Thursday 18 August 2011
PETA Mekong Partnership Programme: Performing for children, health and gender justice**


“Our work reflects our identity. The image that reflects from our dance piece—we can use to reflect our society,” says Purtiruk Songklib, a member of New Dance Theater in Thailand . He is a mong the growing number of artists from the Greater Mekong Sub-Region joining the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) Mekong Partnership Programme’s community of social performers. From the theater artists of Thailand to contemporary dancers of Vietnam and China- they all gather together to share traditional and contemporary techniques and learn new artistic forms.

But beyond honing their artistic capabilities, the Programme is tasked to turn their creative energies into a potent tool for social advocacy. “Before joining PETA, I always thought of the artistic perspective,” says Nguyen Hoang Tung, an actor from the Youth Theater in Vietnam .

Crossing National Boundary
It was in September 2004 that PETA crossed its maritime borders to embark on a pilot Programme among performing artists in the culturally diverse yet largely impoverished Greater Mekong Sub-region.

The Programme has since established projects that have facilitated crossborder exchange, capacity building and partnership among the Mekong performing arts communities. It has explored ways of using the creative environment for learning and advocacy.

At the onset, the PETA Mekong Partnership Programme partnered with the Rockefeller Foundation to mobilize performers around the issues of gender, sexuality and HIV/AIDS. Beginning in March 2009, PETA has forged partnership with Save the Children-UK’s Mekong Cross Border Project and later with Terre des Hommes Germany to promote the rights of children in the region.

Thus far, the Programme has reached all six countries comprising the Mekong region- Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China‘s Yunnan Province—with varying degrees of collaboration and assistance. It has supported about 27 performing troupes across the region, trained some 200 performing artists and 400 children and youth, reached out to 180 adult artists and media practitioners, and has put on shows for an estimated 80,000 audiences.

The Laboratory
The Mekong Performing Arts Laboratory is a key component of the Programme. It is an ambitious and bold experiment in combining various performing arts and disciplines with advocacy theater to create fresh works with seven cultures at play, including that of PETA’s home country, the Philippines .

The Laboratory is an inter-cultural exchange and capability building programme component that provides interactive processes for artists to learn various social issues and explore ways to present them onstage. It is a three-week intensive training course designed to help artists understand how theater may be used for advocacy and how they can strengthen their artistic and organizational capacities for campaign.

“Creation of successful advocacy art is very much grounded in the understanding of the issue and its translation into a fine aesthetic expression,” says Maribel Legarda, Laboratory Artistic Director.

Each Laboratory culminates in a showcase-recital of the new works performed before an audience numbering from 300 to 4,000. Outstanding works could merit support for future public performances, including community mobile tours.

Adult leaders and children’s rights advocates from various agencies in Mekong countries in an intensive 10-day workshop on Child Protection work using PETA’s Creative Pedagogy co-organized by Save the Children with support from the European Union.

In all, five Laboratories have been conducted in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, bringing together different mixes of disciplines and practitioners such as artistic leaders (directors, playwrights and choreographers), performers (actors, dancers, musicians, puppeteers), and managers. Scholars and development workers have also joined the Laboratories.

Technical and Financial Support
Through the Arts for Advocacy Fellowship, the PETA Mekong PartnershipProgramme extends financial and technical support to performing artists and groups engaged in advocacy (e.g., community mobile performance tours), education (through productions and events), and outreach exchange programmes (e.g., repertory theater guidance, artist exchange projects).


Young artists and youth leader-advocates from Mekong and the Philippines join hands in building dreams and imagining a better society.

Over six years, PETA has provided assistance for the following new bodies of work:

- Thirty- nine new short performance piece developed in the Laboratories.
- Twenty six full-blown productions performed before various audiences.
- Four short plays about women piloted and performed in Thailand . Four new works were written and translated into three languages. These works were read in play reading sessions by artists and students.
- Four murals on the theme of domestic violence and relationships painted by Cambodian and Thai artists.

Impact
For Mao Kosal, former executive director of the social circus group, Phare Ponleu Selpak of Cambodia , measuring the impact of performances on audience behavior is always tricky. “Normally the audience would not understand, but we try to give them the message. Audiences always accept the show…but if you interview the community, they do not know how to say. They just say, ‘good show and with education,” Kosal says.

Measurable changes, however, have been noticed in the community. “Around the center, there were a lot of problems in this poor community,” Kosal explains, adding that there used to be a lot of brothels, street gangs and problems related to drug use and violence. Now the community has changed, he explains, not because of formal education but because of education through art.

In the Rapid Appraisal of the PETA Mekong Arts Programme in 2007, Dr. Rosalia Sciortino, the incumbent Regional Director of the International Development Research Centre, concludes: “PETA has been successful in overcoming the challenges of integrating differences into a pluralistic, yet united, Mekong art community core.” This holds true today as participating groups continue to interact in various ways, learning from each other’s differences. The network has served as a crucible to sharpen perspectives, hone skills and form a movement of artists for the vast and diverse Mekong region.

** This article was first published in “Spaces To Be”, a publication produced by Terre des Hommes Germany . Reposted with permission.


Thursday 6 May 2010
Weaving Culture, Weaving Lives”: The 2009 Mekong Arts and Media Festival in Phnom Penh (*Abridged version)

During the first Mekong Performing Arts Laboratory in Manila in 2005, I asked the question why Manila-based PETA was chosen to run a program that deals with the peoples and cultures of the Mekong sub-region, which covers such ethnically and culturally diverse countries as Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Towards the end of 2009, the fifth year of PETA’s handling of this program, the answer to that question has become much clearer to me. PETA has been using its special blend of talent, skill, and experience to develop artists to work in the communities they are part of.

