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"My art activism and activist art are life-long struggles to make life for myself and many others free and alive on paper, canvas, print as well as in the real humane world." - Neil Doloricon
The conditions under which Alexandra lived, grew up and struggled have molded her character but it is also in this context that mythical creatures are enabled to rouse the viewer’s consciousness about the current state of Philippine society. Undeniably, Trese is rich in contemporary social realities that resonate with ordinary Filipinos.
And so as not to confuse their patriotism, the cry of “PILIPINAS” is heard loud and clear. The last line reads “di na magpapaawat, iwawagayway na ang watawat,” and the song finally rests on a relic of the Murillo-Velarde map that is a testament to the country’s ownership of the West Philippine Sea.
Author Luz Maranan said it was important to highlight Dulag's story as his life embodied not just the fight of the Cordillera people but what it meant to be a hero nowadays, for having defeated a dictator and a destructive project like the Chico Dam.
Poet, social commentator and literary scholar Bienvenido Lumbera only had two words when asked what birthday present he would like to receive from the president, “Go away!”
“Artists know that their freedom to create the art that they wish to is premised on the freedom of expression. When this freedom is taken away, so is their freedom to create art. And they create art to serve the basic sectors, because we basically owe everything to farmers and workers—what we eat, the things that we use everyday. When they are suppressed, then everything else is rendered meaningless.”
Watching all 16 films and trying to relate to each and every one of their stories feels like reliving all ten months of the lockdown—exhausting as if stuck in an oven, baking for a protracted amount of time until you are numb to the fire, until people are reduced to numbers of deaths and recoveries, likes and dislikes, until life shrinks into your phone or your computer. We are not dealing with just the virus but with an even bigger threat to our lives and civil liberties.
The red blood depicted in Zoluaga's piece snakingly flows like the ancestral rivers in Tumandok lands. The winding ripples twined below the navels of these figures as if tugging them to stay immobile. But hear no petty cavilings from their travails, these are steadfast clan leaders who are vigorously marching along the correct line-of-path.
The poems are significant because they take up the issues that are carried by the program of the people’s democratic revolution. In various poems, the reader can discern the author’s scientific knowledge, his closeness to the farm workers and peasants and the anguish of separation from his loved ones. Most of the poems can pass the muster of literary criticism and can be appreciated as excellent works of art.
The immediate effect was to facilitate a conversation, if not an outright stand on imperialist wars waged by the U.S.
The music video shows Reina Mae Nasino's continuing struggle against injustice as she remains in jail over trumped-up charges.
Listen to a poem of the late peasant advocate Randall Echanis performed by Ian Lomongo.
Featuring artworks inspired by the plight and struggle of political prisoner Reina Mae Nasino and her daughter Baby River.
The songs try to "capture the struggles of poor communities in the Philippines subjected to their government's Enhanced Community Quarantine rules."
Does it invigorate or paralyze movements for racial equality? More important, does it subordinate the struggle for genuine national sovereignty to the paramount goal of gender-neutrality? Does it obscure the asymmetry between the imperial hegemonic United States and its virtual neocolony, the Philippines? To push further, which cause would advance a systemic solution to racist, sexist global capitalism?
The conference aims to deepen the discourse about the martial law years and correct the twisted narratives being perpetrated by groups who want Filipinos to forget those dark years in the nation's history.
Artists have up their collaboration to turn out music videos that have become a powerful tool for awakening and raising the people’s consciousness. The visuals sure do aid the music and the lyrics come for easy retention. The internet affords the listeners to revisit the videos anytime and share it to others, much more so in this pandemic where online connectivity has become the norm.
The unfortunate death of Kian and many others tell us that the Oplan Tokhang is real and its masterminds are very much alive today. These monsters have created a nation of orphaned children and killed their dreams. These are the same blood-thirsty monsters who creep into the night, whose only real weapons are inflicting fear and terror.
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