This March, the Embassy of Spain, through Instituto Cervantes and its Cultural and Education Offices, turns the spotlight on women to celebrate their talent, leadership, and impact through a dynamic program of activities.
Photo: Vonecia Carswell via Unsplash
The genius of female directors is highlighted in Espacio Femenino, a film series that every Tuesday of the month features a movie by one of these women filmmakers who delve into varied themes, ranging from intimate personal dramas to pressing social issues, leaving a lasting impression on both local and international film circuits.
Meanwhile, 100 científicas (100 Women Scientists Series) brings together outstanding women scientists from a wide range of disciplines across Spain, Latin America, and, this year, the Philippines to highlight their work and foster dialogue between science, language, and culture.
This month will also see the gathering of Hispanists from Southeast Asia in Manila from March 26 to 27 during which these specialists in Spanish language, literature and culture tackle topics ranging from the state of the Spanish language and culture in the Philippines and around the region to female voices and views about women in the Philippine press.
Theater enthusiasts will be gripped by Lorquianas, a stage production that intertwines stories of oppressed women, drawn from the dramatic pieces La casa de Bernarda Alba, Romance de la pena negra and Romance de la gitana Preciosa written by one of Spain’s most influential playwrights, Federico García Lorca, whose works challenge societal norms by addressing issues such as gender roles, sexuality and class struggles. The theater group La Vidriera will interpret the said work on March 24 at the Tanghalang Ignacio Jimenez.
Pedestrians taking the Ayala-Greenbelt underground walkway may still delight on the exhibit Sorolla: A Walk through the Light, showcasing some life-size reproductions of f the impressive works of Joaquín Sorolla (1863–1923), billed as as the “Master of Light”.
The street art collective Boa Mistura from Madrid has left lasting imprints in the country that locals and tourists may check out anytime: a basketball court in Tejeros, Makati painted with the word UNYON and a mural in Fort Santiago brightly colored with TAGPUAN.
The exhibition A dash, a colon, a dialogue between Spanish artist Cristina Gamón and Filipino counterpart Brisa Amir and curated by Arianna Mercado, remains open to the public at the Casa Azul in Intramuros and will run until March 28.
The public may still enjoy two other on-going exhibits: Four Centuries of Spanish Engineering Overseas, a permanent exposition at the Centro de Turismo in Intramuros, while viewers will be amazed by the craftsmanship of the shawls on display at the exhibit Mezcla: Interwoven Cultures and the Mantón de Manila at the Ayala Museum.
