Baguio City Is The First Philippines UNESCO Creative City
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UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) is a group of creative cities from different countries that was formed in 2004 with the main objective of focusing on the creative culture and heritage as the main part of the development of the member city.
Some of the cities included in UCCN are Alba in Italy, Barcelos in Portugal, Mexico City, Chiang Mai in Thailand, Cairo in Egypt and Yamagata City in Japan.
Members of UCCN work towards a unified goal to promote awareness of the creative collections and products of the member cities.
There are seven creative fields that are included in the program; these are Crafts and Folk Arts, Film Design, Gastronomy, Media Arts, Literature and Music.
The favorite summer destinations of us Filipino; Baguio City, is now a proud member of this prestigious group. As a member, Baguio is now working to create, produce and promote quality products from artisans of the province. This is such an honor for our country because Baguio is the first to be included in this prestigious list.
I’ve learned that there are too many artsy and imaginative products, activities and services that people can patronize and enjoy when in Baguio.
Creative Products From Cordillera
Silverworks
The extensive display of silverworks from Baguio blew my mind. There are sterling silver, silver-plated jewelry and other knick-knacks from Baguio and each one of them are hand-crafted. Ibay’s Silver Shop is only one of the many delightful silver shops in Baguio. I’d say, no trip to Baguio is complete without buying a silver piece or two for a friend or family member.
Woven Baskets
I find that the woven baskets in Baguio are sturdy enough to last a good number of years. It’s also amazing that with products like these that aren’t even expensive, I can go back to Manila with a few in tow and use them on a variety of ways like using them as fruit baskets, flower baskets and many more. As a local tourist, I marvel at the colorful displays of woven baskets that can be found at many stalls throughout Baguio.
Wood Carvings
The wood carvings of Baguio are also extensive. A variety of woodworks can be seen and bought from Baguio like 5-ft rosaries, large statues, small figurines and even small souvenir items that local and foreign tourists can take home. I love the workmanship of the woodcarvings.
Tattoo Art
There are many people from the North of the Philippines that are considered great tattoo artists just like Apo Whang-Od from Kalinga and Baguio also boasts of many tattoo artists considering that many locals belong to a tribe of the mountainous province. The city of Baguio also aims for a safe tattoo and piercing practice since sharp objects are used for this kind of art.
Hand Woven Textiles of Cordillera
“Habi” is the traditional woven fabrics from the six provinces of Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). The woven fabrics of Cordillera are of different colors. It’s also the fabric that’s been used by tribal men and women. The men used “bahag” or g-string and the women used “tapis”.
According to UNESCO, The next annual Creative Cities Network gathering is scheduled in June 2019 in Poland.
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