El Día E!

¡Hola a todos! On the heels of this year's Día del Libro celebration, comes El Día E or El Día del Español! In the cultural calendar of Instituto Cervantes de Manila, the three main events prepared each year are Día del Libro in April, El Día E in June and Película Spanish Filmfest in October.

El Día E is going to be a grand celebration of the Spanish language, it's going to be held on June 19, Saturday. Last year was the first time Instituto Cervantes mounted El Día E, with Manila having been chosen as one of the 70 centers all over the world (along with Tokyo, Paris, Madrid etc). El Día E is a festivity that marks the role of Spanish, as a living language, in the world today. There is going to be lots of performances, Spanish food, juegas del español, interactive exhibits and a whole lot more.

To kick-start the festivities, similar to last year, we're asking everyone to tell us ¿cuál es tu palabra favorita? in a short video and we'll upload it to www.eldiae.es for the entire world to see. Come on Cultura en Manila fans, help the Cultura team put Instituto Cervantes de Manila on the map by being one of the most active centers. So far we have 5 videos on our youtube account. Let us know, tell us your favorite Spanish word with a short reason why you like it--that's all there is to it. Think culture, think Spanish.

Martin quiere la palabra "broncear"

Andrea quiere la palabra "vale"

Enzo quiere la palabra "sabroso"

Kaye quiere la palabra "comida"

Gilberto quiere la palabra "idioma"

Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!

Día del Libro 2010 was a huge success!

¡Hola a todos! ¡Muchas gracias por todo! Thank you to everyone who made this year's edition of Día Internacional del Libro a smashing success, the people literally did not stop coming from 10 am to 10 pm; hundreds in attendance, thousands of books sold and roses given in turn. Instituto Cervantes de Manila brought out all the stops this year; from the desbloquear shirts (SOLD OUT!), eco-bolsas, paraguas and other shirts from Berso sa Metro and Película 2009 to the various activities spread out throughout the day. Día 2010 was packed with the mercadillo del libros, Maleta de Cervantes video workshop in the morning, the Pinta Palabras para niños, the film screening of Una casa de locos, the Eurobersong Pinoy 2 poetry recital, the lecture-concert up until the Latin party at night. The Día celebrations get bigger and bigger every year and Instituto Cervantes would like to extend our many thanks to everyone who attended this year. The Día experience would not be complete without you--our dear students and friends.

The Cultura team would like to invite everyone who attended and took pictures of the event to upload them on to our Facebook. Muchas gracias to everyone once again. Subcribe to Cultura en Manila for more information on the upcoming events, here at Instituto Cervantes de Manila. Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!

Año Hernandiano 2010! 400 books for the first 400 people!

¡Hola a todos! Along with the thousands of books we received in preparation for Día del Libro, the Fundación Cultural Miguel Hernández have donated 400 hundred books in celebration of the centennial year of the birth of the Spanish poet. In the spirit of Día del Libro, we're giving away these 400 books to the first 400 people to arrive tomorrow. Another reason to come early tomorrow!

Miguel Hernández is a lauded 20th century Spanish poet, significant to the history of both literature and Spain itself. Instituto Cervantes de Manila celebrates his poetry in the successful campaign for Berso sa Metro, specifically in the newest venture--the Berso sa Metro eJeepney as can be seen in the last event of Instituto Cervantes de Manila. The eJeepneys will be parked outside during Día del Libro so if you want to check them out, feel free to do so.

On a side note, in celebration of his vast contributions to literature, Instituto Cervantes is going to inaugurate our beloved library in November as Biblioteca Miguel Hernández. Watch out for that by the end of the year. Celebrate literature, celebrate culture. Subscribe to Cultura en Manila for more updates and information on tomorrow's event. See you tomorrow!

Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!

10 reasons to go to Día del Libro 2010!

¡Hola a todos! One more day and it's already Día Internacional del Libro, the center is busy with preparations. There are tons of prizes to be given out and books to be sold, I'm sure you already know the drill. Well, expect more this year because the Día tradition in Manila just gets bigger and bigger each year.

Here at Cultura en Manila--culture is our name and content generation is our game. Check this out:



We hope you enjoyed our mini production, we try to present information as novel and as fun as possible. Stay tuned here at Cultura en Manila for more things culture and more things Instituto Cervantes. Poetry in Motion contestants, deadline is tomorrow at noon!

Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!

Día del Libro 2010 is almost here!

¡Hola a todos! Check out the second out of the three designs we're coming out with this year for Día del Libro 2010! Two days before one of the biggest events in the Manila cultural calendar, do not miss this opportunity. Four thousand books will be set loose at 10 am, come early before all the good stock gets hauled away. I've personally seen some of them out of their boxes and these books are awesome. Stay tuned to Cultura en Manila for more updates on what's in store this Saturday, April 24th for Día 2010.

