Tuesday, October 07, 2008 Artists, writers to hold 5th Sunrise Festival
MABALACAT -- At least 200 artists, writers and cultural workers from all over the country are set to participate in the Fifth Sunrise Festival to be held on November 28 to 30 at the foot of the Mabalacat-Bamban bridge here.
The Sunrise Festival is an annual event of the Maharlika Artists and Writers Federation (MAWF). On its fifth year, the group tapped the cooperation of the Pampanga Arts Guild (PAG), Mabalacat Council for Culture and Arts (MCCA), Department of Tourism Region (DOT)-Central Luzon and the Office of Mayor Marino Morales.
According to Deo Palma, MAWF national coordinator, the first Sunrise Festival was held in Cebu City in 2004. He said the concept of the festival is to bring together different artists and writers from various cultural communities nationwide to promote a culture of peace through arts and literature. This year’s fifth Sunrise director is MCCA’s Sigfried Ranada.
“We called it Sunrise because sunrise projects progress, peace and hope. Sunrise also symbolizes universal spirituality that speaks of humanity as one and indivisible regardless of race and color,” Palma said.
He added that they also want the artists and writers to be empowered through the enhancement and cultivation of the culture of each region in the country.
“It aims to provide a place and time every year for artists to gather and share their talents in preservation of our cultural heritage. This is why, every Sunrise Festival we invite artists and writers from different nations like Sugbuhanons, Igorots, Mindanaoans, Kapampangans, Kalingans, Bicolanos, Ilocanos and the rest,” Palma said.
Palma also said the MAWF Sunrise Festival is organized through a continuing movement that aims to develop a total integration of all aspects of the arts such as music, visual, literary, dance, theater, senses, emotions, intuition and spirit.
“This fest has been steadily successful for the last four years moving towards its goal due to the voluntary collaborative effort among professional and upcoming artists from all over the country,” he added.
The festival will open in the afternoon of November 28 at the lahar area located along Km. 95 with a presentation by Aetas of Pampanga.
It will be followed by an art forum, installations, musical performances, poetry reading, story-telling, and theatrical presentations. There will also be bonfires, awarding ceremonies and film presentations. (IOF)
