Germany honors Jose Rizal. Here are other Viva Europa 2021 highlights:

MANILA, Philippines — It's all about friendship and partnership amid trying times at this year's celebrations of the annual Viva Europa cultural festival.

Still held virtually due to health and safety reasons, the annual cultural festival is packed with activities that highlight the shared cultural values between the Philippines and the European Union (EU).

"Our overarching theme this year is friendship, partnership; our adapted tagline is 'Sama-sama together' to convey the values of friendship, partnership as well as cooperation and togetherness that we need to nurture especially in these trying times," remarked EU Ambassador Luc Véron at last month's virtual launch.

"Culture, after all, provides us a platform for dialogue and closer engagements. It defines our identities and makes us understand each other better. In other words, it's what binds us together," he added.

The best of poetry, music and visual arts, dance, film, literature, science, cycling, and children’s arts and crafts are set for the whole month of May through June. These will be made available in the Facebook page of the EU Delegation to the Philippines: https://www.facebook.com/EUDelegationToThePhilippines/

Viva Europa 2021 is the outcome of a fruitful cooperation between the EU Delegation to the Philippines, the Embassies of Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark Germany Spain France, Italy through the Philippine-Italian Association, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Ateneo de Zamboanga University, De La Salle University, and Far Eastern University.  

Here are some activities to look forward to at this year's festivities:
 

• Rizal's 'Mi Ultimo Adios' at Bersong Euro-Pinoy: This year’s recital will have the participation of Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Austria and Poland. "Bersong Euro-Pinoy" will be held on May 28 at 6 p.m.
• For the first time, German artist/actress Luisa Katharina Davids will recite the German translation of "Mi Ultimo Adios" as 2021 is the year when the German Embassy also unveils José Rizal’s former furniture from Heidelberg, Germany, and an official marker with the German translation of “Mi Ultimo Adios“ at the Museo ni José Rizal in Intramuros. (Please see more information about the artist at Luisakatharinadavids.de)
• Carl Norac is Belgium's fourth National Poet and a prize-winning poet and author of many widely acclaimed and best-selling children's books. His work has been translated into 47 languages. His bilingual children's book "My Daddy is a Giant" appeared in Tagalog-English in 2005. He will recite his original works: "Pour Marcel Moreau"  (For Marcel Moreau), his friend who is a Belgian writer too and who has unfortunately recently passed away, and "Pour Mustafa, pour Mustafa Kör" (For Mustafa, for Mustafa Kör), a poem dedicated to Mustafa Kör who will succeed him in January 2022 as a National Poet. 
• Famous poet and director of Instituto Cervantes in Madrid, Luis Garcia Montero, will recite his original work. This year, La Punta della Lingua poetry festival from Italy will once again join the Bersong Euro-Pinoy poetry recital.
• Filipino poets from respected Philippine universities will also recite their works. Poets from the Department of Literature, De La Salle University will read their original works in Filipino, Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, and Waray. The poets and their works are:  Mesa?ndel Virtusio Arguelles' “Kasama”(“Comrade”); John Iremil Teodoro, “Sa Hardin sang Ginuo: Isa Ka Pangamuyo sa Tiempo sang Pandemya" ("In the Garden of the Lord: A Prayer During the Time of the Pandemic"); Carmie Ortego  “Paglakát mo nag-lipstick ako hin pula” (When you left I put on red lipstick); and Genevieve L. Asenjo “Sa Gihapon, Palangga, ang Uran” (“Always, Beloved, the Rain”). Poets from Ateneo de Zamboanga University and Mindanao will read their pieces also in the mother tongue: M.J. Cagumbay Tumamac, poet in Hiligaynon, Southern Mindanao, Awardee of Makata ng Taon 2019, and Sigrid Gayangos, poet in Chabacano, Zamboanga City/Dumaguete City, Awardee of Palanca Award 2018.
• Dora Šedivá, daughter of Ambassador Jana Šedivá  (Czech Embassy) is back with her friend, Marika Št?pková, daughter of Deputy Ambassador Jana Peterková, (Czech Embassy) will read "Fortune" (Št?stí) by Adolf Heyduk both in Czech and in English.
• “Det er Liv et Reise” or “To Travel is to Live” by Hans Christian Andersen will be read by Danish Ambassador Grette Siallasen. Famous poem “Amis, Un Dernier Mot” by Victor Hugo will be read by a representative from the Embassy of France.
• “Rima LII," a sonnet on friendship by Dante Alighieri, will be read by Alessandro Milano, General Manager of the Philippine-Italian Association. “Love” by Erich Fried to be read by Gerald Poellabauer and Crystal Eunice Dela Cruz of the Embassy of Austria.  “Labirynt” or “Labyrinth” by Nobel Peace Prize Winner Wis?awa Szymborska will be rendered by Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Poland Jaroslaw Roman Szczepankiewicz.
• Musica FEUropa Choral Festival: The traditional choral festival of the EU Delegation to the Philippines and Far Eastern University will be held in the afternoons of all Saturdays of May from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Watch the choirs perform famous music from folk to classical from both the EU and the Philippines during the month-long choral concerts. 
• EU Whiz Competition: Colleges and universities across the Philippines gear up for the much-anticipated “EU Whiz: Filipino Youth of the FEUture”, an inter-collegiate competition spearheaded by the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines and is endorsed by the Commission on Higher Education. Apart from the quiz, the EU Whiz: Filipino Youth of the FEUture has been expanded to include two more events—the “My Space, My Rights” video competition, and the “Green ECO I See” digital art competition. This year also marks the first time that all events will be held online as a result of the pandemic. The event is held with the support of the Embassy of Czech Republic. 
• EU Film Festival and EuroPelikula: Films are always an important signature component of the Viva Europa festival and this year is no different as carefully-selected films will be accessible  from May 5 to June 5.  

