The literatour voyage has arrived
in Mindanao on January 29, 2016 at the Mindanao State University- Iligan
Institute of Technology, the premier and leading University in the Southern
Philippines. The second leg of literatour showcased the transcreated Poem on the
legend of Maria Cristina Falls by Dr. Christine Godinez-Ortega performed by the
most-traveled and world-renowned Integrated Performing Arts Guild literally in
front of the magnificent Iligan City’s pride and glory, the Maria Cristina
Falls.
In the flock of literature and
folklore enthusiasts at MSU-IIT Minitheater- experts, professors and students
from different institutions of Mindanao- Dr. Ortega, the
project chairman, welcomed everyone with a challenge that faces attending events
like this should not be recurring. The literature of Mindanao have long been
appreciated by us coming from this the same discipline.
Dr.
Alawi, in a forum after the 1st session of Dr. Hope Sabanpan-Yu (University
of San Carlos) suggested that other professions should be knowledgeable as much
as we are (referring to the attending participants) for they are, in fact, hostile
to our own folklore.
Literary
big fishes in Southern Philippines were tourist guides having their own study
and literary inclinations as their platforms. Among the resource speakers who
graced the foremost parts of the Program were Dr. Hope Sabanpan-Yu on Indigenous
Literature; Ms. Mikha Marahombsar
Alawi on Transcreation of the Darangen
to Manga; Dr. Ednairah Pambangan
Esmail on Adaptation of Select
Darangen Texts for Use as Grade III Instructional Materials; and Dr. Steven Patrick Fernandez on Appropriating and Transcreating Indigenous
Expressions for Show.
Indigenous Literature
Dr.
Hope Sabanpan-Yu on Indigenous Literature quoted Paul Ricoeur that ‘It is in telling own
stories that we give ourselves an identity” in her engaging discussion about
folklore and how the expressions in ecological perspective are shared and
sustained which eventually become communal and a tradition that we need.
Dr. Yu
encouraged us to do not read and interpret folklore in a bare vacuum. One
should read it eco-critically and should ask the question, what attitudes are
revealed?
Two (2)
issues were raised in the climax of her discussion, (1) Do our “Zoos” serve the
environmental purpose having glass barriers as mediators between the audience
and the caged animals?, (2) how the popular carving of names in trees is an
explicit evidence of human dominance over nature. The latter can mean a small
action for us, but that is surprisingly a big thing that we should bear in
mind. She also further discussed how the concept of Wilderness can be imbibed
from waterfalls and, of course, the concepts of freedom and restriction in dams
or reservoirs.
Transcreation and Darangen
Transcreation,
now largely used anywhere in the Philippines, cannot be found in Dictionaries.
This term is popularized by the genius playwright, Dr. Fernandez which was,
according to him, borrowed from India and originally used as a marketing instrument.
He started his short but substantial discussion saying that we will understand
whatever he will say through and by our distinct nurturing. Our creative
expressions and our own aesthetics are part of our collective unconscious.
He
continued teasing the audience about concepts and categories which were largely
western. Questions were; is there a dance? Or do we have a dance? Are those
royal individuals? (Pointing at the projected scene of a performance) and many
more mind-blowing teases. A challenge, again, was posed for us- start
liberalizing our minds and try to break conventional paradigms. Dr. Fernandez
also emphasized the difference of a stage performance from the original which
is naturally authentic, that the original is beautiful when it is for the good
of the community while a staged performance is beautiful when it is well
crafted.
Moreover,
Dr. Esmail and Ms. Alawi presented the fruits of their passion, determination
and hardwork. They transcreate selected Epic of Darangen texts for modern use
and can even be a great source of entertainment among the young people of
today. Their endeavour is an explicit benefit to the language arts, values
education and to the K to 12 fulfillment. It is indeed rich of possibilities
and opportunities for the teacher and her charges. Why Darangen? For one, we
can claim that it is undoubtedly ours and has a repository of the value and belief
system of the ancestors of the meranaos.
Voyagers
of this Literatour were surely enlightened and stirred along its fast-sailing
cruise. There was a tempest of new concepts and ideas which have caused the
confusion. Confusion is part of the learning process. Everyone is admitted that
there are still a lot to learn about, that Mindanao has a vast and rich body of
literature and folklore. The voyage has rested for now.
