"Writers and academics will come in from all over the world."
"Writers and academics will come in from all over the world."
The Philippines is host to two international academic events happening soon—the 85th PEN International Congress and the Communication Research International Conference—while LARO, the first academic conference on game studies in the country, will be held next month.
* * *
“Books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress the truth,” wrote Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate and former PEN main case.
PEN International is the world’s first global organization of writers. Its primary advocacies are the promotion of literature and the freedom of expression; they were the first “to point out that freedom of expression and literature are inseparable,” and were among the first non-governmental associations to advocate for human rights.
PEN, founded in London in 1921, has been famous for decades for speaking up in behalf of oppressed writers around the world. In Soyinka’s case, he was marked for immediate execution by the state of Nigeria. In 1967, playwright Arthur Miller, one of Marilyn Monroe’s ex-husbands, wrote Nigeria’s then-head of state General Yakubu Gowon for Soyinka’s release, which was granted.
Soyinka went on to become a globally lauded poet and playwright, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986.
PEN holds annual congresses and this year’s will be held in Manila from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, organized by Philippine PEN, which was established in 1958.
This year’s conference theme is “Speaking in Tongues: Literary Freedom & Indigenous Languages,” in conjunction with the United Nations’ declaration of 2019 as the International Year of the Indigenous Languages. The congress will focus on the topics of indigenous writing, linguistic diversity, and multiculturalism.
In a serendipitous coincidence (or perhaps not), October is National Indigenous People Month in the Philippines (Proclamation No. 1906, 2009).
The congress’s objectives are to “promote literature and its expression in various languages and forms, including those of the indigenous people and cultural minorities; defend free speech, and promote expression and measures that address current concerns in societal environments, including peace, women’s rights, and linguistic diversity; and serve as a meeting-place for writers and readers from all over the world to exchange ideas and creative endeavors, and to increase understanding and international cooperation.”
Philippine PEN boasts two National Artists in its leadership: the founding chairman is F. Sionil José, while the chairman is Bienvenido Lumbera. Writer and professors Charlson Ong and Joselito ‘Lito’ Zulueta serve as president and national secretary, respectively.
The first day of the conference will be taken up with committee meetings (Writers in Prison, Translation and Linguistics, Women, Peace) a panel on dying tongues, and the welcome ceremony/opening dinner. The next two days will have assemblies and another panel, “Stifled Voice, Throttled Liberties: SOS on Endangered Freedoms.”
On the evening of Oct. 2 will be held “Free the Word! Manila: A Special Night of Poetry and Performances” that will see readers/writers performing translations of works originally written in dying or marginalized languages. Expect to see multi-art, multimedia performances as well.
The last two days are open to the public, with public lectures and panels and the “Videoke Slam: Manila Challenge” on Oct. 3, and the Philippine Artists Congress on Oct. 4, open to Filipino- and Philippine-based artists, scholars, cultural workers, and critics working in all the fields of artistic endeavor.
In case anyone is wondering—yes, this Congress is a huge deal indeed, with writers and academics coming in from all over the world.
* * *
Thanks in a large part to the efforts of communication research academics from the University of the Philippines’ College of Mass Communication and the communication departments of other universities in the country, the profile of the discipline has been much elevated in recent years, particularly through the staging of national and international comm-res conferences.
UP Diliman is host to this year’s Communication Research International Conference on Oct. 17 and 18. With the theme “Crossroad and Off-Roads in Online Worlds,” prominent communication and media scholars and practitioners will examine the present and future of research in the field, as well as look at current communication phenomena that engage content creators and users online.
Among the event’s many speakers are National Chengchi University’s Dr Trisha Lin, on “Screen dependency: A mixed method approach to understand user groups in multiple countries;” Florida State University’s Dr Mia Lustria on “Web 2.0 and mass interpersonal persuasion,” and BBDO Greater China’s Chief Operating Officer Hans Lopez-Vito on “The impact of digital economy on brand communications and research.”
Researchers from all over the country and region will also present papers in parallel sessions on both days.
* * *
The Game Developers Association of the Philippines is hosting the first academic conference on game studies, the Ludology Academic Research Output (LARO) Conference, and is inviting researchers to submit their abstracts.
The selected works will be presented at SMX Convention Center, Pasay on Oct. 23, 2019, the same week as one of the largest game conventions in Southeast Asia, the E-Sports and Gaming Summit.
LARO provides an opportunity for academics to create discussions about games and gaming that, according to Gwen Foster of International Game Developers Association-Manila, goes beyond “hardware and software advancements” into “the study of culture and the discourses surrounding gaming, non-digital forms of play, and the communities engaging in their creation, and their experiences."
Submit papers and proposals to [email protected], questions to [email protected]. Tickets to the conference are available on Event Brite.
All universities should encourage and support their faculty and students in conducting research—apart from constructing knowledge for society’s benefit, it’s what makes and breaks a school’s standing. /FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO