BALANGAY
Filipino LGBT Europe’s Participation to
Amsterdam Canal Pride 2019
Press Release
The anticipation is real. The energy is at its all-time high. Less than a month to go to the 2019 Amsterdam Canal Pride on August 3, all systems are go for the final preparations of the Filipino LGBT Europe’s participations to the Boat Parade.
What is the theme of the boat?
The theme of the boat is Balangay. It is a local Filipino term for a traditional boat used by our Filipino ancestors for transportation. Balangay is also the etymology of barangay, which refers to a small, closed-knit community.
The boat will feature colorful, assorted and flowy fabrics and garments representing the colors of Sarimanok, which is a legendary bird from the Southern Philippines.
What to expect during the event?
Our participants, wearing traditional costumes representing the major islands of the Philippines, will perform simple dance steps and chants highlighting the organizations’ main advocacies.
The production has five segments which include a call for unity, call to action on HIV awareness, acceptance of one’s sexual identity, and marriage equality. The show will finish with a festive dance celebrating the diversity of the Filipino community.
“We took four regions to showcase the ethnicity, vibrancy and richness of our heritage. We want to let people know that we are very proud of our culture. As of now, costumes are almost finished and we are currently doing some fitting and a little bit of alteration to match also the boat and the production. It really looks good now,” Edson Gonzales, Head of the Clothing Committee, said.
To ensure diversity, we have Filipino participants coming from all over Europe. Our Ambassadors of Love also include nationalities from the following countries: Netherlands, United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Belgium, Vietnam, United States, China, Poland, Slovenia, Austria and India.
Additionally, we have invited Mr. Gay World Philippines 2019 Janjep Carlos to join us on our boat. He won the Mr Gay World 2019 pageant held recently in South Africa.
What is the significance of our participation to the 2019 Amsterdam Canal Pride?
For the first time in history, a Filipino and an Asian minority group was given an opportunity to shine. This reflects the continuous strive of the LGBT community’s commitment to inclusivity.
“Most of the time people of colour, migrants and/or members of the LGBT community are the victims of prejudice or unfair treatment in the society. We, in Filipino LGBT in Europe, experience these three challenges. We are people of colour, we are migrants and we are LGBT. On this Pride, we will send a message that we are part of the community and we are proud of who we are.”
“As Filipino Migrants, may our participation serve as a reminder of how beautiful and rich our heritage is. Showcasing migrants and minorities proves that we are also part of the community and hopefully this may encourage fellow migrants to be an active member of our community,” Chris Sta Brigida, Chairman of Filipino LGBT Europe, said.
Photo credit: The photo used was taken from this blog: http://paradisebeautycenter.blogspot.com/2015/02/butuan-city-philippines.html
For press inquiries, please contact:
Hon Sophia Balod
Filipino LGBT Europe – Press Officer
Mobile: +31 6 38270166
Email: HonSophia@FilipinoLGBT.eu.
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