Artists scholars highlight Filipino studies

Artists scholars highlight Filipino studies

TORONTO–On Thursday, October 13, 2011, six Filipino Canadian artists and scholars will present their work at the University of Toronto. Free and open to the public, the event will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the George Ignatieff Theatre (15 Devonshire Place).

Attendees can expect a night filled with cutting-edge lectures and performances. Featured artists include Dora Award-winning playwright Nina Lee Aquino, musician Alexander The, and photographer Alex Felipe. They will be joined by Eleanor Ty, professor of English and Film Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University; Patrick Alcedo, professor of Dance at York University; and Ph.D. student Marissa Largo of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto.

The event is called “Anihan: Cultures in the Diaspora.” Anihan, which translates to “harvest time,” aims to gather intellectuals, cultural workers, and the community to foster closer collaboration and dialogue. It is co-sponsored by the Asian Institute’s Centre for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Toronto, Kritikal Kolektibo (Critical Filipina/o Studies), and the Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts and Culture, with organizers Roland Sintos Coloma (professor at U of T), Caroline Mangosing (of Kapisanan), Christine Balmes (OISE grad student),

“Anihan” actually opens the three-day 2011 Biennial Conference of the Canadian Council for Southeast Asian Studies (CCSEAS), to be held at the University of Toronto, Oct. 13-15. The conference itself highlights the fact that Toronto has the largest Filipino community in Canada, and that Filipino communities represent Canada’s third largest visible minority group.

Two conference panels will focus on contemporary debates concerning the Filipino community. One, organized by York University professor Philip Kelly titled “Experiences of the Filipino-Canadian Second Generation,” will examine the cultural politics of Canadian-born Filipino communities. The other panel, with moderator U of T PhD candidate Ethel Tungohan, titled “Turning Research into Action: Insights from Filipino Community Organizations in Canada,” includes community activists from Community Alliance for Social Justice (CASJ), Migrante Canada, Gabriela-Ontario and the Philippine Women’s Center.

Several other Philippine-focused studies are going to be presented and discussed at the other Roundtables and Panel Discussions throughout Friday (Oct. 14) and Saturday (Oct. 15) of the conference.

(PRESS RELEASE)