THE Cebuano lifestyle is often described by tourists as laid-back and calm. A seemingly provincial life in the middle of a bustling city is one of the things that tourists love about the Queen City of the South. Friendly and accommodating faces will greet one in every corner. However, engage them in a conversation and one will surely find a different dimension to the laid-back character of the Cebuanos.
Cebuanos are highly political people. They are up-to-date and critical about current events in Philippine society. In fact, usual drinking conversations consist of societal and political issues. However, no matter how dark a topic might get, Cebuanos still have their own way of making light of these current events.
With this in mind, The First Cebu Lampoon Festival was launched by a group of Visayan Satirists and Cartoonists who are based specifically in Cebu City named “YoYoY: Satiristang Bisaya.”
“We named the group inspired by artist Yoyoy Villame as his works—usually in the form of music—are mostly composed of satire,” Josua Cabrera, one of the group’s founders, said. The Cebu Lampoon Festival ran from March 17 to 25 in Barako Haus, Juana Osmeña St., Cebu City.
The group has been around for two years and was created by three founding members: Josua Cabrera, Bern Fabro and Crisanto Entoma.
The festival was an exhibition of digitally printed artworks featuring over 100 satirical creations tackling varying angles of societal and political issues in different countries.
Instead of only showcasing Cebuano talent and artistry, the group was able to gather support in the international scene with the use of social media, and because of that, several other artists from other countries contributed and submitted their own artworks for the exhibit.
The exhibit is composed of 57 exhibitors from different countries other than the Philippines like Cuba, Syria, Norway, Netherlands, Afghanistan, Zambia, France, Indonesia, Portugal, Iran, Brazil, China, USA, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Serbia and Montenegro.
Being masters at satire, Cebuanos naturally talk about deep, dark political, societal and cultural issues in a humorous way—as one can see through the artworks. This sets Cebu apart and makes the region very unique. Plus, with talented and artistic Cebuanos, the God-given taste for satire is expressed even more creatively through various literary works.