Indigenous Peoples’ Right and Intellectual Property Rights

MANILA (October 2021) — The mythology of indigenous folklore has inspired countless works of art and literature over the years, and these works have in turn reached farther than ever before thanks to mass media and the internet. However, it’s crucial to remember that it’s important to give back to the very people who have sustained these stories for generations. This is the role of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), as a mediating institution between people and indigenous communities as they work together on projects.

In celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Month, ThriveArt Projects and The Japan Foundation, Manila are holding the second webinar of the Golden Realms: Inheriting the Panay Sugidanun series. The talk will focus on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, in relation to Intellectual Property Rights. In adaptation from one art form to another, the artists behind these will inevitably take creative liberties in interpreting the work. It’s crucial that the research this entails stems from a deep sense of respect and honor for cultural bearers and indigenous communities, to avoid exploitation and cultural appropriation.

The talk will explore the ins and outs of working with indigenous peoples with Atty. Mary Genevieve F. Tingson-Wuthrich, a representative of the NCIP. How is copyright and intellectual property determined when people make modern adaptations of indigenous oral practices? How should royalties be distributed amongst the indigenous community and the writer? What are the creative and legal negotiations between indigenous peoples and research? Ultimately, how might a healthy and mutually beneficial exchange between outsiders and indigenous peoples be cultivated?

These are complex situations that people collaborating with indigenous communities reckon with, including ThriveArt Projects, has been working on a manga adaptation of sections of the Sugidanun slated for release in December 2021, in both English and Japanese languages. Ultimately these projects aim to honor the Panay Sugidanun in the present, and celebrate the resonances in oral literature between Japan and the Philippines. Golden Realms is under The Japan Foundation’s Asian Literature Project, Yomu, which bridges connections between literary traditions around Asia, and explores how literature is read today. 

All students, cultural workers, academics, and Filipino literature fans are invited to watch the live webinar on October 30, 2021, from 10:00AM to 12:00PM via The Japan Foundation, Manila and ThriveArt Projects’ social media pages. The talk will be moderated by Mr. Eric Divinagracia, Artistic Director of USA Little Theater. Register for the Zoom room here: http://tinyurl.com/sugidanun

Throughout October to December 2021, the five webinar sessions held biweekly will discuss different aspects of the Sugidanun, contextualizing not just in the Philippines but in Asia, and also examining the adaptation of mythologies with Filipino and Japanese experts.

http://tinyurl.com/sugidanun2 

The online webinar is open to the public / Admission is free.

Join the LIVE webinar on October 30, 2021 via https://www.facebook.com/jfmanila/ 

For press inquiries, please contact:

The Japan Foundation, Manila

Kanami Namiki, Ph.D.: knamiki@jfmo.org.ph | Mariah Reodica: mreodica@jfmo.org.ph

Stay updated about upcoming webinars via www.jfmo.org.ph and https://thriveart.org/