World Theater Day messages from P-Noy, UNESCO director

World Theater Day is on March 27. Herewith is the message of President Benigno S. Aquino III for the occasion.

My warmest greetings to The Philippine Center of ITI/Earthsavers UNESCO Dream Center, as you spearhead the 50th anniversary celebration of World Theater Day. (Cecille Guidote Alvarez heads both organizations. — RLO)

I commend you on your efforts to raise awareness and appreciation of the wealth, diversity, and beauty of the arts, particularly the vibrant world of the theater, which we celebrate on this occasion. Philippine theater has a strong tradition of serving as a vehicle for social commentary — from the duplo and moro-moro to the zarzuela, bodabil, up to the modern era.

Community theater, in particular, has fostered a creative culture that nurtures both individual talent and communal growth. It has proved to be a powerful tool for the discernment of the critical issues of contemporary society: Human rights, armed conflict, women’s issues, to name a few. Through your work, you help elevate our consciousness and lay the groundwork for reform. Your government is grateful for your solidarity.

May you serve as an inspiration to others by bringing to the fore this most esteemed genre of spiritual and emotional enrichment. I wish you continued success and look forward to theater’s continued development in the coming decades.

Herewith is the message of Irina Bokova, UNESCO’s first woman director-general:

Your Excellency Secretary Alberto del Rosario,

I am delighted to extend my heartfelt wishes and congratulations to you for the global launch of the 50th anniversary celebration of World Theatre Day.

I wish to express special appreciation to the Government of the Philippines, the International Theatre Institute and the Earthsavers Dream Academy for their initiative to link this celebration to contemporary challenges facing our societies.

I recall with emotion the performance staged by children and youth with special needs belonging to the Earthsavers Dream Academy during my visit to the Philippines in 2011. The Academy was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace for its contribution to raising public awareness about the environment through the performing arts. Theatre has the power to move, inspire, transform and educate in ways that no other art form can. Every theatre performance represents a unique moment in time that is shared between stage actors and their audience.

This human immediacy gives theatre a unique capacity to influence public awareness and perceptions. This is theatre’s power to vehicle strong messages, to question, and to heal. Theatre reflects both the extraordinary diversity of cultures and our shared human condition, in all its vulnerability and strength.

Today, this is more important than ever, because we live in an increasingly interdependent and globalized world. We share a common planet that is threatened by climate change, loss of biological and cultural diversity, depletion of ocean resources and unsustainable use of freshwater. The frequency of natural disasters is on the rise.

The answers must lie in dialogue, cooperation and a shared vision of “the future we want.” This is the title that the United Nations Secretary-General has given to the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development — Rio+20 — to be held this June.

The stakes here are high. They involve striking a new balance between the seven billion inhabitants on earth and their environment. They call for a new, sustainable growth model that is inclusive, socially equitable, that protects our ecosystems and climate. This must start with changes in attitudes, with new ways of thinking and living together.

This is why UNESCO sees sustainable societies through the prism of education, culture and science. Education is the best weapon to fight poverty and inequality, and to transmit new skills, values and knowledge. Science, technology and innovation must be mobilized and knowledge shared to drive the transition towards green economies and societies. On the occasion of this golden anniversary, I wish to highlight the special role of culture. New approaches to sustainable development will be effective only if they are sensitive to local identities, values and world views — in short, if they put people at their centre.

The UN General Assembly has recognized the important role that culture plays in development. UNESCO is pressing for this role to be recognized in the Rio+20 outcome document — because we believe that culture is our ultimate renewable energy, a source of knowledge and innovation that is an essential drive for sustainable development. I commend the organizers of this golden anniversary for staging a “Creativity-Bio-Cultural Diversity Dialogue Workshop for Peace.”

We have here all the key words for fostering a dialogue that recognizes the intricate links between biological diversity and cultural diversity, and the role of human creativity for transforming our societies. I am confident that the events taking place here today and throughout the week will set the tone for this 50th anniversary celebration of World Theatre Day, which we will mark globally on 27 March. We cannot celebrate this day without paying tribute to the late Czech President and playwright Vaclav Havel, who always drew on art to fight for freedom and human rights. Vaclav Havel never doubted the role of the artist. “If we are to change our world view” — he once said — “images have to change. The artist now has a very important job to do.”

This is the power of the theatre — to alter the images we hold of the world and the meaning we ascribe to it, to change our world view. Theatre touches on our common humanity. It has the potential to awaken within each of us the capacity to transform our world, to mobilize and to bridge divides.

I wish you an excellent series of events and once again to the Government of the Philippines and the Centre for promoting cultural cooperation to enhance mutual understanding and solidarity among peoples. This is the essence of a new humanism — to find new ways of forging sustainable peace through dialogue, respect for human rights, cultural diversity and the building of more equitable and inclusive societies.