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Saturday, September 17, 2005
Espina: Hot pink!
By Cattski Espina
Til the Cat lady sings
The past Pink October celebrations in Cebu have always been equated to fund-raising fashion shows which I deemed to have lacked in substance and meaning. Not that I don’t give credit to the organizers of those events, it’s just that fashion shows or events with a fashion direction as a representation to breast cancer or womanhood seems to be so limiting.
I’ve always thought music, specifically from women, can be a more effective medium in spreading breast cancer awareness.
Fashion is extrinsic while music can be internalized and carries the potential to intrinsically influence an individual. And an opportunity to showcase women’s music in the name of breast cancer completes the holistic vision based on the belief that women themselves are the most powerful messengers in promoting awareness. This is why I believe in Zugbuana Junior Chamber’s upcoming project.
The Zugbuana Junior Chamber (ZJC) is an all-women leadership training organization dedicated to the development of business and civic leaders through community upliftment. Realizing the alarming number of diagnosed women in the locality, ZJC have decided to embark on a breast cancer awareness campaign that will be launched through an event this October 15, 2005 dubbed Play for Pink – A Celebration of Women in Music Against Breast Cancer. ZJC has tapped local female artists and female-fronted bands namely Angela Calina, Serendipity, Zarah Smith, newcomer Pink Champagne and my band to perform for the event. The highlight of the event would be the performance of Manila’s Cynthia Alexander.
I believe there’s nothing better than women of different backgrounds uniting for the same cause. After all, women, regardless of age, social status and sexual preference are all vulnerable to this disease. I’m saying this because ZJC is made up of clean-cut women who are mostly daughter’s of Cebu’s elite community. The female artists, on the other hand, carry an easy-going bohemian attitude that’s untroubled by upper class social standards.
People are often intimidated by ZJC’s display of elitism and selectiveness.
Honestly, I am guilty of that, but I have managed to dismiss the thought and instead tried to look beyond. As a personal observation, it was quite interesting how the flawless appearance of some of the members of ZJC was dabbed with a bit of roughness and edginess, thanks to the women artists.
Being one of the artists, I felt that we got along fine with the ZJC ladies during the meet-and-greet gathering last Saturday, which led me to believe that we are on the right track.
The unifying factor is the fact that we are women. Breast cancer, after all, is the leading cause of death of women in the whole world. A woman is diagnosed every 27 seconds and a woman dies every 77 seconds. That could be someone’s mother, grandmother, daughter or sister.
One of the project’s main objectives is to eradicate passiveness of majority of the local women towards the disease.
Statistics are truly alarming, but not everyone is listening to what they are saying. This event will attempt to send that message, at the same time attempt to raise funds for the benefit of the Kahayag Network Cancer Support Groups.
Play For Pink will definitely come out in full force as breast cancer survivors will participate by sharing their stories on their ordeal with chemotherapy, mastectomy, etc. An audio-video presentation will also feature messages of hope from the city’s note-worthy and highly-regarded women. It’s the ultimate coming together of women in Cebu. It’s a call and an acknowledgement of our vulnerability. We are not saying that by pulling ourselves together we can fight and find a cure for this disease. But it is saying that we will survive it.
(September 17, 2005 issue)
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