Isang Bansang Pilipino club presents Pilipino culture night
May 12, 2023
Courtesy of Oregon State University’s Isang Bansang Pilipino club, Pilipino Culture Night will take place in the Memorial Union Ballroom this Saturday. After months of practice and preparation, the IBP club presents a night “(showcasing) our culture through our cultural dances and food, while also acting out a skit,” said Jun Russel Surban, one of the presidents of the IBP club at OSU.
The IBP club is OSU’s Filipino Student Association, dedicated to teaching OSU students and faculty about Filipino culture through food, music and dance, as well as other workshop events focused on teaching Filipino identity and history, according to Surban, and everyone is welcome to join.
“I have been with this club the past four years, and I could say that IBP is more than a club. It really is a family,” Surban shared. “It is where all of my best friends are. Being president this year, I hope that I’ve created the welcoming environment that I was introduced to when I first joined.”
According to Surban, the main theme of this year’s cultural show is “Ang Pangarap Ko”, which translates to “My Dream” in Tagalog. The performance is centered around the main character’s struggle to find balance between her ambitions for the future and her family’s expectations.
Along with the skit and a dance, dinner will be served, featuring an array of Filipino dishes, such as lumpia, pancit and kaldereta, according to the club’s recent Instagram post of the menu for Culture Night.
Surban hopes attendees “feel like they are a part of our family,” as the setting of the event will resemble a family gathering, welcoming everyone who wants to join club leaders and members in celebrating Filipino culture.
Pilipino Culture Night begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner, while the performance begins at 6:30 p.m. More information about the event can be found on the IBP Instagram page (@osuibp).