They provide hands-on help in building a network of artists from across the Mekong sub-region that is multicultural, transnational, creative, energetic, interactive, and starting to show signs of being self-sustaining.

My participation in the 2009 Mekong Arts & Media Festival showed that not only does PETA have a long history of organized advocacy theater and strong management skills, it also has more things to offer to participants from the Mekong sub-region that they can use in their own work, and which indeed they have done during the last five years. The fruits of their labor and collaboration with artists and others from Mekong and beyond were ripe at the 2009 Festival in Phnom Penh.

As a fitting opening, the festival began with a parade of young artists, showing through their classical music and dance, and guiding a gigantic naga (Sanskrit and Pāli word for a deity or class of entity or being, taking the form of a very great snake—specifically the King Cobra, found in Hinduism and Buddhism) and two big elephant puppets, along with a real and famous Phnom Penh elephant parading through the Cambodian capital. The artists also showed circus talent and exciting music for the general public. The whole festival was interspersed with various art exhibitions, circus shows, classical dance pieces, and international events from six countries bordering the great Mekong River and other countries from Asia.

All the youth programs were run by young people who brought leadership skills given them by their work with PETA in the last five years, while artists from different countries shared new techniques and knowledge, and collaborated with these young people on stories, arts and experiences.

The Festival brought the city of Phnom Penh to life in great spirit, and energized the streets and the people with joy through the power of the youth. Most of the local kids attending the Festival came from the Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang.

As I worked in the formal Festival conference and observed the other activities, I saw and listened to diverse artists and scholars from Japan, Cambodia, China, Myanmar, and Thailand as they showed their work and shared their innovative ways of creating and collaborating with their communities.

Around 270 delegates came to this festival to perform and share their art, knowledge and progress in their thinking and form; many were involved in the previous laboratories. Many of them learned from the laboratory the importance of good management to create an environment for creating dance, theater, and puppet performances that would inspire society, provoke questions even as they entertain audiences.

After working for five years with PETA, the confidence and abilities of these artists-cum-managers have matured considerably. Most of the young artists – especially those from Phare Ponleu Selpak – have become full-grown teenagers or young adults and are now strong circus artists. During the festival, these artists inspired each other and most clearly learned from and shared with each other.

I now realize the benefits of PETA’s involvement in the Mekong Partnership Project better. PETA works through others. It also gives opportunities for young artists to grow and learn from senior artists about channeling inspiration and creativity with discipline and management to do arts projects that are both fun and suit their local audiences.

Most aspects of the projects deal with young people as artists collaborating in workshops aiming to promote self-esteem, empowerment and health education needed in communities along the Mekong river. They also share ways of fundraising and managing the organization to promote and clarify the needs and works of the artists and their communities, helping to make other people become aware of their work.

It was wonderful to see the various peoples of the Mekong sub-region mingling together through the support and care of PETA which also saw the value of opening up the festival to artists from Singapore, Indonesia, and Japan. We know that creating a self-sustaining partnership takes time, and PETA has laid the foundations of doing just this.

The hard question “why PETA for the Mekong?” has also another answer. The program and the participants benefited from the activities and the laboratories and the festival provided them a distinctive blend of PETA’s passion for the arts, its sincere and deep concern for others, its practical set of managerial and organizational skills, and its outsiders’ look and international perspective.

When we are seated together in a room, we don’t know and don’t deal with who is part of and not part of the Mekong sub-region, since we all are part of a common working process aiming to improve the lives of those in the Mekong area through better creativity, organization, and inspiration.

*This is an abridged version of an article with the same title that forms part of a publication summing-up Peta Mekong Partnership's five year work in the Mekong Subregion.

Photos by: Ludovic Gueriaud and Phoonsab Thevongsa

The Festival was made possible with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, Save the Children-UK through the European Union, and Japan Foundation with additional scholarship support from Terre des Hommes-Germany, Heinrich Boell Foundation, Center for Community Health Research & Development, and World Vision.

Wednesday 4 November 2009
Arts and Creativity in Child Protection Work

By: Brian Jungwiwattanaporn

In August, PETA in partnership with Save the Children UK’s Regional Cross-border Project held the 1st Regional Leadership Course on Child Protection. Thirty-three participants from seven countries working in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region met in Nakhon Nayok, Thailand to engage and discuss the various cases of child protection in their own countries.


Chosen as one of the participants of this conference, I was able to work with community NGO staff members, government officials and Save the Children staff from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Pakistan in a ten-day transformative experience. Together, we developed our skills and understanding in promoting the protection of children using PETA’s methods and learning techniques, discussing children’s issues while creating art and synthesizing information on child protection and exploring various art forms – using drama, dance, visual arts and sculpture along with other techniques to explore our own stories as well as the stories of the children we work with.

The training consisted of 6 modules which required us to explore the situation of children in the region: covering topics on childhood and children’s rights, child protection, building child protection systems and improving our work on protection. We also examined child protection in Thailand through field visits to organizations dedicated to helping children and migrants. Over the course of the training and after several presentations and group work, we became deeply involved with the issues.

In the process, we were able to unlock our inner-child and release our creative spirits. Many participants, just like myself, also commented on how we enjoyed learning new tools with which to engage children and their communities.

