This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 23, July 17-23, 2005
Culture
by Dennis Espada The Kulturang Ugnayan ng
Makabayang Sining Anakpawis (Kumasa or Cultural Link of Patriotic and Working
Class Art) is set to release soon their first album entitled "Kamtin Ang
Tagumpay" (Seize Victory) in celebration of the militant labor center
Kilusang Mayo Uno's (May 1st Movement) milestone 25th anniversary. But right now, he said,
team work, commitment and discipline are the most important requirements.
Bulatlat © 2004 Bulatlat
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Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
Giving the
Working Class Struggle a Better Tune
You may not see or hear this group croon tophit songs – ever. But this group
bears plenty of guts and muscles in pursuit of their lofty goals.
Bulatlat
"Kamtin ang Tagumpay" is a combination of old and new renditions that are
acoustic-based with a generally folksy sound.
The problem of joblessness and contractualization was utterly delineated in the
blues rendition "Wala" (Nothing) while "One-Two-Five" reverberates with
the current demand of workers for a P125 across-the-board daily wage increase.
Significantly, "Kahilingan" (demand), "Daluyong" (tidal wave), and
the opener "Kamtin ang Tagumpay" (seize victory) have garnered top prizes
at the Gawad Amado V. Hernandez poetry contest in recent years.
Meanwhile, composed by First Quarter Storm (FQS) activist Rafael Baylosis while
in detention in April 1976, "Parangal sa mga Rebolusyonaryong Martir"
(tribute to revolutionary martyrs) pays homage to martyred comrades Lorena
Barros, Lorenzo Lansang and Eugene Grey who were slain by the military in Quezon
province. A movie adaptation of Lualhati Bautista's novel Dekada '70 produced in
2002 used some of the lines in this stirring ballad but was sadly played out of
tune.
Marching songs like "Bigwas ng Tagumpay" (blow of victory), "Sumulong"
(onward) and "Lansagin" (dismantle) evoke the ideological attributes of
the working class, highlighting its vanguard role in bringing about
revolutionary change in an oppressive and unjust social system.
Using an African dyenbe and a five-layered
string harmony made the agitating song "Makibaka, Huwag Matakot!"
(struggle, have no fear!) a strong attraction as well, with live audio
recordings captured from the recent violent dispersals of the Nestle workers’
picketline.
Kumasa's choral rendition of "The Internationale" bears lyrics that are nearest
to the original written by French composers Eugene Pottier and Pierre Degeyter.
"Eskirol" (scab) on the other hand, with its lines “At kami nga'y
naririto ngayon sa labas ng pabrika/Nakikibaka, tuloy ang welga/Arawi't bagyuhin
'di bibitaw sa simulain/'Di tulad mong sa unyon ay nagtaksil," there is
bitterness in how a fellow worker treacherously capitulated to their class
enemy, the capitalists.
Over-all, this 12-track album gives a big sting against those who work to
perpetuate the exploitation of workers.
Discipline
Formed three years ago, Kumasa is a regional alliance of cultural groups from
various local trade unions and initiated by the Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa
Timog Katagalugan (Pamantik or Unity of Workers in Southern Tagalog).
It is composed of alternative cultural groups like Alab (Flame), Kalipunan ng
mga Progresibong Artista sa Nestlé (Kampana or Association of Progressive
Artists in Nestle), Kulturang Minana sa Sining Anakpawis (Kumisap II or Cultural
Legacy from the Working Class), Maso (Mallet), Sining at Kultura ng mga Anak ng
Bayan (Siklab or Art and Culture of the Children of the People), Sining-Laya
(Art-Freedom), and Sining Umusbong sa Bagong Obrerong Kultura (Subok or Art
Sprouted from the New Workers' Culture), among others.
"At first, our purpose was to raise moral and financial support for our strike,"
Kumasa's secretary-general Edmund Corteza told Bulatlat in an interview.
Undiscovered artistic potentials would however later unfold before their own
eyes.
Members simply joined the singing without needing to pass an audition. "They
just volunteered to help," said activist-musician Marlon Angelo Torres, who is
also the group's coordinator.
Kumasa has performed in various occasions: from picketlines to street
demonstrations to theaters.
Torres always told the group that they didn’t need huge talent. “What
we need is 90 percent discipline and 10 percent talent,” he said. He also said
that they can improve their talents through time, inch by inch.