Arts

[Note from The Editorial Board: Joseph Planta is the founding editor of TheCommentary.ca, a website that features audio interviews and commentaries. Since 2004, the Vancouver-born, -raised and -based conversationalist has interviewed hundreds of distinguished individuals in the arts, journalism, and politics. Planta spoke to Manila-born and -raised author Miguel Syjuco, whose debut novel Ilustrado was a New York Times Notable Book of 2010. The work also earned Syjuco the 2008 Man Asia Literary Prize, and a Palanca Award for novel in English. With Planta’s permission, the CanadianFilipino.Net is running the interview.]

The balagtasan is a traditional Filipino art form where two protagonists debate the merits of a theme – one supporting it and the other arguing against it. The first balagtasan recorded in Philippine history was held in 1924 to commemorate the birth of national poet Francisco Balthazar Balagtas, hence the name balagtasan. Balagtas is the author of the epic Filipino poem “Florante at Laura.”

Serious, educated, and literate members of the British Columbia Filipino community welcomed the arrival of a Filipino Canadian newspaper online, produced, and written by professional journalists and educators.

Note from The Editorial Board: Joseph Planta is the founding editor of TheCommentary.ca, a website that features audio interviews and commentaries.

[Note from The Editorial Board: Joseph Planta is the founding editor of TheCommentary.ca, a website that features audio interviews and commentaries. Since 2004, the Vancouver-born, –raised and –based conversationalist has interviewed hundreds of distinguished individuals in the arts, journalism, and politics. Planta spoke to Manila-born and –raised author Miguel Syjuco, whose debut novel Ilustrado was a New York Times Notable Book of 2010. The work also earned Syjcuo the 2008 Man Asia Literary Prize, and a Palanca Award for novel in English. With Planta’s permission, the CanadianFilipino.Net is running the interview.]

"People gather to remember, and collective memories inspire strength towards action."

Eight distinguished Asian Canadian writers discussed the role of history and memory, and the different ways people choose to gather and record the past, at the opening event of the Literasian Writers Festival held on September 21, 2016, at the CBC Studio 700 in downtown Vancouver.

The first wave of Filipino immigrants, who arrived in Canada in the 1960s and 1970s, are now enjoying the joys of their well earned retirement. When not travelling or playing with their grandchildren, they now have time to spare for projects they never had time before.

A film by Toronto-based Shasha Nakhai is the top choice for best short documentary in the 2016 Rhode Island International Film Festival.

A 12-year-old schoolgirl from the city of Burnaby in British Columbia is building a name as an emerging artist.