Aside from our personal discoveries, we were also focused on weaving together the story of children in the Mekong region: discussing the lives of children in our own countries, the similarity of the difficulties facing children across the area and the gaps of the various protection systems that eventually led to a dialogue on what participants could do to start overcoming and addressing these issues.

There were further sessions on topics ranging from child abuse, corporal punishment, stateless children and children in emergencies. These were followed by a session on creating an advocacy plan to support children at a national level. Underpinning these activities were the understandings reached by the participants through their involvement in PETA’s art activities.



Outside of the main curriculum, we were also able to gain practical skills and techniques in story-telling while using different mediums such as photography, videography, and shadow-theatre which enabled us more to effectively tell stories on child protection as well as provide children with the creative tools to tell their own stories.

At the end of the training, the event experienced one of its highlights as Ernie Cloma, Associate Curriculum Director of the Philippine Educational Theater Association received the Child Protection Champion award from Save the Children UK’s Cross-border Project. For over 40 years, Tito Ernie, as many would call him, has passionately conducted integrated theater arts workshops for disadvantaged children in the Philippines and abroad–inspiring many of us to do the same, to become instruments and channels for the protection and promotion of children’s rights in our own communities.

The closing ceremony brought together new friends as we shared traditional songs and dances throughout the region. Possessing new knowledge and skills, exposed to PETA’s pedagogy and supported by a new network of like-minded people, we have benefited greatly from PETA and Save the Children UK’s first leadership training.

As the project came to an end, it was possible to see the personal growth that many of us had felt, and as we bring this experience back to our communities, hopefully, stronger child protection systems will start to grow throughout the communities and across the region.

Brian Jungwiwattanaporn has spent the majority of his career working for children as a school teacher. He has taught primary school at an urban school district in the United States, a rural school in Bangladesh, and special education in Thailand. He is currently the Regional Cross-border Information Coordinator at Save the Children UK where he supports efforts to create child protection systems in the region.

Sunday 19 July 2009
Mekong Arts and Media Festival 2009 Complete Details and Information

MEKONG ARTS AND MEDIA FESTIVAL 2009

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The Mekong Region holds the remarkable distinction of being one of Asia’s cultural lifeblood. The interesting cross-cultural diversity of the six countries that make up the region: Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam and the rich mix of history and art provide for a great backdrop for organizing the Mekong Arts and Media Festival 2009 which will be held on November 23-27 at Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Organized by the Philippine Educational Theater Association – Mekong Partnership Program in conjunction with Phare Ponleu Selpak, Save the Children-UK, and Center for Community Health Research and Development, the Festival is seen as an opportunity for artists, media practitioners, cultural workers, and key players in development work to showcase and exhibit creative works that have contributed to the development of new, innovative forms for social advocacy and transforming communities.

The Festival is a five-day event that will converge the diverse cultures and various art and media forms of Mekong. During the Festival, the Arts and Media groups and communities will go center stage and present the range of forms and creative expressions that they have been continuously developing for the past years as alternative tools for social advocacy.


OBJECTIVES

The Mekong Arts & Media Festival seeks to:

1. Showcase and celebrate the bodies of works (theater performances, visual arts, short films, video stories, photos and other forms of creative media) that have been produced in the sub-region and were used as transformative tools for advocacy and development.

2. Give local people greater voice by bringing together Mekong artists, cultural workers, media practitioners, and key players in development to discuss, share and compare experiences, learning and insights about their crafts and skills across different areas and disciplines;

3. Provide venue and facilitate the interaction of artists and media practitioners as actors in the process of social transformation with other stakeholders in development;

4. Create a venue that will inspire, encourage and facilitate creative thinking amongst people to develop new innovative strategies for consciousness-building and development work in the sub-region;

5. Promote greater public awareness of the sub-region’s various cultural and development issues to local and international audiences;

6. Advance network links and inter-institutional collaboration and identify new areas and forms of partnerships.


FESTIVAL ORGANIZER

The Mekong Arts and Media Festival 2009 is organized by the Philippine Educational Theater Association’s Mekong Partnership Project, Phare Ponleu Selpak, Save the Children UK, and Center for Community Health Research & Development. These organizations have already been involved in the development of capacity-building programs utilizing the different creative spaces in the Mekong region, which consequently afforded the creation and development of materials and performances that delve into the challenges of development, modernization and integration in the fast-changing region. The festival is just one of converging points for all these efforts.

The festival is made possible with the support of The Rockefeller Foundation, European Union, Japan Foundation, and Heinrich Boell Foundation-Southeast Asia.


FESTIVAL PROGRAM

CONFERENCES

The conference is the venue for academic and cultural exchanges and discussion of the various experiences and insights on the involvement of artists, media practitioners and institutions in addressing the need for developing relevant alternative media for advocacy and development. Selected interest groups will be organizing conferences on specific themes and topics, e.g. Children’s Rights, Arts and Media for Development, etc.


WORKSHOPS

The workshops are designed to provide dynamic spaces for exchange of various artistic and technical skills and practices on the different fields of arts and media. The following are the skills-based workshops:
• Circus
• Shadow Theater
• Puppetry
• Dance
• Visual Art
• Creative Storytelling for children
• New Media
• Mainstreaming Advocacies through Visual Communication




PERFORMANCES

Selected groups/organizations will showcase on-stage and off-stage pieces in styles ranging from traditional to contemporary and avant garde performances. Twilight performances will feature sketches, improvisational acts, monologues, puppetry, storytelling sessions, poetry readings, and other compact performance pieces. It also serves as an open/“shoutout” space for festival delegates where output from workshops or other improvisational pieces may be performed.

