MESSAGE 50th Anniversary of Japan Foundation Awards

The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) was a recipient of the Japan Foundation Special Prize for Arts and Culture in 2005. The award highlighted the years of cultural work between PETA artists and their Japanese counterparts. For several years, PETA brought performances and integrated theater arts workshops to different Japanese communities through the auspices of the Japan Foundation. The years of artistic collaboration led our PETA artists towards a genuine respect for our Japanese fellow artists. They are truly dedicated to their craft and we have witnessed how their discipline has paved the way to artistic mastery. These years of precious collaboration have led not only to understanding and strong cultural ties among the artists of both countries but a deep respect and an underlying friendship where they found the common ground of serving the audiences and the public who came to their performances and their workshops.

The past three years of the coronavirus pandemic forced people to remain in silos of seeming isolation. This global experience has taken a toll in terms of mental health among young and old alike. People are inherently social beings meant for interaction and collaboration. Now more than ever when the world is faced with problems of the environment, of migration, widespread disinformation, of political instability and conflict-- the need for continuing cross cultural exchange becomes even more urgent. The world we live in today is in need of good news and inspiration. People--especially our younger generation-- need to witness the steady passion of others as they quietly work for the common good, for the healing of a world that is broken in many places, for bridges being built to connect instead of to divide people.

For the past fifty years the Japan Foundation Awards have shone the light on solid work being done by people from various disciplines to connect people to each other, to build human networks of understanding and cooperation. This has been a source of good news and of much needed hope for us all.

Congratulations to the Japan Foundation Awards for its positive contribution these past five decades!

Philippine Educational Theater Association

(Original text in English)

The Japan Foundation Award / Special Prizes (2005) - Profile