THE City Government of Davao, through its Office for Culture and the Arts (OCA), is embarking on a major initiative to strengthen the local creative sector, gathering vital insights from cultural workers, artists, and practitioners to shape its future direction.
The push was highlighted by back-to-back events held in celebration of the Philippine Creative Industry Month.
A total of 350 cultural workers, artists, and practitioners gathered during the Culture, Arts, and Heritage Summit on September 26 to discuss the current situation of culture and the arts in the city, as well as to shape the city’s culture, arts, and heritage direction for the next three years.
“First time ni siya sa dugay’ng panahon nga gitapok nato ang mga cultural workers, educators, and mga artists sa different fields para maghisgot kung unsa na ang direksyon sa atoang kultura, sa atoang arts (This is the first time in a long while that we have gathered our cultural workers, educators, and artists from different fields to discuss the direction of our culture and arts),” Oscar Casaysay, Head of the OCA, said in an interview.
Among the topics discussed during the summit are the aesthetic vision and cultural significance of Kadayawan, the dangers of cultural appropriation, and advancing the protection and promotion of cultural diversity in the city, and multi-stakeholders’ engagements and support from the local government unit and non-government agencies in promoting and protecting the rights and welfare of artists.
The challenges and opportunities for cultural workers, artists, educators, and practitioners in the city were also presented.
“Kung unsa man ‘tong nahisgutan diri ilabi na ang opportunities ug ang ilahang mga problema, mao ni’ng isang-at nato dinhi sa amoang opisina kay maghimo mi og mga programa para niini (The inputs gathered here, especially on the opportunities and problems they face, will be the basis for the programs and projects our office will create),” Casaysay said.
Following the summit, a Culture and Arts Exchange was held at the Davao City Recreational Center on September 27. The event offered participants free workshops in watercolor painting, hip-hop dancing, and songwriting, alongside discussions on Cacao Production and Intellectual Property Rights. The exchange also featured booths showcasing the work of Dabawenyo artists and creatives.
Casaysay also bared that these events double as a profiling system for local artists. The initiative ensures that the city’s creative workforce is accounted for and can better receive the services and assistance they need from the local government.
OCA continues to consolidate the inputs from these engagements to craft targeted programs and policies aimed at promoting and protecting Dabawenyo artists, creatives, and cultural workers. CIO