Evening performances will showcase performances that have been originally conceived in previous theater/arts laboratories and have already been performed in various countries/locations. Featured performances will exhibit the different art forms and collaboration work of the various participating groups in the festival.

Schedule of performances, film showing and “twilight” features will be posted around the Festival area.

FILMS AND VIDEOS

Various themes and forms ranging from documentaries, video stories, short films and feature films discussing the issues of the Region will be shown. Special features include award-winning documentaries on the people and culture of Mekong and films by internationally-acclaimed filmmakers.


VISUAL ART AND PHOTO ESSAYS

Featured works by selected visual artists, photographers around the region will be exhibited in special venues. Concept exhibits will tackle specific sectors or issue in the GMS such as Children’s Rights, Gender and Sexuality, Poverty, migration, etc.


SPECIAL EVENTS

Opening Parade and Ceremony

The activity will celebrate the confluence of cultures and nationalities through a parade of the various presenting/participating groups. The parade will also feature fundamental elements and icons of the Khmer culture and tradition as a special recognition to the people of Cambodia for hosting the festival.


Welcome/Opening Reception

The event is a Welcome Banquet that will officially commence the Festival. The organizers have invited a Guest of Honor to officially Open the Festival and welcome the participants.


Mekong Arts and Crafts Village

A festive market will be set up to showcase the different artworks, colorful wares, crafts and products of the various groups from the GMS. A Special section on Books and Publications will be set up to feature various publications on arts, media and development in the Mekong sub-region.

(A limited number of spaces for selling and exhibits are available for institutions, publications, organizations and other interested individuals. For inquiries, please contact the FESTIVAL SECRETARIAT.)


Closing Reception

The event will be the sending-off celebration for the participants of the Festival which highlights two elements: the commitment pact and the turn-over. The symbolic pact centers on the participants’ commitment to be actively involved in and pursue the integration of arts in the development process by continuing to support the development and building of creative communities in the sub-region. The symbolic turn-over will represent the cross-generational exchange by symbolically opening the door for the involvement of the children and youth sector in the development process. A special creative performance followed by a special community celebration will cap the event.


Tours

Tour packages will be arranged during workshop hours. Participants who will join the Tour/ exposure trip will be grouped into 10-15 members each. Participants will be treated to a visual feast of Cambodian culture and history. Social Events and activity may happen during the tour/visit.


*Performances, film showings and exhibits are open to the public. For some shows/performances, tickets will be sold at the event site.

NOTE: The Festival Organizers are still accepting proposals for presentations for live performances, video/film showing, visual art/photo exhibits, and other special events. Please submit your proposals with sample works (video and synopsis) to the Festival Secretariat (mekong.artsfest2009@gmail.com)

For workshop proposals:
Delegates and any interested party can propose to facilitate/conduct a workshop class. Proposed workshop classes should be 2-3 hours long. Workshop hours are between 1:00 – 4:00pm. Please provide written description of the proposed workshop class. For more details and other inquiries, please contact the Secretariat.

THE CHILDREN AND YOUTH BLOC

The Children and Youth Bloc is one of the highlights of the Festival. It will showcase bodies of works done by the children and young people of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). The bloc is organized in collaboration with Save the Children UK (SC-UK) and gives special emphasis to children and young peoples participation in development work done in Mekong.

An extensive range of integrated theater arts activities is designed to help consolidate and make into tangible expressions the various stories, aspirations, and views, of the young people from Mekong on the current social realities and the problems that directly affect them. It hopes to capture the various issues experienced by the children and young people of Mekong brought about by the ongoing regional integration and modernization through various arts and media forms.

The activities of the bloc will parallel the general events of the Festival. The Children and Youth Bloc will have its own schedule and set of performances, conferences, workshops, exhibits, video/film showing and other special events.

The Children and Youth Bloc activities was designed with the help of PETA’s own children and youth Programs: the Children’s Theater Program and the Metropolitan Teen Theater League (MTTL). The children and young people delegates from various communities of the GMS will have their own forum and together learn artistic skills to come up with their own artistic output that will speak of their own stories and aspirations.

Walking Through Faces (Hallway Photo and Poetry Exhibit)
Where We Are (Individual/Group Performances)
Sharing Spaces (Interactive Improvisations)


REGISTRATION


WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

The Festival welcomes Mekong artists, media practitioners, cultural workers, students, drama/theater teachers, advocates, public officials, and development workers who are willing to showcase and exhibit works, share lessons and experiences, learn technical skills and strategies in using various forms of arts and media for education, advocacy, development work, and transforming communities in Mekong societies. It is also open to other nationalities willing to contribute, learn from, and explore the various possibilities of how arts can be integrated into the whole development process.

Interested individuals/groups can participate as:

Regular Delegate. Regular delegates have access to all festival events e.g. conferences, workshops, exhibits and performances and are expected to participate in all activities either as performers, presenters, resource speakers, workshop facilitators, participants, etc.

Observer. Observers will be given day passes/tickets and are allowed to attend only a list of selected workshop/s, seminar/s and festival activities. Arrangements can be made with the Festival Secretariat for advance registration in chosen activities.

Media Representative. Interested journalists and press institutions who would like to cover this regional event may also come and register as official Media Representative. Limited scholarship slots shall be offered to journalists and other media practitioners in each country. A Media Press Room shall be set-up as press hub and working space. See Registration for requirements and application process.


