PR-080-2017
Philippine Embassy Celebrates the Philippine
Independence with the Filipino Community
Opening Number: Photo courtesy of Shutters Guild
(Riyadh, 19 June 2017) The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh celebrated the 119th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence on 12 June 2017 at the Philippine Embassy Chancery with a night of cultural presentations form the Filipino Community.
The theme for the Independence Day Celebration this year was “Kalayaan 2017: Pagbabagong Sama-Samang Balikatin”. The event began with opening of the art exhibit of Filipino artists based in Riyadh, Hagod Filipino Visual Artists Group, and was followed by the Breaking of the Fast or Iftar for our Muslim brothers and sisters in observance of the Holy Month of Ramadan.
The highlight of the program was the presentations featuring Philippine culture, heritage and arts through performances by the various Filipino artist groups in Riyadh. Philippine history from different eras was presented to the audience through songs and dances creatively organized by the Filipino performers depicting various eras in Philippine history: beginning from pre-colonial Philippines until the modern times. Each performance was well applauded by the audience.
Pre-colonial Philippines
1960s Harana. Photo courtesy of Shutters Guild
American Era. Photo courtesy of Mr. Jorge Arriola Demafeliz
The Philippine Embassy is proud to have hosted the cultural performances, which were seen by almost 300 guests. At the same time, the program showed how talented Filipinos are and that they can compete with the global stage in terms of artistic performances.
Cultural Attache Jean Zafra (3rd from left) , Charge d' Affaires, a.i. Iric C. Arribas (4th from left) and the members of Philippine Independence Day Cultural Presentation Core Group 2017
The Philippine Embassy appreciated the participation of the Filipino community groups and will continue to support Filipino artists toward establishing and promoting our unique cultural traditions. (END)
