Young actors and actresses from different parts of Mindanao will gather to learn the revered tradition and rich heritage of masks and puppetry in the Philippines and beyond on Monday, May 1, 2023.

Entitled Papet, Papet… Pang Bata’t Matanda?, the free lecture workshop by award-winning Manobo artist Carlito Camahalan Amalla was organized by the Kamayoka Center through the Sining Kambayoka Ensemble (SKE) It is the official folk theater company of Mindanao State University in Marawi.

The event is in celebration of the group’s golden anniversary in 2024. The talk is likewise in preparation for the youth’s performances under the Cultural Exchange Program of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

Amalla, who currently teaches under the Design Foundation of the School of Arts, Culture, and Performance (SACP) of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, will walk the participants into the vibrant history and culture of masks and puppetry across the world.

He will provide an overview of its unique characteristics that makes it distinct from popular counterparts, such as Wayang Golek, a Sundanese puppet art from West Java, Indonesia.

Amalla will likewise champion its significant role in storytelling and conveying messages and the relevance of the art in modern society regardless of the age and gender of the audience.

He will guide the young artists how to create their own puppets to enhance the aesthetic presentation of their stage productions.

The lecture-workshop will conclude with a recital featuring the finished outputs of the participants.

An important component during his stay in Marawi, Amalla will conduct a workshop and perform for the children who survived the 2017 siege. The event, motivated by his advocacy to empower the youth to express themselves better through puppetry, will be held in an undisclosed venue.

Amalla is a performer, dancer, chanter, musician, puppeteer, ceramist and researcher, who participated in exhibitions in Belgium, England, Wales and the USA.

He holds a bachelor in Fine Arts with major in sculpture and a master’s degree in Art History, both from the University of the Philippines.

His Agusan Manobo embroidery art thesis, paintings, and puppetry in Sinuyaman: Awit ni Baylan were part of the Mindanao: Cartography of History, Identity and Representation presented at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London in 2019.

He is a recipient of the 2021 Asia Pacific Luminare Award and 2020 Outstanding Leadership in Culture and the Arts in New York City.

Papet, Papet… Pang Bata’t Matanda? will be held at the Mindanao State University, Marawi City.