HOW TO REGISTER

Online: Fill out the Registration Form with your complete personal information, contact details, participation preference and your chosen mode of payment, then click submit.

Fax/E-mail: You can download the Registration Form (pdf/doc file) and provide the necessary personal and contact details. Send it through fax (66-2) 9307851 or via email to mekong.artsfest2009@gmail.com.

DEADLINE of application and payment for REGULAR REGISTRATION is on OCTOBER 16, 2009.

Discounted rates shall be offered to EARLY REGISTRANTS if application and payments are submitted on or before AUGUST 31, 2009.

ONSITE REGISTRATION is also accepted. We require onsite registrants to book their own hotel and submit application on or before November 6, 2009.

REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION. Official notices will be sent through post or email within ten (10) working days after receipt of the payment and filled out registration form.

On-site Registration:
Delegates may still register on-site as early as November 21, 2009 (8:00 am– 5:00 pm) at the Chaktomuk Conference Hall, Preah Sisowath Quay, Sangkat Chaktomuk, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

REGISTRATION FEES

PACKAGES EARLY REGISTRANTS REGULAR REGISTRANTS ON-SITE REGISTRANTS
REGULAR DELEGATE Before August 31, 2009 September 1 – October 15, 2009 11/21-22/09
Inclusive of
- Food for 5 days (Hotel lunch, Dinner, Opening & Closing reception)
- Festival kit & Tokens
- Access to all events & performances
- Translation services
- Airport & Inland Transportation USD 550.00 USD 650. 00
USD 750. 00

OBSERVER
DAY PASS
Inclusive of:
- Festival Kits
-Access to the day’s events
-Food (Hotel Lunch,Dinner)
- Translation services -- USD 150.00 USD 150. 00
TICKETS FOR SELECTED PERFORMACE/ SHOW/ EXHIBIT --
-- Amount is per show/session. Contact Festival Secretariat for details.

The Registration fee does not include Hotel Accommodation. Discounted hotel rates are available if you book through the Festival Secretariat. Please indicate in your Registration Form and contact the Secretariat if you wish to avail of this privilege.


SPECIAL DISCOUNT

To encourage participation from the children & youth sector, the Festival Organizer is offering a special discounted rate of 20% less of the Registration Fee to:

- Official delegates belonging to the Children and Youth Bloc
- Students not older than 24 years old and currently enrolled in school/University. A student ID and School endorsement to participate in the Festival are required to avail of the 20% discount.

A special 10% discount shall also be offered to senior citizens (60 years above) and group registration of not less than 10 people. Please e-mail the Secretariat for group registration arrangements.


MODES OF PAYMENT

All monetary transactions are in US Dollars. Payments can be made through:

7. WIRE/BANK TRANSFER

Bank Name: UNION BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES
Bank Address: 677 Aurora Boulevard, near Broadway Centrum, New Manila, Quezon City, Philippines.
Bank Contact #: 412-3484 and 416-5329
Account Name: Philippine Educational Theater Association, Inc.
Account #: 009-101-00188-4 (US Dollar Savings Account)
Type of Currency: US Dollars
Swift Code: UBPHPHMM

8. Cash – for late/on-site registrants and Day Pass delegates only. Cash payments will only be received by the official Festival Finance officer.


FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Full and partial scholarship support shall be provided to a limited number of delegates from the member countries of Mekong. The Support is inclusive of travel airfare and taxes, visa fees, board and lodging, registration fees and travel insurance.

To apply for FULL OR PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIP, please submit:

• One copy of updated Curriculum Vitae
• 2 sample works (for performers, please provide photos and videos of your performance)
• Two (2) Recommendation Letters from any legitimate arts and media institutions in the sub-region
• Filled out Scholarship form

For Media Representatives applying for scholarship, please submit the following requirements:
• One copy of updated Curriculum Vitae
• Photocopy or scanned copy of Official Press ID
• 2 Sample works (news articles/feature with byline and/or clips of TV coverage)
-Published article written in the local language with English translation
-Published article written in English
• Letter of Recommendation from your Editor (should also indicate the Festival as the participant’s official assignment)
• Letter of Recommendation from any legitimate local media institution in the sub-region
• One copy of draft pre-event feature article on Mekong Arts and Media Festival 2009. Please provide an English translation if article is written in your local language.

Deadline of applications is on AUGUST 14, 2009. Announcement of accepted scholars will be on August 21, 2009.


The Festival Steering Committee continues to raise funds to support more scholars from the sub-region. We can only pledge scholarship to a limited number of artists and media practitioners. We, therefore, encourage other interested individuals and groups to raise their own funds to cover the expenses needed for their participation in the Festival. We appreciate any contributions, donations, and sponsorships to increase participation of children & youth and those who may not have the means to participate in this Festival.


CANCELLATION AND REFUND

Cancellation of registration/application should be made not later than October 31, 2009. Send a written Request to Cancel Registration sent through email/fax addressed to the Secretariat. A thirty percent (30%) cancellation fee will be deducted from your Registration fee to cover Administrative and fund transfer costs.

If cancellation is made after October 31 and not later than November 16, Registrants will only get fifty percent (50%) of the Registration fee.

All fees shall be forfeited if cancellation is made after November 16, 2009.


