TO PROMOTE innovation, creativity, and collaboration within the region’s rapidly growing creative industries, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) inaugurated the first creative innovation summit, Fiestakucha Kadayawan 2023.
The remarkable event was held at the Philippine Women’s College (PWC), Davao City on Sept. 26.
The event kicked off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by the opening brought by performances of Davao Region’s creative industries’ award-winning performers.
Director Lilian Salonga, DTI Competitiveness Bureau, further explained the timeliness and relevance of FiestaKucha, as it is anchored with the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act (PCIDA) also known as the Republic Act 11904.
“This is to foster cultural exchange by bringing together creative industry players from the different regions of the country, and it will provide a space for individuals to share their unique cultural perspectives, traditions, and artistic expressions,” Salonga said.
The event highlighted ideas to support emerging artists and creatives and opened discussions about inventive business models, intellectual property rights, marketing strategies, digitalization for creative professionals, and thriving creatives and talents.
Fiestakucha is a multi-day staged at the pivotal regional hubs, wherein a host city will anchor most of the regional festivals across the country, inviting collaborations and participation across regions, including its provinces under the umbrella of host cities.
Aside from that, Cebu, and the Cordillera region also simultaneously celebrated the summit, bringing together visionaries, innovators, artists, and entrepreneurs from various creative sectors.
Beyond September, Salonga also said Fiestakucha would extend across the nation, expanding to be “more than just a festival, but a tapestry of stories and celebration of Filipino essence.”
According to DTI, “FiestaKucha” is inspired by a combination of the Filipino tradition called “Fiestas” and the Japanese story-telling style “PechaKucha”, a Japanese onomatopoeia for “chit-chat”. Thus, from Pecha (“chit”) Kucha (“chat”) Piyesta (Fiesta) is combined with “Kucha” (“chat”) to form the new word “FiestaKucha.”
