Sentro Rizal in DC to mark first year with historian Ocampo

WASHINGTON, D.C.– A presentation by Filipino historian, author, and Rizal scholar Ambeth Ocampo will celebrate the first anniversary of Sentro Rizal Washington, DC, on June 10 at the Philippine Chancery Annex Building.

In the presentation entitled “RIZAL: The Hero as Traveler”, Professor Ocampo will share his perspective on how Dr. Jose Rizal’s travels influenced the hero’s writings and shaped his views.

“Every Filipino child knows that Rizal traveled a great deal when air travel was but a figment of the imagination, but what is not emphasized is how Rizal was formed by his exposure to other lands, peoples, and cultures,” Ocampo wrote in the presentation abstract.

“It is not well known that Rizal traveled to America, traveling by land from San Francisco to New York to catch a voyage to London. Looking back on Rizal’s travels helps us understand the hero, ourselves, and the emergence of the Filipino nation,” he added.

Sentro Rizal Washington DC is the 30th branch of the Sentro Rizal, which was recognized by virtue of Section 42 of the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, which specifies a center “whose main purpose is the promotion of Philippine arts, culture and language throughout the world.”

Since its inauguration on January 10 2018, the Washington branch has served as the primary vehicle through which the Philippine Embassy conducts its cultural diplomacy programs.

Ambeth Ocampo’s “RIZAL: The Hero as Traveler” is co-presented by Sentro Rizal Washington DC and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, with the support of the US-Philippines Society.

Interested parties may RSVP here.