FORMS

For a copy of any of the festival forms (registration, scholarship and accommodation) and other inquiries, please email peta_mekong@yahoo.com, mekong.artsfest2009@gmail.com



FESTIVAL SITES

SISOWATH QUAY is the street that stretches along the Tonle Sap River, where most Festival venues are located. The street will be the parade grounds for the Welcome event on the 23rd of November.

CHAKTOMUK CONFERENCE HALL is the main site of the Mekong Arts and Media Festival 2009. Most Festival events & major activities (e.g. Opening/Closing program, registration, plenary, theater performances, exhibits and bazaars) will take place in this area.

Address: (Theatre) Preah Sisowath Quay, Sangkat Chaktomuk, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh 12207, Cambodia
Telephone: 855 (0) 23 982210, 855 (0) 12 994436, 855 (0) 16 935666, 855 (0) 11 926542

Link to: Designed by renowned architect Vann Molyvann, this venue was originally opened in 1961 as La Salle de Conférence Chaktomuk. Earmarked for redevelopment as a restaurant in 1991, it was brought back into use as a theatre in 1994 following the devastating fire at the National Theatre. The Chaktomuk Conference Hall was completely refurbished in 2000, primarily to provide international-standard facilities for conferences. Subject to programming it is still utilised from time to time as a theatre venue, but only for special programmes organised directly by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.

For more details, please see www.chaktomukconferencehall.com

CAMBODIANA HOTEL is the venue for the Festival’s conferences, workshops, video and film showings. Delegates who are interested to stay in this hotel may book through the Secretariat to get lower rates. For the conference and workshop schedule, please click here.

Address: 313 Sisowath Quay,Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.
Telephone number: (855) 23 218-189 / 426 288
Fax: (855) 23 426 392

Link to: Situated on the banks of the Mekong River and at the heart of Phnom Penh, the hotel provides its guests with unrivalled combination of comfort and convenience. With ready access to both tourist and business landmarks along with sweeping views of one of the world's great rivers, Hotel Cambodiana balances a proud sense of tradition with a commitment to maintaining its reputation for excellence.

The opening of Hotel Cambodiana in 1962 was of great cultural significance to Cambodia, reflecting the bold sense of optimism and vision that has revived international interest in Phnom Penh and Cambodia. Inspired to continue this legacy, the team at Hotel Cambodiana will ensure you the experience of the famous Khmer hospitality that inspires so many visitors to return time and again.
For more details, please see http://www.hotelcambodiana.com

IMPERIAL GARDEN HOTEL AND VILLA is one of Cambodia’s well-known residences for official meetings and gatherings. This November, Imperial Garden Hotel and Villa will serve as the main headquarters and residence of the Festival Secretariat and delegation.


PREAH PONLEA One of Cambodia’s highlighted festivals is the boat-raising/water festival. The Preah Ponlea is the special venue during these boat-raising events. It serves as the Royal podium where the King and most of the royal family observe the traditional water festival.

During the Festival, Preah Ponlea will serve as the Cambodian’s welcoming platform for the international delegation. This is also where some of the public and street performances will happen.


PREAH PARAMA RAJA VAING is the garden along the rivers, inside the Chaktomuk complex. This is the venue for many of the Festival’s special events (e.g. such as the Open-Air Receptions, Opening/Closing Ceremonies, Arts and Crafts Fair, select performances, Registration, etc.). This can also be an open space for spontaneous performances and art happenings.

NOTE:
Venues and schedules are subject to change.














ACCOMODATION

The Secretariat made arrangements with hotels (See List Below) near the Festival Sites to serve as official residence of the delegates at special rates. Please book through the Secretariat if you wish to avail of these rates.

Fill in and submit Accommodation Form together with the Registration Form. List of hotels and the exclusive festival rates*:

HOTEL RATES

HOTEL CATEGORY ROOM RATE PER PERSON
SINGLE ROOM TWIN SHARING
Golden Gate Hotel
 US $ 35.00 US $ 17.50
Regent Park Hotel

US $ 45.00 US $ 25.00
Imperial Garden Villa and Hotel

US $ 65.00 US $35.00
Hotel Cambodiana

US $ 80.00 US $ 45.00



















* Rates are inclusive of taxes and buffet breakfast.

Most of these Hotels are located within walking distance, except for Golden Gate Hotel (10-minute drive), from Chaktomuk Conference Hall. All Rooms are equipped with standard facilities such as hot and cold shower, telephone, fridge, safety deposit box, cable TV and (internet access). Visit their website for further information about the Hotel.


Payment Guideline
Payments for Hotels can only be accepted through bank transfer. Please send your payment in full amount to the Festival Secretariat on or before October 16, 2009.

Confirmation of Hotel Reservation
All hotel reservations will be confirmed through fax or email within 10 days of receipt of the full payment. Should you encounter any problem with the hotel reservation or payment procedure, please contact the Festival Secretariat.

Early Departure or No-show
No refund shall be given for hotel payments if cancellation is made 2 weeks before check-in.

Checking Out
All participants are booked until morning of November 28. You are requested to check out and settle accounts by 12 noon.

The Festival organizers will not be responsible for participants who extend their stay for sightseeing and city tour and/or other purposes. Should you decide to stay longer, please inform the Secretariat and make the necessary arrangements.


Airport Transfer/Inland Transportation
The Festival Secretariat will arrange for Airport transfer service for your convenience. Please inform us of your flight details so we can make proper airport pick-up arrangement.

A shuttle/van service shall be provided for delegates staying at Golden Gate Hotel as well as for those with physical disabilities. Festival tuktuks shall also be stationed at major Festival points. The Secretariat will post regular announcements at Festival venue bulletin boards for schedule of transport services.