Just a reminder to those who attended last Saturday and are joining the Poetry in Motion contest: deadline for your blog entries is Friday, April 23 noon. Just comment the link here and send me an e-mail with the link (to be double sure) and the names of your team members. Think big, think Día!

Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!

Berso sa Metro: La poesía viaja en jeepney was a huge success!

¡Hola a todos! ¡Muchas gracias por todo! Our event last Saturday, April 17th, the Berso sa Metro Poetry Jeepney Tour was a smashing success. Thanks in large part to Instituto Cervantes de Manila, the Cultura department, our partners in ICSC and all of our sponsors, the poets and to most especially to you--the audience. From Serendra, to Greenbelt, and finally to Katipunan, all three locations enjoyed a full-house. It was a day like no other in Manila, a day that honored poetry in its purest form. No pretenses, no frills--just the simple joy of literature made available to all.

The day started off in A Different Bookstore, Serendra. The poets arrived in the newly minted Berso sa Metro electric jeepneys. As the next step in the promotional reading campaign, the partnership of Berso sa Metro and the electric jeepneys hit two birds with one stone by not only tackling the issue of literature but also of climate change--reading, going green and living in a sustainable city.

The theme for the first stop was "City Life" and the poets recited their original works. The poignancy of old Manila was captured in the poetry of RayVi Súnico and Mookie Katigbak, whilst the multifaceted history of EDSA was recounted by Marra Lanot. After the slew of individual poets, the stillness of the recital was broken by the strength and comedy of the balagtasan between Vim Nadera and Michael Coroza. The audience was wowed into applause, it was the perfect ending, instantly becoming the crowd favorite for the rest of the day.

The second stop talked about "Memories, Dreams and Nightmares" staged at Power Books, Greenbelt 4. The venue was definitely bigger than the first, yet the crowd matched it equally--they just kept coming and coming. The excitement didn't stop as Joel Toledo described his heart, as it skips a beat and syncopates against frailty and earnestness. The theme of sound was pervasive in the reading. Our Spanish poet José Luis Gómez expounded on flores amarilla y las sombras in his works. Similar to the first event, the balagtasan ended this leg on a high note.

The third and last stop was quite the journey from Power Books, Greenbelt to Mag:net Café in Katipunan--quite the departure from Manila. But this didn't stop the people from coming, the place once again was packed; eagerly anticipating the final theme of "Poet's Choice" as each and every poet was given the freedom to pick and choose the work that speaks strongly to them and to share it with the poetry lovers in the audience. It was short and sweet, poignant and dynamic. The poetry spoke volumes at times, vociferous yet calculated--it made us laugh, it made us sad, it made us think. The sheer power of words had not been more evident.

It was truly a night among nights in the cultural landscape of Manila: a gathering of 9 poets, in three different stops, celebrating the joy of literature while simultaneously creating awareness for eJeepneys and climate change.Cultura en Manila thanks you for being part of this activity which we hope to repeat in the near future, without you this would not have been a success. As a recurring theme in this blog, the creation of culture is definitely a two way thing--an exchange. Spread love for the arts, for the written word, for the spoken word, for music, for film, for language; all of the above!

Think out of the box, think culture. Subscribe and stay tuned for more updates and videos on the coming weeks, especially this Saturday as we celebrate the Día Internacional del Libro 2010! We hope to see you there!

Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!

P.S

Check out the newspapers for April 19, 2010, we came out in The Inquirer, The Philippine Star and The Manila Bulletin.

Más frikis para Berso sa Metro: La poesía viaja en jeepney.

¡Hola a todos!



And they just keep on coming, más frikis taking advantage of the Berso sa Metro jeepney photo wall parked at Instituto Cervantes. All preparations are set for tomorrow's event (12 noon at A Different Bookstore, Serendra. 4pm at Power Books, Greenbelt 4. 8pm at Mag:net Café, Katipunan). Hope to see you there! If you want to maximize your experience, join the Poetry in Motion contest. The rules are simple: take pictures and videos, write about your experience, post it in a blog and presto--your next level of Spanish at Instituto Cervantes might be free! No worries, even if your team (either pairs or trios) doesn't win, all of you will receive a Día 2010 shirt absolutely free.

What have you got to lose? Enjoy a day of poetry and tell us about it. That's all there is to it. Hope to see you there tomorrow!

Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!

Las aventuras de una friki.

¡Hola a todos! Check this out:



Remember her from Película? Wearing one of our designs for this year's Día del Libro, find out what she's up to this Saturday, the 17th! It is going to be epic. Don't forget to read up on the rules of the Poetry in Motion contest. Big prizes are at stake, and joining the contest guarantees your very own Día shirt absolutely free! Think culture, think Cultura en Manila. Stay tuned for more friki adventures!

Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!

It's coming, the Berso jeepney is on its way!

¡Hola a todos! El Día Internacional del Libro está al caer, y en el Instituto Cervantes, vamos a celebrarlo el 24 de abril A LO GRANDE, con miles de libros y rosas, cine, música, concursos, danza…

Mientras tanto, ¿te apetece un aperitivo de poesía, toda una peligrosa jornada de alta graduación poética? Si te va el plan, el sábado 17 súbete al Jeepney de la Poesía para seguir por toda la ciudad un recital en tres partes en el que 9 poetas, de las 12 del mediodía a las 11 de la noche, nos deleitarán con la palabra. Los filipinos Alfred Yuson, Pete Lacaba, Marra Lanot, Ramón Súnico, Joel Toledo, Mookie Katigbak, el español José Luis Gómez Toré, son buenas razones para no perderte el recital, que contará además con un balagtasan entre Michael Coroza y Vim Nadera.

En el blog Cultura en Manila vamos retransmitir todo el heroico evento, así que que si entras en http://culturaenmanila.blogspot.com podrás seguirlo punto por punto. Pero quizás prefieras ser uno de los elegidos que podrán presumir de haberlo vivido en directo la más interesante maratón poética habida en Manila.



Your Spanish okay? Ha-ha, don't worry. Here at Cultura en Manila, we've got you covered--here's the English translation:

The International Book Day is almost upon us! Here at Instituto Cervantes, we’re going to celebrate SOMETHING BIG on April 24, with thousands of books and roses, cinema, music, contests, dance, etc.

But before all that, do you want a teaser of the Día experience? A taste of passionate poetry staged for an entire day? If you want in on the plan, this Saturday the 17th, come to the Jeepney Poetry Tour. In a recital divided in three parts, three locations, 9 poets, from 12 in the afternoon to 11 at night—it is going to be a grand celebration of poetry. The Filipino poets are Alfred Yuson, Pete Lacaba, Marra Lanot, Ramón Súnico, Joel Toledo, Mookie Katigbak and a poet from Spain, José Luis Gómez Toré. A host of reasons for you not to miss the recital, capped off with a balagtasan Michael Coroza and Vim Nadera. A literary event not to be missed!

Here at Cultura en Manila, we’re going to broadcast this epic event from start to finish, go and subscribe to http://culturaenmanila.blogspot.com for blow-by-blow reporting. But if you want to be one of the lucky few to witness this event live and direct (no pretenses, just poetry), then come this Saturday to be part of the most interesting poetry marathon in Manila to date.

Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!

Día del Libro 2010 T-shirt!

¡Hola a todos! Check out one of this year's Día del Libro shirt designs. It is a graphic concept reminiscent of a certain popular device out there (let me give you a hint: it starts with the letter i and ends with "phone"). Ha-ha, I'm kidding. It's quite intelligent, have a look for yourself.



Isn't it neat? Don't forget, chicos. Día del Libro is only two weeks away, on the 24th. But before all the crazy excitement, we have the Berso sa Metro: La poesía viaja en jeepney event this Saturday, April 17th. If you guys want this shirt for free and to make sure you guys don't run out of stock, join the Poetry in Motion contest (as discussed in the previous post) because every team who signs up will receive Día del Libro 2010 t-shirts absolutely free. Subscribe here to Cultura en Manila for more updates!

Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!

La poesía viaja en Jeepney: Poetry in Motion contest!

¡Hola a todos! As promised, Instituto Cervantes is giving you the chance to win free Spanish lessons, a set of books and a mystery prize during Día del Libro on April 24. How do I join this contest, you may ask. Lucky for you, Cultura en Manila is the perfect place to find out. I'm kidding, or am I? Ha-ha.

In conjunction with the Día celebrations, the Cultura department is mounting the Poetry in Motion blog contest.The game is this: teams (groups of two to three people) must bring themselves to the Jeepney Poetry Reading Tour to be held on April 17. Taking pictures and video of the poets and the festivities, teams must condense it into a blog for everyone to see. Once published online, the Cultura team and an online audience vote will determine whose entry captures the spirit and the excitment of the recital best. The winner will receive free Spanish lessons, a set of books and a mystery prize! Lest I forget, every participant will receive a Día del Libro 2010 shirt gratis. If that's not enough reason for you to give it a shot, you must be loco. Ha-ha, come and join the contest by posting a comment here or sending me an e-mail.To give you a better idea of the contest specifics, here are the rules:

OBJECTIVE:

Teams must document their experience during the Jeepney Poetry Reading Tour as it visits the three venues on April 17, 2010. They should then create a blog featuring their unique story- the joy that poetry reading brought them. The blog must capture the excitement of the event through pictures and video. The more exciting the entry, the bigger the chance to win.

