PHL joins All Nations Festival in Berlin

The Philippines joined the annual "All Nations Festival" in Berlin, Germany this month. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Philippine Embassy in Germany represented the country in the annual event. The "All Nations Festival" is an annual event organized by the Berliner Gesellchaft fűr Internationale Begegnung e.V. (BGiB), a non-government organization. Aside from the Philippines, the other participants included Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Chinese Culture Center, Ethiopia Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Korean Culture Center, Kosovo, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Macedonia, Mozambique, Nepal, Palestine Delegation, Panama, Romanian Culture Institute, Slovak Institute, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, and the Akademie der Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. During the festival, some 230 guests from Berlin sampled Filipino delicacies and applauded Philippine traditional dances performed at the Embassy's Bulwagang Rizal, the DFA said in a news release. "The Embassy participation aims to enhance the image of the Philippines among members of the Berlin community and to entice them to come to visit the country and discover for themselves the many cultural sites and tourist attractions on offer," the DFA added. During the open house, the Philippine Embassy featured native products, handed out promotional materials on the country's tourism spots and educational opportunities, and raffled off Philippine food and handicrafts. The Philippine Embassy was the only one among 28 participating embassies and cultural institutes chosen for a radio broadcast of RBB Berlin 88.8 radio station. Radio broadcast journalist Henrik Schröder sent out live feeds about the ongoing events in the Embassy during the festival, the DFA said. Cultural presentations During the festivities, Philippine charge d'affaires Leah Ruiz also cited the 150th birth anniversary of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, and invited guests to view the photo exhibit on his life and works. Rizal studied while in Heidelberg and Berlin from 1886 to 1887, learning the ideals of freedom and nationhood espoused by the German people. On the other hand, children at the event joined the storytelling session of Dr. Rizal's cartoon version of the fable "The Monkey and the Turtle," conducted by Vice Consul Anna Marie de Vera, Minister Mardomel Melicor, and Maricel Agustin-Parrau. Meanwhile, the Filipiniana Dance Group under Filipino community leader Veronica Boensch performed a series of cultural dances. "The group presented traditional Filipino dances in colorful native costumes such as salip-palayok, jota cabangan, kazardarutan, singkil, and the ever-popular tinikling," the DFA said. The non-governmental organization SOS Kinderdörfer Welt, which has humanitarian projects in the Philippines, also had its booth at the Philippine Embassy during the festival. The organization has eight children's villages, seven youth facilities, four SOS kindergartens, various social centers, family strengthening programs and two vocational centers in the Philippines. - VVP, GMA News