Films featured include "Acasa My Home" by Radu Ciorniciuc (Romania, Finland, Germany), "Aurora" by Miia Tervo (Finland), "Fire Will Come" (O Que Arde) by Oliver Laxe (Spain, France, Luxembourg), "Her Job (I Doulia Tis) by Nikos Labôt (Greece, France, Serbia), "Our Struggles" (Nos Batailles) by Guillaume Senez (Belgium, France), "Perfumes" (Les Parfums) by Gregory Magne (France), and "The Audition (Das Vorspiel)  by Ina Weisse (Germany, France).

• Webinars on Bicycle Tourism, Road Safety/Etiquette, Bike-Friendliness and People-Centred Architecture. On May 21 at 9:30 a.m., the Danish Embassy and Intramuros Administration will present these free webinars. 
• The Royal Netherlands Embassy and Makati Business Club will conduct a webinar on “Starter Sessions: Your Guide To Be A Bike Friendly Business” with Chris Bruntlett, Marketing & Communications Manager of the Dutch Cycling Embassy as a speaker. This will be held on May 21 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. This webinar aims to help Philippine businesses learn from Dutch best practices on biking, so that they may localize it to the Philippine context. Topics include  the business benefits of biking, examples of bike-friendly services and facilities provided by businesses in the Netherlands and tips, advice and best practices.
• Euro-Pinoy Concert: Spectacular performances await viewers on June 4 at 6 p.m. as the EU readies a performance with a blast from Embassies of the Czech Republic, Germany Spain, France, Italy, Austria and Poland. A highly acclaimed contemporary dance titled "GUIDE" will be performed by V?ra Ondrašíková and Co. from the Czech Republic. (See trailer here)
• German visual artist Lisa Kossen will bring to life a musical number through her visual art.

Other artists to be featured are jazz artists Eric Soulard (France) and Artur Dutkiewicz (Poland); violinist Tullio Vidmar from Italy; and Trio Artio from Austria. Collaborative performances will be held by some Euro-Pinoy artists with local talents.

• “Beyond the Stars, Reach out to the Skies” webinar on Copernicus and Galileo: This webinar will be held on June 25, 2021 from 3 to 5 p.m.  This event features Copernicus and Galileo space programs and how these technologies are used during the pandemic and in disaster preparedness. The webinar is in conjunction with the launch of the EU-Philippines Copernicus Cooperation National Programme. Space scientists from the European Commission and Hungary will join a roster of local speakers and participants from the Philippines.