THE F here stands for fruits. For me, it’s the highlight of Kadayawan, not the concerts, the celebrities, not even the indak-indak. It should be the fruits that we have coming from the farm communities in the peripheries here in Davao.
This year, the fruits have come on time. It has been notably absent or have come very few in the past few years. Climate change, farmers say, has affected the seasons of growing and harvesting in farms.
I can say the effects also of expansion of housing developers, commercial establishments and agribusiness here have also carve into our agricultural lands.
Last weekend, my friends took a road trip to Calinan District, and we find the harvest are indeed here. We savor the varieties of durian, marang, mangosteen, and pomelo. Sadly, we missed out the rambutan, but it is really a good experience.
Perhaps, this can be an alternative experience for the visitors to Davao, from other regions and abroad. Bring them to farms, let them meet locals, feel the cool climate of Calinan where these fruits grow.
I guess that’s a style made popular by the late Bourdain, who adviced that when you go to a new place, eat where the locals eat, not in fine restos. We can take that advice further. Don’t go to malls. It’s crowded and suffocating.
Davao is more than the urban hives of malls, bars and hangouts. I think more than 70 percent of Davao are rural and urban poor communities.
Sometimes I wonder, in the 30-plus years, how we Davawenyos enjoy Kadayawan. I have a young friend who said she will rather take this opportunity to find ways to earn money rather than finding fun places to go.
Sometimes I wonder, do we really know the cultures that the Kadayawan always showcase, the 11 Moro and Lumad tribes in Davao: the Lumad tribes of the Ata (Manobo), Matigsalug, Klata Bagobo, Obo-Manobo, Tagabawa, and the Moro tribes Sama, Maguindanao, Iranun, Tausug, Klagan and Maranao?
Then there’s the reality that the Maranaos or the Manobos have been displaced because of wars. Or the state of the indigenous peoples who are losing their ancestral lands to investments.
Kadayawan, from its root word Madayaw which means “good,” is supposed to be a cultural experience, of learning and relearning our roots and its relevance to us “lowland urban dwellers.” Do we have books, visuals, videos, forums about learning from the indigenous, especially the value of protecting our land?
I wonder about this while I savor the fruits. How long can we enjoy these, when the stewards of the land are facing such worries? These are thoughts worth having while we observe the Kadayawan festivities.
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