DEADLINE AND SUBMISSION:

All entries must be made available online before April 23, 2010--by commenting the link here on Cultura en Manila. The entry with the highest number of online votes in combination with the selection of the Cultura team as the entry with the utmost creativity and innovation will win.

PRIZES:

• Grand Prize: Free Spanish courses at Instituto Cervantes (any level for each member of the winning team) + Set of books + Mystery prizes to be announced on Día del Libro itself
• All contestants will be given a Día del Libro 2010 T-Shirt

CONTEST RULES AND MECHANICS:

1. The contest is open to all but is limited to groups with two to three members each, teams must be either in pairs or in a trio of people.
2. Photos/videos of subjects taken during the Jeepney Poetry Reading Tour should be the main highlight but contestants can use other photos/videos that are significant to their presentation.
3. All team members should be present at least, two out of the three venues. If all three are featured, the more points.
4. The winners (both the team and the lucky voter) will be announced at 7:30 pm on April 24, 2010 and they must be present to claim the prize.
5. Employees of the Instituto Cervantes and their relatives are not eligible to participate.
6. Instituto Cervantes will have the right to use any of the submitted pictures/videos, always crediting its author.

Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!

Ciclo de Cine chileno.

¡Hola a todos! The screening of Spanish cinema every Saturday afternoon at the Salón de Actos has been a long-standing tradition here in Instituto Cervantes de Manila. Every Saturday, at 6pm (on the dot!), films from Spain are projected on the big screen at the Salón. The films are open to anyone and everyone looking to catch a taste of Spanish cinema, seating is absolutely free but on a first-come first-serve basis.



On occasion however, the Saturday screenings open themselves to Latin American cinema, not just films that come directly from Spain. Similar to the Cine con Europa launched last March continuing up until this month, April signals the screening of a Chilean Film Cycle every 4pm, prior to the regular 6pm screenings. This is a gesture of solidarity with Chile after the disastrous earthquake last February.

So for a double dose of culture, a double dose of cinema, come to Instituto Cervantes every Saturday for the month of April.

La fiebre del Loco Loco Fever
10 de abril April 10
4PM Cine Chileno at Salón de Actos, Instituto Cervantes Amor Idiota Idiot Love
10 de abril April 10
6PM Cine at Salón de Actos

Taxi para tres A Taxi for Three
17 de abril April 17
4PM Cine Chileno at Salón de Actos, Instituto Cervantes

Immerse yourself in the culture of Latin America, only here at Cultura en Manila. ¡Hasta pronto!

Berso sa Metro: La poesía viaja en Jeepney.

¡Hola a todos! The topic of culture is interesting. When one talks about it, the usual things come to mind--art, music, dance, poetry, literature, film and the list goes on. These can easily be described as subjective or unquantifiable things. In short, culture is all up in the air. A painting could easily portray a million things to a million different people, as could a symphony or a haiku. You can't measure it with a plastic ruler or a barometer, you just know it's there and it sparks something in you--kind of like oxygen. Okay maybe not, bad analogy ha-ha.

If you think about it hard enough, it somehow begs the question: what do we really mean by culture? In university, sociology tells us that culture is the exchange of symbol. In simpler words, culture is shared meaning within a community. Culture is the thing we jointly recognize, as a people or as a society. In the context of Metro Manila for example, the jeepney is one such symbol. For a Filipino, it could be a) a mode of transportation, b) an obstacle on the road, c) a sign of Filipino ingenuity and anything else you could think of. In a nutshell, jeepneys are everywhere and they could mean a myriad of things to anyone.

On April 17th, exactly a week before Día del Libro on the 24th, Instituto Cervantes will mount the Jeepney Poetry Reading Tour in three different locations.



A good number of poets featuring their originals works will be traveling the city in an electric jeepney--designed in the spirit of the Berso sa Metro campaign. It is going to be a recital spread in three different locations throughout the entire day, a celebration of the joy of literature held all over different corners of the city.

This project is going to be an extension of the Berso sa Metro campaign, brought to us in 2007 by Instituto Cervantes de Manila. After conquering all three lines of the metro (with our Bersos present in MRT, LRT 1 & 2), this could possibly be the next step in spreading the joy of Spanish and Filipino poetry. With the combination of our Spanish heritage, Filipino love for poetry and the ubiquitous jeepney--this is real innovation and true creation of culture. What can I say? We do what we can, ha-ha I'm kidding. In hindsight, Berso sa Metro is one of our biggest and most successful projects. It has already been established as a symbol so recognizable, you could almost taste the culture.

Stay tuned to Cultura en Manila for more updates on this event. I hear there is a contest afoot with big prizes, I will keep you posted. In the meantime, become a fan of Berso sa Metro on Facebook.com! Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!