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Rabat – The Philippines embassy in Rabat started on Tuesday a three-day event in commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the proclamation of the country’s Independence.
The occasion was held to “pay tribute to the forebears who fought for our freedom,” a statement by the Philippines president Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said.
The first day of the event, which took place today at the embassy, introduced musical duo “The Nightingales” as a teaser of the event’s coming days.
To promote cultural tolerance, the songs were sung in Filipino, French, and English.
Over the next few days, there will be a longer concert with a wider selection of songs in Arabic and other languages, for the diverse audience that will be present, according to Katrina Marie Saga, one of the nightingale singers.
As for the third day, there will be a lecture about Filipino folk songs and more musical performances aimed to share Filipino culture with the audience.
“It’s our duty as singers and artists to share the beauty of the Philippines through our songs,” Bernadette Mamaug, another nightingale singer, told Morocco World News (MWN) in an interview.
The Nightingale Singers
Under the theme of “Freedom, Future, History,” the ambassador of the Philippines to Morocco, Leslie J. Baja, said that “culture can be a very useful tool in promoting understanding, awareness, and tolerance.”
Talking about the coexistence of the Moroccan and the Filipino cultures, Baja expressed that both countries have shared values, as well as common tolerance and a great understanding of all religions.
The Philippines embassy in Morocco was opened in 2020, which Baja described as “a good journey,” despite the challenges the embassy faced during the COVID-19 pandemic
For him, Moroccans have been “very helpful” in setting up the embassy. Moreover, he said he holds an optimistic vision about the future relations between Morocco and the Philippines.
“In the political aspect, we’re very good. Hopefully, in the economic sector we will see an increase in trade, and in the cultural aspect, with 4,000 Filipinos in Morocco, we hope we will be able to create a bridge between our two countries,” Baja concluded.
