dumaguete: unesco creative city of literature

We did it, fam! What a glorious way to end the month of October! Dumaguete City is now officially a UNESCO Creative City of Literature! It joins a distinguished network of just over 50 cities around the world recognized for their outstanding literary culture and commitment to creativity.

I had the honor of representing the National Museum of the Philippines - Dumaguete as one of the major stakeholders during the city’s bid to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) over the past months, presenting how the museum continues to promote and sustain the community’s literary heritage through its public programs and visitor engagement activities, such as our Knowledge Nook mini-library, Muse and Metaphor at the Museum lecture, Paglampos: Stories of Triumph by the Women of SAFIRE, Paglampos: The Art of Zine-making, the Silliman University National Writers Workshop: The Fellows Forum, among others. And there’s more to come! 

Established in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network fosters international cooperation among cities that place culture and creativity at the heart of sustainable urban development. The network recognizes cities in seven creative fields, namely, Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music. All this encourages the cities to exchange best practices, form partnerships, and integrate cultural development into local planning.

Before this milestone, through the UNESCO-Philippine National Commission, the Philippines only had three UNESCO Creative Cities: Baguio (Crafts and Folk Art, 2017), Cebu (Design, 2019), and Iloilo (Gastronomy, 2023). With Dumaguete’s inclusion, the country now proudly adds a City of Literature to the list.

Dumaguete City, along with Quezon City (for City of Film), made history as the first designations in their respective fields in the country. Dumaguete, in particular, is among the first Creative Cities of Literature in Southeast Asia alongside Jakarta. 

This push was spearheaded by the Dumaguete City Tourism Office, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Negros Oriental Provincial Office, and a core group of creatives led by award-winning writer Ian Rosales Casocot. Grateful to everyone who worked so tirelessly to make this happen, and excited to see what lies ahead for my second home under this groundbreaking recognition. 

[ Read more about the declaration here ]