FAQs

1. What is the significance of this Festival?
The Mekong Arts and Media Festival is a pioneering and groundbreaking regional event that provides creative space not only for the sake of mastering an art form but to also create an inclusive, open and dynamic space for interaction and collaboration among creative communities of Mekong. The Festival does not advocate one specific method or genre for creative development. In fact, it goes beyond the forms and creatively pushes the envelope and presents questions and conditions that have social, political and cultural significance to the peoples of the Mekong region.
It further challenges us – the artists, media practitioners, cultural workers, and stakeholders of development to look past our creations and go beyond the borders of our immediate environment and take the opportunity to be part of the emerging social transformation of the Mekong region.
2. What will I learn from this festival?
Delegates will learn to appreciate and celebrate the diverse cultural milieu and forms, look back and reflect on its historical past, question and be critical of the ongoing regional integration, and recognize the local players and the cultural significance of their selected works in developing and transforming communities. Delegates will also learn to share experiences, skills and knowledge and take advantage of the opportunity to collaborate with other groups.

3. Is the Festival exclusive to artists and media practitioners?
The Festival is open to any individual or groups who are interested in the use of arts and media forms for transforming communities and societies. It is open to all who are working for the development and welfare of vulnerable groups and troubled nations in the Mekong region. It is most open to all those who believe in the power of creativity and culture as an entry point for societal transformation.
4. Can I (or my group) join the event as a presenter/performer and a participant at the same time?
All delegates are expected to actively participate in the activities. The festival organizers also highly encourage the presentation/showcase of various works and experiences while working for culture and development in the region through a performance, documentary or any chosen creative media.

CONTACT US


Festival Secretariat
c/o PETA Mekong Partnership Program
350/2061 Ratchada Chuanchom Mansion
Soi Ladphao 23, Ladphao Road, Chatuchak
Bangkok 10900, Thailand
Tel.: (66-2) 9092649
Tel./Fax: (66-2) 9307851
Mobile: (66-81) 9097459
Email: mekong.artsfest2009@gmail.com

Friday 17 July 2009
Breaking Barriers, Converging Arts: The Arts and Media Festival 2009

The Mekong Sub-Region composed of Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam holds the remarkable distinction of being one of Asia’s cultural lifeblood. Its interesting cross-cultural diversity and the rich mix of history and art provide for a great backdrop for organizing the Mekong Arts and Media Festival 2009 this November 23-27 at Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Organized by the Philippine Educational Theater Association – Mekong Partnership Program in conjunction with Phare Ponleu Selpak, Save the Children-UK, and Center for Community Health Research and Development, the Festival is seen as an opportunity for artists, media practitioners, cultural workers, and key players in development work to showcase and exhibit artistic works that have contributed to the development of new, innovative communication channels for advocacy and transforming communities. The Festival is also slated to be one of the highlights and culmination of PETA’s five-year engagement in mobilizing the creative communities in the region using the arts and other creative media as tools for advocacy and development work.

The Festival is a five-day event that will converge the diverse cultures and various art and media forms of Mekong. During the Festival, the arts communities will go center stage and present the range of forms and creative expressions that they have been continuously developing for the past years as alternative tools for advocacy and social transformation.

En route to a new path of meaningful expression by blending arts and media, the Festival hopes to cover the potential range of talents by providing venues for sharing of skills, techniques and building partnerships for collaboration. Delegates and visitors can expect performances, conferences of interest groups, workshops, visual arts and photo essays, short films and documentaries. Special events like the opening and closing parade will feature in full regalia the various cultural symbols and icons of the different countries in the Mekong Region. To get a taste of each culture, a Mekong cultural trade fair will showcase and sell various arts,crafts and products of the participating countries while respected individuals of the Asian art scene will also facilitate the different workshops. To preview what’s in store at the Festival, click this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OgVHPrnRYI.

Full and partial scholarships are available for groups and individuals who are nationals of the Mekong Region. For more details and information on the Festival program, schedule, registration fee and other particulars, please email Festival Secretariat at peta@truemail.co.th or mekong.artsfest2009@gmail.com.

The Mekong Arts and Media Festival 2009 is supported in part by The Rockefeller Foundation, European Union, Japan Foundation, and Heinrich Boell Foundation-Southeast Asia.

Wednesday 29 October 2008
PETA Celebrates Children’s Month With a Theater Festival

The fight for children’s rights has been a long one for the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA). Since its humble beginnings in the 80’s, PETA has been known to be pioneer and active guardian of the rights of the child – with its goal and mission to liberate and empower Filipino children through the arts. With theater arts education as its tool, PETA envisioned to create a safe, supportive and conducive environment wherein children grow to become creative, self-aware, resilient, critical and responsible citizens of the Filipino society. Because of this, PETA eventually formed its own Children’s Theater Program (CTP) which centrally dedicates its work in creating a good life for Filipino children.

As part of the program’s objectives, along with the celebration of the Philippines’ National Children’s Month and commemoration of the efforts done by PETA and its partners during the last three decades, PETA is hosting a National Children’s Theater Festival from October 24 - 26, 2008. A three-day event that aims to bring together different sectors of the society: government, students, professionals, non-government organizations and the civil society in an occasion that celebrates and recognizes the rights of children.


