PH Ambassador Emphasizes Importance of Engaging Students on Philippine Arts and Culture
Ambassador Antonio M. Lagdameo delivers a short message to Filipino and Filipino-British students at King’s College London on the second leg of the Embassy’s 2018 Campus Caravan. Photo by Senen Mangalile
05 October 2018 LONDON—The Embassy of the Philippines in London launched its pioneering Campus Caravan programme on 03 October, the official start of the academic year in the United Kingdom.
The Embassy Campus Caravan aims to establish links between the Embassy and the different universities in the UK and Ireland, as well as to strengthen existing ones with the goal of establishing strategic partnerships that will strengthen and widen institutional linkages among Philippine and British universities, increase British and Philippine student mobilisation, and establish Philippine studies as an important field in the academe.
During each Campus Caravan leg, the Embassy engaged representatives from the university administration on possible areas of collaboration, as well as funding and scholarship opportunities for Filipino students. The Embassy also met with Filipino students currently enrolled in the university to explore partnerships and future activities aimed at igniting interest on Philippine arts, history, and culture among the university’s non-Filipino students.
“Our aim is to engage with Filipino and Filipino-British students to encourage them to celebrate their cultural heritage and to get to know the Philippines on a deeper level,” said Ambassador Antonio M. Lagdameo at a gathering with Filipino and Filipino-British students enrolled at King’s College London. “This is also the reason why we are actively engaging with museums, galleries, libraries, and other places of learning in order to establish the breadth and depth of the cultural interaction that the Philippines has with the United Kingdom. By doing so, we hope to be able to provide people like you—students, artists, bloggers, social media influencers—accurate and interesting materials so that you could share what the Philippines stands for with those you study and work with.”
The Embassy Campus Caravan recently visited the University of Birmingham and King’s College London on 03 and 05 October, respectively. The Campus Caravan is expected to visit other major universities in the UK within academic year.
“The Embassy considers universities, museums, galleries, and other places of learning and discovery as important partners in Philippine public and cultural diplomacy,” said Stacy Danika Alcantara-Garcia, the Embassy’s Public and Cultural Diplomacy Officer. “The strategic partnerships we hope to forge with these academic and cultural institutions will enable us to inspire citizens of the United Kingdom to dig deeper into Philippine arts, history, and culture and to get to know our country beyond media clichés.”
At present, the Embassy has partnered with SOAS University of London to establish the first Philippine Studies Centre in the United Kingdom. SOAS’ Philippine Studies Centre is the Embassy’s official partner in the annual Philippine Studies Conference in the UK, and has also been a repository of a growing collection of Filipiniana materials, which has been an important facility for researchers.
According to 2017 data, there are around 783 Filipino students in the UK, a number of which are funded through scholarships, grants, and student loans, while an equally significant number fund their studies through private sources. END
Ambassador Antonio M. Lagdameo presents King’s College London (KCL) Vice-President and Vice-Principal International and Professor of Security, Leadership & Development ‘Funmi Olonisakin with a copy of the Peace Through Interfaith Dialogue: Philippine Diplomacy and the Promotion of Inter-cultural Understanding, Respect, and Tolerance after a discussion on possible areas of collaboration between the Embassy and KCL. Photo by Stacy Garcia
Ambassador Antonio M. Lagdameo (6th from left), Consul General Senen T. Mangalile (3rd from left), Vice Consul Stacy Danika Alcantara-Garcia (5th from left), and Consul Rommel A. Romato (rightmost) join Prof. ‘Funmi Olonisakin (7th from left) and KCL’s Filipino and Filipino-British students for a group photo after the discussions.
Vice Consul Stacy Danika Alcantara-Garcia and the Filipino and Filipino-British students of the University of Birmingham gather in front of the school’s iconic Aston Webb Hall after a brief get-together and brainstorming session on how to make Philippine arts and culture more engaging to the student body.