By Lyna Mohamad
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei Darussalam — The ‘Move with Malong’ workshop has raised awareness on the richness of Philippine pre-colonial history. The workshop was held to strengthen, promote and develop culture, arts and heritage cooperation between the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam.
The online workshop showcasing the Kapa Malong Malong dance of the Maranao people of Mindanao, was joined by cultural performers from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS), while the Bayanihan Dance Company – a renowned Philippine cultural group of performers – joined as instructors. The event also saw the participation of guests invited by Philippine missions and embassies worldwide.
The Philippine Embassy’s cultural partner, the Sarjana Education Group (SEG), also participated.
All participants received a kit containing a malong, a simple tubular yet highly functional piece of cloth known for its creative and ingenious elements, and a brochure explaining the Kappa Malong Malong dance.
The Kappa Malong Malong dance was chosen to increase awareness on Filipino pre-colonial culture and traditions that strengthen the narrative of the Philippines as a country with its own culture, prior to the global colonial movement.
Despite the partial lockdown here, online events such as this reaffirms the similarities of Philippine culture with those of its Malay and Muslim neighbours in Southeast Asia, bringing the countries and its people closer and promoting greater understanding and appreciation of each others’ similarities and differences.
A project of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), ‘Move with Malong: An Online Cultural Workshop’, is an activity under the Agreement on Cultural Cooperation signed by the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam in 2017.
The event aimed to promote cooperation in the field of culture and arts by enhancing institutional networking and people-to-people exchanges. (Source: Borneo Bulletin)
The Ranao Star 