Corporate groups, city officials, their private public relations and marketing partners, and other enterprising circles have forged the biggest unity ever to scale up the commercialization of the MassKara Festival.
Profit for major stakeholders of Masskara seems to be what matters most now, so declared by Mayor Albee Benitez, saying the revenues of the MassKara this year may have surpassed that of the past year or more.
Per se, there’s nothing wrong with that, and in fact, Mayor Albee should be appreciated for such a feat, especially since the city badly needed more money infusion to help in the post-pandemic local economy recovery. But at what and whose cost?
Profit with lots of merry-making for the major stakeholders, the host local government, the commercial sponsors, and the big corporate interests. But for the sugar workers, other struggling vulnerable sectors, and the city’s odd jobbers, it is a big “nada.”
Instead just additional extra expenses for having been forced to have a fun-filled yet fateful month of October.
But the biggest loser is the bastardization of the founding philosophy and goals of Masskara developed by local artists and community-based theatre groups led by such energetic groups, Arts Association of Bacolod, Arbolario’s Kalingaw Theatre ensemble, Teatro Obrero, and Concerned Artists of the Philippines Negros – that of building a resilient and happy Negrosanon amid the crisis during the times.
Not only Bacolodnon and Negrosanon, but people from the world over, know that MassKara as a festival was born out of the two tragedies of the early 80s, the peak of the Marcos fascist and authoritarian rule.
First, the sugar industry crisis was caused by the world sugar glut and mismanaged by the big traders-millers and the cronies of the Marcos regime, which devasted Negros economy and displaced more than a million sugar workers and their dependents.
Second, the sinking of the Negros Navigation commercial ship Don Juan that drowned hundreds, mostly from the province, and a number of whom belong to the known big families.
The twin tragedies have put Negros into grief and anger, so much that the challenge for resiliency and happy life must be put up to stand the test of time.
Thus, local artists came up with the simple yet captivating and beautiful icon of resiliency and happy life – in the mask, mask of life, which later became Masskara.
It was not the intention to hide these tragedies, miseries, and anger of grieving Negrosanon, but to nurture in everyone the spirit of resiliency.
Sadly, MassKara has turned from a journey of resiliency to a commercial business campaign, often projected as a poor copycat of the German’s Octoberfest. All the original narratives conceptualized and nurtured in its early years have been devoured by the Hedonistic like merry-making.
MassKara spirit should have inspired public and private sectors in instituting program of resiliency in every community in the face of worsening climate crisis, economic difficulties, and threats of bigger wars.
Short of its original spirit and goal, the MassKara Festival is now nothing but a scaled-up version of cultural escapism and flightism in the framework of corporate commercialism and consumerism.
With such, Negrosanon, especially the basic sectors and other vulnerable groups, must take the MassKara cudgel for themselves to realize their inclusivity, sustainability, and resiliency beyond the festival event.*