ARTISTS AND indigenous cultural experts from the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) are gathering in General Santos City and Sarangani province on Sept. 20-24 for the 1st Budayaw Festival. The sub-region’s diverse art forms will be simultaneously featured in various venues. The Budayaw Festival is envisioned to be held every two years, rotating within the four member countries. In a press conference earlier this month, Engr. Maritess K. Maguindra, director of the Bureau on Cultural Heritage of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said “Budayaw is a platform and mechanism to bring about cultural appreciation.” The ARMM will be showcasing works of its cultural artists and will be setting up an exhibit on the Muslim Filipino’s history and culture. “Twenty years of economic cooperation in the BIMP-EAGA led to the realization that culture is an element in the sustainable development of the four countries,” said artist Nestor T. Horfilla, who is heading the festival organizing committee. Budayaw comes from words ‘Budaya,’ a Malay term that means culture, and ‘Dayaw,’ a Filipino word that signifies goodness, value and beauty. — Mindanao Bureau

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR