The Philippine Influence Behind Pangea Day

Posted on May 12th, 2008. Written by Rico.

We complained about the Philippines missing out on Pangea Day, because of the awful time (2AM yesterday!). But ironically, as Magandang Balita reports, the idea for the event may have come from a Filipina named “Donna”.

To recap, the foundation for Pangea Day, an film festival that aims to promote “global understanding and tolerance”, was laid by Jehane Noujaim. The Egyptian-American filmmaker’s proposal hold such an event won the prestigious TED prize back in 2006, granting her access to financial and intellectual support to carry out her idea.

In her TED talk, Jehane related how her aunt hosted a Filipina exchange student named “Donna” around 40 years ago. She showed pictures of Donna’s visit in America—where Donna was enjoying a slice of Americana while teaching her American hosts the Igorot dance—and eventually established how her idea could promote understanding the same way exchange student programs do.

Here’s another case where technology records important ideas and their formulation for posterity. In this case, it helps establish the Philippine Influence behind Pangea Day. To continue the spirit of Jehane Noujaim’s proposal however, the next Pangea Day should be hosted somewhere in the East. As Migs said: “sana may part 2… sa timezone naman natin. hehehhe”.