Photo-poetry exhibit celebrates Mindanao beauty

THERE is no denying the fact that Mindanao is a land of immense beauty. From its fertile plains to its awesome mountains, from the rivers that flow gently to the waterfalls that take the breath away, from the bountiful landscapes to the sun-kissed faces of the indigenous elderly, there is beauty everywhere across this country's second biggest island.
But, today, it is a flawed beauty. And if Mindanaons do not heed the urgent call of the times to do everything they could to stop the ongoing destruction of Mindanao's natural beauty, this land could turn ugly even within our lifetimes. We would have wasted God's gift to our people.
The challenge for Mindanaoans today, especially those who make the decisions that impact the environment, is to work towards progress but not at the expense of our eco-system and to promote development that harmonizes with justice and peace.

To contribute towards popularizing the discourse of a prosperous Mindanao where development is promoted while safeguarding the environment and conflicts are resolved so that progress is sustained, a group of artists, cultural workers and entrepreneurs have set up an association that they named Tipik (an acronym that stands for Talagsaon ug Inig-soon'g Panaghiusa nga Interesado'g Kalinaw).

Lilli Arellano, Tipik's coordinator, acknowledged they are holding only a small tipik (piece) of what should be a big agenda of civil society to promote justice, peace and the integrity of creation, but they are ready to explore their vision and engage other artists and cultural workers to share this vision.

For its opening salvo, Tipik, in collaboration with Greater Glory Davao Publishing House and the management of Abreeza Mall, is putting up a Photo-Poetry Exhibit at the Exhibit Hall, 2nd floor, Abreeza Mall in Bajada, Davao City from August 3 to September 3, 2012 featuring blown-up black-and-white photos of Kublai Ponce-Millan, Davao City's known sculptor-painter to celebrate the beauty of Mindanao and likewise help the viewers reflect on what is at risk with our present ecological reality.

The opening of the exhibit is set at 2 p.m. on August 3, timed for the opening of the Kadayawan Festival.

Following the opening of the art exhibit at the same venue is the book launching of a coffee table book - Tipik, hinagpat nga mga nagkadaiyang tipik sa malahutayong kalinaw nga iya sa Mindanaw.

This book is a photographic journey of Kublai Ponce-Millan in his beloved Mindanao. The book consists of Kublai's black-and-white photos and the balak (Cebuano-Bisaya poems) of Bro. Karl Gaspar CSsR. The book's prologue was written by Philip Somozo and its postcript by Stella Estremera.

Kublai will be signing reproductions of the photos and copies of the book at this event. The public is invited to this month-long event. The organizers, however, would appreciate the presence of as many individuals and groups. Please contact Min Ponce (0929-810-5699) and Lilli Arellano (0918-914-1047) for more details and information.