Liwanag art, music festival launch today

THE Liwanag World Festival on Creativity and Sustainability, an event that highlights good vibes and showcases all dimensions of sustainability, will be officially launched today, Saturday.

Nicanor Perlas, Liwanag co-organizer, said in a press conference Friday that the launching will be an uplifting event in time for the Kadayawan festival.

Perlas, a recipient of Outstanding Professional Award 2012, said Liwanag, which will be held from January 29 to February 2, 2013 at the Philippine Womens College in Davao City, will give another picture of the Philippines as it will be a celebration of music (indigenous and diverse cultural expressions), art exhibits, artistic performances, organic food markets, parallel workshops, panel discussions, rituals and a global conference.

He said the task of Liwanag World Festival is to reveal, see, experience and appreciate the world.

Organizers said Tony Meloto, recipient of many global awards for social entrepreneurship; Dylan Wilk, CEO of Human Nature; Joey Ayala, world renowned musician, Waway Linsahay Saway, extraordinary musician from the Taalandig tribe in Bukidnon; Kublai Millan, the visionary artist of huge public monuments in over two dozen towns and cities in Mindanao, and Perlas are among the key persons in the festival.

In a statement, Perlas said the festival will showcase brilliant, heart-centered initiatives in all dimensions of sustainability, ecological, economic, cultural, political, societal, human, and spiritual.

City Agriculturist Office head Leo Avila, who is also the festival director of Extended Liwanag Davao Organizing Team, said the group has chosen Davao City as the place where the festival will be held since the city has been “recognized as the city that is moving towards sustainability.”

He said Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has already given her positive remarks and welcomed the choice of Davao City as the venue for the festival.

In fact, he said the mayor has already tasked him to create an organizing team.

“The city is serious on making sure that this Liwanag World Festival will be successful,” he said, adding: “We are also planning to declare that week as the Week of Creativity and Sustainability.”

Liwanag is starting to reach out with the other sectors such as from state universities and non-government organizations to disseminate the whole message to the general public.

Perlas said they will also be bringing people from Manila.

The festival is launched by Movement of Imaginals for Sustainable Societies Through Initiatives, Organizing and Networking (Mission), in partnership with the Government of City of Davao.