REVIEW:

by Anne Lunenburg    

 

 

 

Seeking: A Solidarity Concert for the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances

 

QUEZON CITY – Seven children – covered in black veils – entered the big stage of the UP Film Center. As they slowly moved to the rhythm of the music, images of disappeared persons flashed one after the other on the big screen.  The seven young artists – sons and daughters of the disappeared - are members of the SAD Theater Group of the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND). With great courage and strength, they performed a spectacular opening for ‘Seeking’, a solidarity concert organized by the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and Hivos in commemoration of the International Day of the Disappeared (30 August).  

     In addition to the SAD Theater Group, the Philippines’ most dedicated and concerned musicians were invited to perform, namely Gary Granada, Noel Cabangon, Bayang Barrios, Ria Villena, Cynthia Alexander and Susan Fernandez. A better line-up of artists cannot be imagined for such an important event. Filling up the seats in the spacious venue was then, of course, not a hard task for the organizers: More than 700 people came, quickly filling-up the seats of the spacious venue. The crowd proved to be a dedicated audience, who listened, enjoyed, shared their laughter, but also shared their sadness.  

     “Seeking” was an occasion that aimed to honor all Desaparecidos. It was organized on their behalf, despite their physical absence and uncertain predicament.  As an Asian federation of organizations of families of victims of involuntary disappearances, AFAD, invited all its members from all over Asia. In between each performance, cases of disappeared persons were highlighted on the big screen. Sad stories from people desperately seeking for their loved ones generated full awareness amongst the crowd reminding them of the importance of the International Day of the Disappeared.  

     Singer Gary Granada broke the ice after the touching opening performance of the SAD Theater Group. With great devotion, he explained the purpose of this concert to the audience. The funny remarks and sketches in between the songs made a lot of serious faces in the audience’s smile. Gary Granada formed the perfect bridge to Cynthia Alexander’s performance. With her ethnic folk songs, she treated the audience with a performance of excellent guitar skills combined with a powerful voice.  

     After Alexander’s spectacular performance, the stage was given to activist singer Noel Cabangon. His Ilocano reggae song with the catchy lines ‘Wen manong (yes brother), Wen manang (yes sister)’ made the crowd to enthusiastically sing along with him. Cabangon successfully ended his show with a hit song, again with  the audience singing along. Noel could only watch, smile and revel in the songs’ impact on this audience.  

     Susan Fernandez followed Cabangon with more serious performance. Her high and pure voice suits the sadness of the songs, which touched on issues about peace and massacres. After her Ria Villena, a young artist who played the keyboards took the stage as she passionately performed her set.  

     After her set she remained on stage to play a song composed and written for the desaparacidos. 

     While Villena sang, members of AFAD entered the stage holding a banner that called for the Support of the Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Involuntary Disappearances. AFAD is currently campaigning for the broad adoption of the United Nations Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Involuntary Disappearances.  

     Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Secretary General of AFAD, stated the importance of the adoption in her speech to the audience by saying that ‘never again this most cruel form of human rights violation will happen’.  

     Asia is currently the seat of the highest number of cases of enforced disappearances reported by the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UNWGEID). However, most Asian governments have feigned ignorance over the issue, claiming that involuntary disappearance is purely a Latin American phenomenon. “This contradicts the reports submitted to the UNWGEIDH where an estimate of 300,000 people have already been reported to this working group since its establishment,’  Aileen said.  

     The privilege of concluding the solidarity concert was given to the group Bayang Barrios who, as the only act of the evening, included percussions in their swinging set. A final applause from the audience followed as the group played the last song of the evening. The group of Bayang Barrios provided the finale driving up the crowd for the last time with their loud drum beats. By many accounts the solidarity concert was highly successful in the sense that it effectively used creative forms of advocacy work in generating awareness on the issue amongst the broader general public.  

     Anne Lunenburg is Dutch by blood and nationality. With an Indonesian blood he speaks good Bahasa and served as a translator of a Bahasa speaking participant to FIND’s national conference, “Healing Wounds, Mending Scars.” Anne is a journalist by profession.  

 

Director’s Notes  

Seeking was conceptualized to be a production that would deliver a strong

and urgent message to its audience—to generate support for an international convention against involuntary or enforced disappearances. We, in the production’s creative team, envisioned the program to be one that is popular in form but profound in substance.

 

The production, as implemented, turned out to be a convergence not only of forms (movement, music, visual arts and poetry) but also a convergence of emotions, all directed towards the cause of the desaparecidos.  Seeking has not only scratched the surface in laying bare the continuing struggle of victims and their families, it has affected and  involved the audience in a profound way in the struggle for human rights and liberation.

                              Percival Cendaña

Copyright 2007  AFAD - Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances
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