Mega book fair focuses on ‘performative literature’

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

The Iloilo Mega Book Fair (IMBF) returns on April 27 to 30, 2023 and will harness other forms of art to promote not only books but also awareness of the importance of reading.

This IMBF’s theme this year is “Celebrating the Regions” to retain its focus on local works written in English and Hiligaynon, with the goal of “performative literature”, or showcasing the literary works through performing arts, as well as integrating visual artworks to the fair.

Atty. Raymundo Pandan Jr., 2022 Palanca Awardee and inaugural winner of the Cirilo F. Bautista plum for his novel “When Will This War End?”, will serve as the keynote speaker during the opening program.

The first performance would be of Panay Bukidnon indigenous peoples from the central parts of Panay Island, particularly Iloilo and Capiz.

“Nowadays literature is no longer something we only read. We can watch it, hear it, hoping in the future, we can connect with other groups that our local literature can have versions in audiobooks, partnering with filmmakers to see [writings] in films,” Noel De Leon, publisher of Kasingkasing Press and one of the IMBF’s organizers, told Daily Guardian.

“History will tell us that local literature, particularly in Kinaray-a and Hiligaynon, came from oral traditions which are being listened to, because they are long narratives, like epics. It’s a bit difficult to read, so it’s more entertaining, more engaging, and more attractive to a young generation when being watched. That’s why we want to bring it to the stage,” De Leon added.

De Leon added that they will be inviting drag queens and cosplayers as part of the performing groups during the event.

There will also be a ‘visual art village’ where visual artists can sell postcard, bookmark, and sticker versions of their artworks, to foster more collaborations between publishers and artists.

“These are not the usual drag performances we see from alternative spaces. This time, we will see educational performances because we will highlight characters from local literature. [That is] the same with cosplayers, we want to encourage them to perform our literary characters from our own [local] literature,” he added.

“We want the publishing industry to professionalize, and we need more professionals in terms of designing books and book covers, and we can only do that when we partner with local artists. It is time to invite visual artists to see our initiative in publishing that we need their help in the [visual] arts, and to see the possibility of working together in professionalizing book designs, and producing art books later on.”

A total of 25 establishments, including publishing houses, bookstores, cafes, and other related businesses will join the fair.

Other activities include a Writer’s Night, a Zine Fest, and launches of 10 books, including the first-ever Hiligaynon-language Young Adult (YA) novel, “Ang Hangaway kag Ang Higante” by Bryan Mari Argos, among others still in store.

Now in its 6th year, the IMBF started in 2018 and even continued at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 via virtual platforms. The 2022 edition returned to the physical but on a down-scaled capacity.

This year’s edition is organized by Hubon Manunulat, Kasingkasing Press, BookLatte, Megaworld Iloilo Business Park, Festive Walk Iloilo, National Book Development Board, Department of Tourism, BookLatte, Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art, Philippine Librarians Association Western Visayas, UP Visayas Office of Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, Bantugan sa Panulatan Kinaray-a, JCI Metro Iloilo Dinagyang, and The Indiepub Collab PH.