Arts and culture lovers from all over the world have been flocking to Puerto Galera to take part in the Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival for seven years now — and for good reason. Fusing the best of contemporary music from hiphop to jazz with visual arts and the breathtaking views atop Mt. Malasimbo, the festival proudly showcases homegrown Filipino talent alongside global names.
This year, however, the festival will also feature talks about the environment and our inextricable relationship to it. Hosted by the D’Aboville Foundation, a French-Filipino non-profit focused on the Mangyans, environmental issues and eco-cultural tourism, the talks will cover a range of topics from the dance history of the Mangyans to resiliency and the basic right to clean water — appropriate, given that indigenous groups are among the most vulnerable communities to climate change.
There will also be workshops about the ancient Mangyan script and even building one’s very own solar lamp, preserving heritage and promotion of climate solutions serving then as the Festival’s proactive stance in facing environmental issues.
All talks are scheduled right before the musical performances and some of them are even repea so don’t worry about missing your favorite artist.
Whether it is the inevitable eargasm promised by the line-up or the thought-provoking art installations you’re originally after, it can’t hurt to attend one — or all! — of the featured talks. Check out www.malasimbo.com for more information.
