LSU Ozamiz to hold 7 ANIMO Festivals until May 2023

OZAMIZ CITY – As part of the National Arts Month celebration, La Salle University in Ozamiz City, through its Arts and Culture Center will spearhead seven ANIMO Festival series, particularly the Cine-Animo Film Festival, MusikANIMO Festival, DulANIMO Theater Festival, SulAtNIMO writing festival, sayAwNIMO dance festival, akapelANIMO contemporary acapella festival, and PintANIMO visual arts festival, which will run until May 2023.

During the Let’s Talk MisOcc, e-Talakayan virtual media forum, Feb. 27, via Zoom, Arts and Culture Center Director Denise Aguilar said the Animo Festival is a platform for students to explore and use art to tell stories and create conversations.

“With Animo festivals coming up, really that’s really going to be something that would open the minds of these students, and we will be opening the Animo festivals also to others who are not Lasallians,” Aguilar said.

She emphasized that when creating, it’s not just creating for show or just creating for entertainment, but it’s really creating what you want to convey.

The office of the Arts and Culture Center also challenged their students or art group and another artist to create something of high caliber and artistic excellence.

“You have to create something of high caliber because that’s what you show to the audience, and if the audience finds that to be something unique and that has a wonderful message that comes across to them, then they will appreciate art even more,” according to the director.

Aguilar said one of their future projects is to reintegrate and create the cultural research group to tap local government units (LGUs) and do cultural mapping as a source for research materials for productions and performances.

“I hope nga atong artists diri sa MisOcc nga dili sila mawad-an og paglaum ka’y daghan kaayo og istorya diri sa atong palibot sa MisOcc nga pwede gyud magamit sa inyohang creativity and your future projects,” she said.

(I hope that our artists here in MisOcc will not lose hope because there are so many stories around in MisOcc that can really be used in your creativity and your future projects)

The flagship program of La Salle University-Ozamiz City when it comes to arts is ANI-A Harvest of the Arts Festival. It consists of four components, such as lectures, workshops, productions, and recognitions of the arts and culture, which are dubbed Hisgutanay, Hulmahan, Pasundayag, and Pasidungog, respectively.

This year’s ANI-A festival is a four-month event that starts in February during National Arts Month and runs through May during the Philippine Fiesta Season, which highlights St. La Salle’s Feast. (SMRN | PIA-10 | Misamis Occidental)