The 8th Annual Filipino-American Arts & Culture Festival, also known as FilAmFest, was held in San Diego on Saturday, October 1 from 11am to 6pm. This community event was founded with the goal of fostering a sense of community, building intergenerational collaboration among youth, adults, and seniors, while revitalizing the Paradise Hills neighborhoods and businesses. With FilAmFest's strong community focus along with the collaboration between a variety of organizations and community representatives, it has become an important event that draws thousands of visitors every year.
FilAmFest is especially popular with the younger crowd, since the festival recruited many youth volunteers from local junior high and high schools. While teenagers made up a large number of FilAmFest's visitors, there were many families and children present, as well as the seniors of the community.
One of the primary elements that adds to FilAmFest's popularity are the performers. MC Rocky Rivera and singer Jasmine Villegas each performed a set on the Bayanihan Stage in front of fans, new and old. While the Bay Area R&B group Innerlude sang some songs just as smooth as when they first started. Dynamic Hip-Hop group FlowEthics performed some creative songs off of their new album, HeroesEnDeSkies. And saxophonist Joey Casora III showed off his musical skills and grooved with other musicians on stage.
Cultural arts performances from various dance groups represented the diverse regions and cultural traditions of the Philippines. BIBAK San Diego youth performers shared dances from the Benguet, Ifugao, Bontoc, Apayao, and Kalinga regions that were passed down from older members. SAMAHAN and Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble highlighted Maguindanao and Maranao dances and music from the southern Philippines. PASACAT dance group performed dances from Luzon and the countryside to Mindanao in the south.
The festival had food stands for local restaurants, vendors selling Pilipino-inspired apparel, and informational booths to promote organizations that serve the San Diego community. Some of the organizations included the Kuya Ate Mentorship Program (KAMP), Justicefor Filipino-American Veterans, which raises awareness about Pilipino veterans' rights, as well as the Council for Teaching Filipino Language and Culture, an organization promoting Pilipino language instruction in San Diego.
In addition to community organizations, student organizations such as AB Samahan from San Diego State University, Kaibigang Pilipino from the University of California, San Diego and Filipino Student Ugnayan Organization (FUSO) from the University of San Diego provided high school students with information about college life and higher education.
FilAmFest also offered dance workshops from SAMAHAN Filipino American Performing Arts and Education Center and PASACAT Philippine Performing Arts Company to teach traditional dances from the diverse regions of the Philippines. BIBAK San Diego also provided a dance work shop on various dances from the Igorot communities. Other than performing arts groups, sports and recreational activities also provided workshops. Doce Pares International - San Diego provided workshops in eskrima, a style of martial arts indigenous to the southern Philippines, while skaters representing Willy's Workshop provided a skating demonstration. These interactive lessons and exhibitions are a great way to engage people of all ages and generate support for the arts.
The FilAmFest organizers made a great effort to incorporate something for every generation, especially with the Story-Telling area with Skyline Library and Af3irm'sparol, a star-shaped paper lantern, making workshops, which were enjoyable activities for seniors and children alike.
If you missed this year's FilAmFest, mark your calendars for FilAmFest in 2012! Check the FilAmFest website for upcoming events.
*Pictures by: Mikel Soto-Tan & Kaywan Shiraz
