The Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), a subgroup of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), will celebrate its rich culture and artistry through the first Budayaw Festival to be held in General Santos City on Sept. 20-24.

The word “budayaw” comes from the Bahasa word “budaya,” which means culture, and from  the Pan-Philippine word “dayaw,” which means something good, something beautiful.

BIMP-EAGA covers Brunei Darussalam; Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku and West Papua in Indonesia; Sabah, Sarawak and the federal territory of Labuan in Malaysia; and Mindanao and Palawan in the Philippines.

The event is a collaboration between the Department of Tourism, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Mindanao Development Authority, Sarangani province, General Santos City and Mindanao State University.

Diversity

In a recent press conference held at the NCCA office in Intramuros, BIMP-EAGA sociocultural working group head and NCCA project monitoring and evaluation division chief Adel Suemith said the festival seeks to foster economic and cultural activities, as well as celebrate both the commonality and diversity of  member countries, and foster connectivity between peoples of the islands of the region.

Festival head Nestor Horfilla said the festival likewise seeks to safeguard the cultural heritage of the region, showcase the arts and their traditional and contemporary expressions, and foster better cultural understanding and cultural exchanges.

Budayaw seeks to promote unity through culture, said ARMM cultural heritage head Bai Marites Maguindra, since culture “is a bridging tool for us to be united.”

The five-day event will have photo and visual arts exhibitions and lectures, concerts and cultural performances, headgear fest, fashion show of traditional attires and cultural tour.

This year’s theme is “Taking Pride in the Creative Diversity of the BIMP-EAGA Region.” —CONTRIBUTED