural masters, and performances of ethnic songs and dances.
NCCA’s
Al-Anwar Anzar, IP Councilor Ismael Musa, NCIP-Zamboanga City head George
Jocutan and Yahya Abdulsalam briefed the media on the developments of upcoming Dayaw
Festival 2014.
The
Dayaw Festival in the city is part of the nationwide celebration and will be
participated in by 27 tribal communities of southern Philippines composed of 12
clusters.
Dayaw
highlights the importance and richness of indigenous cultures and facilitate
interactions with other IPs and mine traditional knowledge and insight from
indigenous ways of life to find solutions for modern problems, the organizers
said.
The
festival’s theme for this year is: “Katutubong
Filipino Para sa Kalikasan at Kapayapaan,” the organizers said.
The
police and military are also are finalizing the preparation and other
arrangements including security measures for the two-day celebrations.
Presidential
Proclamation 1906, signed last Oct. 5, 2009, declared National IPs’ Month and expanded
the IP’s Week celebration, acknowledging the IPs role in the preservation,
protection of environment and promotion of peace,” Anwar stressed.