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UNESCO DECLARES EarthSavers
DREAMS Ensemble "Artists for Peace"
August 11, 2003
The Earthsavers DREAMS Ensemble, a unique theatre
company of disabled, disadvantaged and indigenous
artists, becomes the first performing group in the
Asean region to be bestowed the prestigious "UNESCO
Artists for Peace" award in keeping with the
organization's principles and ideals. This was reported
by Philippine Envoy to France and UNESCO, Ambassador
Hector Villaroel as a great honor for the country.
The highly acclaimed cultural performing group,
cited last year by the UNESCO Sources Magazine as
"one of the world's most unique theater companies",
joins other world of renowned artists including
Celine Dione, Shirley Bassey, Gilberto Gil and other
personalities from Latin America, Middle East, and
Europe. The group is also the first company of performing
artists, who are physically and economically handicapped
but transformed as able-disabled to receive the
UNESCO collective honorary award in the world.
Director General Koichiro Matsuura, in his letter
to DREAMS Ensemble artistic director Cecile Guidote
Alvarez, said the award should serve as "a
symbolic encouragement by recognizing the ensemble
as a purveyor of UNESCO's Message of peace, tolerance
and hope."
The UNESCO head hailed the Ensemble's "objectives
which offers these young persons a real opportunity
for self-fulfillment through artistic activity,
bringing joy and inspiration to all who have the
privilege to see them in action."
Alvarez calls the Global award God's blessing and
is delighted in the UNESCO recognition of the Earthsaver's
mission that culture is a creative weapon to fight
poverty and pollution, ignorance and injustice.
" The kids share the award with all those who
have faith and supported the vision of recycling
damaged human resources into productive citizens
and conscienticizing the public through a relevant
arts program rooted in indigenous heritage while
reflecting our social conditions," she said.
Guidote-Alvarez, the youngest Filipina to have received
a Ramon Magsaysay Outstanding Asian Award in 1972
is considered "A National Treasure" for
having organized the Philippine Educational Theater
Association (PETA) and pioneered a Third World Cultural
Movement in the UNESCO International Theatre Institute
(ITI).
She Founded the International League of Folk Arts
for Communication and Education (FACE) on the occasion
of the UN World Population Conference in 1974 in
Bucharest , which organizes cultural events in conjunction
with UN development concerns. The UNESCO title affirms
their dedication as well as their educational outreach,
promotion of world peace through their various local
and international performances.
The Earthsavers DREAMS Academy has been conducting
free cultural training services for the urban poor
communities, promoting human resources development,
rehabilitation and human rights education in urban
poor areas, under the auspices of the KALAHI project
of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The Dreams Ensemble which dramatically appeals to
stop violence against mankind and mother earth is
the cultural arm of the Earthsavers Movement founded
by then Senator Heherson T. Alvarez, who served
as DENR Secretary and is currently Presidential
Adviser for Overseas Filipino Communities.
Currently, a cooperative endeavor has been agreed
upon by ITI/Earthsavers Dreams Academy with the
Philippine Normal University, the Servants of Charity
and the Araneta Elephant World in conjunction with
NAPC and DSWD to set-up the Kalahi Peace Center
of Culture for the Poor, on the 20 th Anniversary
of the Martyrdom of Ninoy Aquino.
The newly designated UNESCO Artists for Peace had
performed in various international gatherings: United
Nations Millennium Forum and La Mama in New York;
COP III Conference in Kyoto, Japan; World Youth
Forum in Lisbon, Portugal; Asia-Europe Ministerial
Conference in Korea; ESCAP Education Conference
in Bangkok, Earth Day International in Los Angeles;
UN Social Summit and 2 nd World Cultural Olympiad
in Denmark.
They also performed at the US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C., in Rome for the
Pope, Vienna at the UN Human Rights Conference,
Romania for the festival of professional Young Theatre
Companies, Belgium at the Queen Faviola Center,
Turkey at the UN Habitat Forum, among others as
well as at UNESCO Salle I in Paris.
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