UNESCO chief to arrive in Manila

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) General Koichiro Matsuura will arrive in Manila this month to preside over the Leaders’ Forum Inaugural Ceremony for the 31st UNESCO-International Theatre Institute (ITI) World Congress hosted by the Philippines.

In a press briefing, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Executive Director Cecile Guidote-Alvarez said Matsuura will preside over the Leaders’ Forum on May 22.

The Philippines is the first country in Southeast Asia to host the Unesco ITI World Congress.

With Unesco’s work regarding the protection and promotion of cultural diversity, which underscores the equal dignity and respect for all cultures, Matsuura said in a statement that theater can play a useful role in the accomplishment of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UNMDGs), especially the goal of eradicating extreme poverty.

"But how exactly can theatre, as a cultural art form, effectively fulfil its role? How can the theatre’s ability to encourage creativity among the young generations contribute to socio-economic development? And how can cultural diversity, as mediated by and thrugh the theatre, be harnessed for the cause of achieving the MDGs?," Matsuura asked.

"Such questions will figure within the debate at the Leaders Forum to be held within the framework of the World Congress," he said.

The Director-General was confident that the event will help show how UNESCO’s action and its normative instruments on culture and the arts are relevant to the grassroots level.

Professor Nick Lizaso of the World Festival of Drama Schools said a workshop component, simultaneous to the World Congress, will be given by foreign theatre professionals that is open to Filipino theatre practitioners. — Pia Lee-Brago