The Festival, titled “Likhang Bata, Likhang Buháy!” (Children’s Creations, Living Creations!) and themed, “Creating a Good Life for Filipino Children”, will be held at the PETA Theater Center. Other than showcasing the works done by PETA in the last three years, special performances that are centered on focusing the experiences and highlighting the creative outputs of children will also be presented. Aside from the presentations, there will also be a grand array of workshops, exhibits, conferences and other activities for the participants of the festivalActivities during the three days are catered specially to different age groups: Day 1 for young children 7 to 12, Day 2 for teenagers 13 to 17 and Day 3 for young adults who work with children. During the festival, children and adults are expected to gain knowledge of the rights of the child, as well a s discuss four rights categories: right to survival, protection, development and participation.

“The festival itself is PETA’s definition of what a good life for children is –

providing a fun, creative and supportive environment for children as they explore and express themselves in the various fields of arts,” says Ms. Marichu Belarmino, Project Director of PETA’s Children’s Theater Program.

The festival will kick off with a special performance of Christine Bellen’s “Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang”, a children’s musical about a grandmother telling magical stories to her grandchildren.

"The musical's significance is in sending the message to children and adults the value of storytelling; of going back to Philippines’ literary roots of legends and folktales, an d even creating our own stories that speak of our values,” says Ms. Marichu.

Other than PETA’s program on children and the Festival, it has also most recently developed resource materials such as CDs, cards and guidebooks to help educate the public about children’s rights.

Thursday 23 October 2008
First female artist wins Silpathorn award for performing arts


First impressions can definitely be misleading. 36-year-old Sineenadh Keitprapai may be small in stature, but speaking to the arts veteran revealed that charisma and energy belied her pint-sized frame. To be honest, the artistic director of Crescent Moon Theatre and director of Crescent Moon Space looks as though a gust of strong wind could sweep her clean off her feet. But trust us when we say that Sineenadh Keitprapai – or “Nad” – is no wilting flower. A renowned stage manager, director, and actress, Sineenadh has also long been an advocate for issues concerning women by using arts as a communication medium.

Without a doubt, her efforts to raise more awareness concerning issues related to women have not gone unnoticed. Recently, Sineenadh became a recipient of the highly prestigious Silpathorn Awards 2008 in the category of Contemporary Arts. The Silpathorn Awards was established in 2004 by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture (OCAC) of the Ministry of Culture (Thailand). The awards aim to promote Thai contemporary artists who are in the prime of their career and whose bodies of works have made notable contributions in the area of Thai fine arts and culture.

What makes this win even more special is the fact that the hardworking thespian broke new ground by being the first ever female artist to clinch such a highly coveted award in the field of contemporary arts. Since its inception in 2004, the previous four awardees in the category of performing arts have all been males. But Sineenadh broke the running trend this year with her recognition.

An alumnus of Chiang Mai University, Sineenadh’s first brush with theatre arts happened during her years when as an English major. Her passion for theatre was ignited after watching university productions and she soon realized that the arts were her calling. With over 50 plays she’s either produced, directed or acted in under her belt, Sineenadh Keitprapai has been a constant dominant force in the Thai contemporary arts scene.

Inspirations for her well-acclaimed productions and performances like Purgatory and Venus’s Party – both about women – were garnered from personal life experiences, her mother and friends, and even literary works like novels, short stories and literature. Sineenadh said that a combination of these “opened (her) mind to notice the situation around ourselves”. She also confesses that she “love(s) women characters and stories about women” and their impact on her was “the first step to show and express how I feel through arts”. Other avenues of inspiration, she added, stemmed from “the images, or small situations in society that impact me… (and) from domestic violence”.

One might be inclined to ask if she is a feminist. But the answer from Sineenadh is an emphatic “No”.

“The word ‘feminist’ is complicated for me to understand. There are many kinds of feminists. I think if I were to be a feminist… I have to know how to classify situations that determine when sexism takes place. It’s just too complicated for me”, she explains before laughing heartily.

Besides producing, directing and acting in performances that highlight women’s issues, Sineenadh initiated Women in the Moon, a women-only theatre festival that exhibits innovative new works by local female artists, together with Jarunun Phantachat, an artist from B-Floor Theatre. Incidentally, Sineenadh is also a co-founder of B-Floor Theatre, a group that focuses on physical and experimental theater.

The humble artist said that she was “surprised” when she learnt that she had won. However, she’s quick to explain that winning the award was never on her cards. “It’s not my goal (to win). Even if I didn’t win, I would still continue with my work. But it’s okay and it’s good that I got this award too. Because that means that the people and the government see theatre works as important”, she said. She also revealed that the win helped to boost her profile and that of Crescent Moon Space’s. Sineenadh also claims that she has begun to receive more requests for her to give workshops and put on more performances. Of this, she said, “This is a good thing too because this lets more of the ordinary people know about the theatre”.

She happily went on to mention that more non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are helping more women with the troubles that they are facing.

Sineenadh enthused that Thailand’s burgeoning arts scene is “really energetic” this year. The extension of the upcoming annual Bangkok Theatre Festival – from two weeks to four – will see the return of veteran theatre groups and an emergence of new theatre groups coming together to put up a month’s worth of arts performances.

“In my point of view, I am an artist and a theatre practitioner. I pick women’s issues as a topic for my work as a theatre practitioner. I am only concerned about women and the roles of women. It’s enough to make me understand and be interested in all issues related to them”.

Spoken like a true artist, indeed. Undoubtedly, Sineenadh Keitprapai has paved the way for present and future female artists and will be a shining source of inspiration for others in time to come.