The Philippines participated in the first-ever Cuentos del Mundo (Stories of the World) held at the Plaza del Teatro in the Raval district of Barcelona. The event is organized by the Office of Cultural Affairs of the Barcelona City Government. The objective of the activity is to provide children in Barcelona the chance to learn about other countries’ cultures through the art of storytelling. The cultural diversity and ethnic background of the people who live in Raval, including thousands of Filipinos, made the program more meaningful. The event was well received, not just by Spaniards but by other nationalities as well.
Barcelona PCG attended the event and lent its support to the Filipino community and Ms. Sandra Sotelo who shared the classic Pilipino folktale “Ang Alamat ng Bahaghari”. The audience, composed of mostly 2nd and 3rd generation children of immigrants, were listening intently to the story as it was being narrated by Ms. Sotelo. The characters portrayed in the story, Bathala and the seven colors in Pilipino, captured the imagination of the children as seen from the reaction at the end of the narration.
Audience members listening to the story narrated by Ms. Sandra Sotelo
Ms. Sandra Sotelo and Cultural Officer Bernardo Bagalay (photo credit – Sandra Sotelo)
Members of the Filipino community who attended the event (photo credit – Sandra Sotelo)