BACOLOD City – Around 400 masks from different countries were unveiled in a mall in this city as the International Mask Arts and Culture Organization (IMACO) International Convention opened Wednesday.
Around 200 delegates have joined the event which will run until Nov. 8. Some of the international masks on exhibit come from Japan, Africa, Korea, India, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Bacolod City.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia, who led the yesterday’s opening, welcomed the delegates and encouraged them to make the most of their stay in the City of Smiles.
“I have seen hundreds of masks in IMACO’s series of exhibition but the mask of Bacolod is indeed distinctive,” added Leonardia.
IMACO has 63 member nations and is based in Andong City, South Korea. It was established in 2006 to construct archives of mask-related culture that is integral to cultural community symbols.
Through research, preservation and data accumulation, IMACO aims to develop an understanding of mask culture. The organization believes in the value that masks promote in terms of freedom, peace and equality which helps people understand human values./PN
