TIM eMagazine Vol.3 Issue 12
Perfomatura: (l-r) Beverly W. Siy, Melanie A. Ramirez,
Jose Tomasito N. Fernando, Ril Arguelles, Pauline
Villaruel, Markus Aserit, Gwen Bautista,Macoy Coching,
Hero Jairo Sedaria and Sherwin Lumbao
Credit: Philip Ortaleza
relevant and being discussed in our society
today.
The first day of the Performatura was ded-
icated to literature in general and spoken
word performances. Slam poets will have a
battle of words in the first ever Performatura
Slam Poetry Contest; Resil Mojares was after
receiving the National Artist for Literature
Award last year, while Dumagats from MAU-
BAN, Quezon Province staged the epic of
Gat Uban; and the audience witnessed the
launching of the official website of Huseng
Batute, the first king of balagtasan. At 12
noon, the literary group Kuwit of the Phil-
ippine High School for the Arts led a set of
literary performances such as storytelling for
children.
KomiCoching and Tiempoets
The second day of the Performatura
honoured National Artist for Visual Arts and
Dean of Illustrators Francisco V. Coching. As
part of the first segment called CCP Café, the
family gave intimate portrait of Coching as
father, uncle and lolo. Amassing more than
five million views on Facebook in their radio
broadcast, Eastern Samar National Compre-
Performatura 2019 is a performance literature festival celebrating the intersections of
the written word and performance. The word Performatura is a mash up of the word
performance and orature or oral literature. Orature is a term coined by Ugandan linguist
Pio Zirimu who wanted to raise oral literature to the level of written literature. The
festival’s director is poet and performer Dr. Vim Nadera, Jr.
hensive High School students read Lapu-lapu, one of Coching’s works, in
a dramatic fashion in front of a live audience. Pinoy Reads Pinoy Books
Book Club conducted a book discussion about Coching’s El Indio. At 12
noon, Tadhana, a spoken word group, led a set of literary performances by
women spoken word artists.
Noted komiks artists such as Randy Valiente paid their tribute to Coch-
ing through workshop, talks and art activities. Performatura visitors also
viewed the ongoing Coching Birth Centennial Exhibit entitled Nasaan ka
na, Mara-bini? curated by Alice Sarmiento.
The last day of the festival honored of the National Artist for Literature
Edith Tiempo in commemoration of her birth centennial. Fictionists and
poets who were influenced by Tiempo made tribute performance to their
beloved mentor through poetry reading and talks. Dumaguete’s Kahayag
Dance Company performed Tiempo’s Bonsai. Featuring Tiempo’s life and
works, an interactive centennial exhibit curated by Prof. DM Reyes and
Gwen Bautista was also launched. Performance literature experts Chris
Mooney of Singapore and Azam Rais of Malaysia also did their perfor-
mance sets and facilitated a workshop.
CCP partnered with the Book Development Association of the Philip-
pines for the three-day Aklatan All Filipino Book Fair. www.culturalcen-
ter.gov.ph
Macoy Coching, Grandson
of National Artist Francisco
Coching
Credit: Philip Ortaleza
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