Agusan Manobo artist to conduct free puppetry, repoussé workshop for youth in Mindanao

Through the power of art as an instrument to enhance friendships among the youth, Manobo visual artist Carlito Camahalan Amalla will conduct a free puppetry and repoussé workshop for high school students in Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur.

Entitled “Mugna sa Pagadian,” the interactive event contributes to the greater mission to achieve genuine and lasting peace in Mindanao. Designed for young Muslims, Christians, and Subanens, as well as the members of the Holy Infant seminarians from the Diocese of Pagadian, it aims to foster a pedagogy of connection and camaraderie, serving as a platform for artistic talents and abilities, and nurturing interfaith religious experiences.

Amalla, a member of the Agusan Manobo ethnic group, and the founder and leader of the Agusan Artists Association in Butuan City and the Balangay Artists Association in Manila, will mentor the participants on how to create their stick puppets from scratch. He will share his knowledge on how to craft metalworks using the repoussé technique, an approach which creates reliefs from malleable materials by hammering the reverse side.

These activities is hoped to ignite their imaginations, as well as hone their social skills in the aspects of communication, problem-solving, emotional development, and thus gain confidence.

Amalla is a performer, puppeteer, dancer, chanter, musician, ceramist, and researcher who has participated in exhibitions in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the United States. He is currently an assistant professor for the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Culture-Based Arts Program of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. The Department of Trade and Industry recently bestowed upon him the Creative Caraga Award for his exceptional contributions to the creative industries in the region.

In 2023, he was invited by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China and Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government to represent Mindanao at the Silk Roads Artists’ Rendezvous-China Tour for Foreign Artists. It is a residency program in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in China, where he produced three acrylic paintings donated to the China International Cultural Association.

The National Economic and Development Authority named him as Caraga Region’s Most Outstanding Volunteer (Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award Individual Category) and Regional Nominee to the Search for Outstanding Volunteers (SOV) 2023.

Amalla holds a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree with a major in sculpture and a Master’s degree in Art History, both from the University of the Philippines. His Agusan Manobo embroidery art thesis, paintings, and puppetry in Sinuyaman: Awit ni Baylan were part of Mindanao: Cartography of History, Identity, and Representation presented at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London in 2019.

“Mugna sa Pagadian” is free and open to the public. It will be held on 24 November, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Holy Infant Seminary in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.