ART FOR RICE. Xavier artists will dedicate a series of shows dubbed "Art for Rice" to the victims of extreme dry spell in Kidapawan, North Cotabato and Maguindanao.
Various performing arts companies of Xavier University will converge for a series of benefit shows to raise funds for the Kidapawan farmers in North Cotabato, as well as for El Niño victims in South Cotabato, Maguindanao and Saranggani provinces.
XU, through the Xavier Center for Culture and Arts (XCCA) and Department of English Language and Literature (DELL), and Nagkahiusang Magsusulat sa Cagayan de Oro (NAGMAC) are also inviting other artists in the city to take part in the fundraiser.
“Dear artist friends and [art] lovers, we are organizing a program titled ‘Art for Rice,’ a performance forum series which aims to raise funds for the victims of El Niño in Kidapawan, North Cotabato and in some parts of Maguindanao,” XCCA director Hobart Savior wrote in an online post Wednesday night, April 6.
“The performance forum is envisioned to be a collaborative and complementary endeavor of all the performing, literary, visual and new media artists in Cagayan de Oro City and Northern Mindanao,” said Savior, adding, “We invite artists to participate and volunteer [for these events].”
Poets, writers, dancers, singers, musicians and other arts groups in Northern Mindanao are all welcome to share their talents.
The performances featuring mainly Xavier artists are set on April 18 and 19 at 7PM, and on April 23 at 3PM all at the XU Little Theater.
The grand shows with Xavier and other local artists are slated on May 18 at 3PM and 7PM at the Capitol University Gym.
Audiences can opt to donate Php100 for professionals and Php75 for students or two kilos of rice or three pieces of canned goods per person.
The organizers hope that the shows can encourage cash and rice donations, and pledges from the audience.
More than 3,000 protesters from farming communities blocked the Davao-Cotabato Highway starting Wednesday, March 30, to demand government assistance in the wake of the effects of extreme dry spell in the province. The police dispersal of protesting farmers turned bloody on April 1.
XCCA and XU’s social advocacy arm Kristohanong Katilingban sa Pagpakabana – Social Involvement Office (KKP-SIO) have put up an information booth along the Magis Walkway where members of the XU community can drop off their donations beginning Monday, April 11. The Student Entrepreneurship Center (SEC) will also serve as drop-off point for donations outside the university.
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Local artists who wish to volunteer may contact Angelene Mae Grio and Flora Magriña of XCCA through 858-3116 local 2059.
