When my friends learned about my trip to Brazil in 2017, they immediately reminded me about their pasalubong (mementos) from Rio de Janeiro – a ref magnet would do as long as it had the photo of “Christ, the Redeemer” or the Sugarloaf Mountain in it. But my actual destination was Brasília. My friends confused Brazil’s federal capital…
Tag: UNESCO
Galerius’ Resting Place in Gamzigrad
During the closing ceremony of the 2017 International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR) Annual Conference in São Paulo, Brazil, it was announced that the 2018 conference and world congress would happen in Belgrade, Serbia through the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, University of Arts Belgrade. I remember the awkwardness I felt about the announcement because the…
University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) as a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Why not!
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is a public research university in Central America. Founded in 1910, its main campus was the birthplace of the student movement of 1968, which turned into a nationwide rebellion against autocratic rule and began Mexico’s three-decade journey toward democracy. The main campus is also made vibrant by several…
Looking for Heritage
As an academic, I find the concept of heritage problematic. Those who are conceived as the authority of heritage (normally, the educated, the State) constantly use history of the glorious past as the primary defining framework for etching something as heritage. This identification equates heritage as something significantly valuable similar to how precious stones such as…
Tanghal Kultura 