Saturday, September 25, 2010

First International Dia Del Galeon Festival

The Spanish Galleon Trade, especially active in the years between 1565 and 1815 during the Spanish occupation in the Philippines, is considered as probably the biggest precursor for globalization and world trade.

Just last year, in commemoration of the Galleon trade, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Oct. 8 of every year as Dia Del Galeon (Day of the Galleon), the day in 1565 when the San Pedro Galleon, directed by Fray Urdaneta, reached Acapulco and the same day that Manila-Acapulco trade route was established. This trade route, called the “Tornaviaje” connected Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Africa and became a conduit for commerce and cultural exchange.

In this spirit, the Baler 400 Steering Committee, led by Sen. Edgardo Angara, the UNESCO International Theater Institute, and the National Commission for Culture and Arts organized the first ever International Dia Del Galeon Festival, which kicked off last Sept. 25 and will last until Oct. 8.

The three-week event was dubbed “History, Heritage, Habitat, and Language: Precursor to Globalization,” was launched in Bohol, succeeded by workshops on the arts and culture, theatrical productions, demonstrations, exhibits and performance, participated in by delegates from the Philippines and other countries with the Galleon Trade experience. A three-day international conference of scholars, historians, and artists was also held, which discussed the historical, political, economic, and cultural impact of the Galleon trade History on contemporary civilizations.

The Viaje del Galeon, a one-week educational trips in various Philippine ports of call during the Galleon Trade, covering Samar, Leyte. Cebu, Bohol, Negros, and Northern Mindanao, was the highlight of the festival, with more 250 local and foreign students tracing the galleon route in the Philippines.

Said Ms. Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, director general of Dia Del Galeon Festival, “Among the objectives of the festival are to trace its effects as a major influence in world political economy and its repercussions on present day globalization and establish its role in the development of marine sciences and other related areas aside from culture.”

Interest parties my log on to www.facebook.com/diadelgaleon.com or call Ms. Charisse Aquino-Tugade at 527-2192 local 616. For more information, contact the NCCA-Public Affairs and Information Office (PAIO) at (632) 527-5529, 527-2192 loc. 508, 612 to 615, email at ncca.paio@gmail.com, public_affairs@ncca.gov.ph or visit the NCCA website at www.ncca.gov.ph

0 comments:

Post a Comment