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A Filipina cultural researcher and artist credited for preserving the endangered artistic heritage of southern Philippines was among five winners of the 2015 Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize, the foundation said Wed, Jul 29.
The Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) named 71-year-old Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa as one of five winners, recognizing her “single-minded crusade…in creatively propagating a dance form that celebrates and deepens the sense of shared cultural identity among Asians.”
According to RMAF, Fernando-Amilbangsa’s signature lifework was the study, conservation, practice and promotion of the “pangalay,” a pre-Islamic dance tradition among the Samal, Badjao, Jama Mapun, and Tausug peoples of the provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
Saddened to see the pangalay — the country’s living link to the ancient, classical dance traditions elsewhere in Southeast Asia — becoming a marginalized tradition, she committed her life to documenting and teaching the dance through a method she personally developed, and making it known to the world through performances, lectures, and writings.
Fernando-Amilbangsa, who worked mainly in an individual capacity using her own personal resources, formed the AlunAlun Dance Circle (ADC) in 1999 to study, teach, and perform pangalay and other traditional dance forms.
Aside from Fernando-Amilbangsa, the following also received Asia’s highest honor:
—Kommaly Chanthavong, from Laos, for “her fearless, indomitable spirit to revive and develop the ancient Laotian art of silk weaving, creating livelihoods for thousands of poor, war-displaced Laotians, and thus preserving the dignity of women and her nation’s priceless silken cultural treasure.”
—Anshu Gupta, from India, for “his creative vision in transforming the culture of giving in India, his enterprising leadership in treating cloth as a sustainable development resource for the poor, and in reminding the world that true giving always respects and preserves human dignity.”
—Kyaw Thu, from Myanmar, for “his generous compassion in addressing the fundamental needs of both the living and the dead in Myanmar — regardless of their class or religion — and his channelling personal fame and privilege to mobilize many others toward serving the greater social good.”
—Sanjiv Chaturvedi, from India, for Emergent Leadership, from India, for “his exemplary integrity, courage and tenacity in uncompromisingly exposing and painstakingly investigating corruption in public office, and his resolute crafting of program and system improvements to ensure that government honorably serves the people of India.”
“The Magsaysay awardees of 2015 are truly stoking fresh hopes for a better Asia. Clearly, they are creating bold solutions to deeply-rooted social problems in their respective societies, problems which are most damaging to the lives of those trapped in poverty, ignorance, prejudice, and unjust systems. It is also clear that through their solutions each of these inspiring leaders is building more hopeful lives among their people one smart, impassioned, and persistent step at a time,” said RMAF President Carmencita Abella.
The winners will each receive a certificate, a medallion, and a cash prize at the formal presentation ceremonies at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on August 31. one smart, impassioned, and persistent step at a time,” said RMAF President Carmencita Abella.
The winners will each receive a certificate, a medallion, and a cash prize at the formal presentation ceremonies at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on August 31.
Photo: Press release (RMAF)
This article has been re-published with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
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