Philippine native scripts as identity, promotion, and preservation in the filipino american diaspora through art kristian kabuay

Philippine native scripts as identity, promotion, and preservation in the Filipino American

diaspora through art

Tokyo University of Foreign StudiesTokyo, Japan

February 28, 2014

Kristian Kabuay

My Story

1993Baybayin Discovery

1995Philippine Years

2003Back in America

Identity Crisis

Scripts as Identity

Baybayin in America

3.4 million Filipinos are the 2nd largest

Asian group in the US

400,000 Nearly half a million are in the San Francisco, California area

"Ground zero of the Baybayin renaissance began in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1990s" - Ray HaguisanArtist MalayaDesigns.net

The 90s Fil-Am Baybayin movement aligned with technology advancements that allowed their voices to be heard outside the

educational systems. There were Filams in the national spotlight that increased their

pride. It was perfect timing.

Maganda Magazine 1995

DJ Lapu LapuJoselito Sering

Why Filipinos in the diaspora?

A search for who we are

Western individualism

We can be impractical

Value

Cultural value

Social value

Philippine scripts asSocial Currency

Economic value

K

Identity

Preservation

Promotion

Typical Interest Sequence

Cosmetic AdvocateEducational Practitioner

‣ Gets tattoos

‣ Buys shirts

‣ Buys art

‣ Buys books

‣ Attends lectures and workshops

‣ Participates in discussions

‣ Writes the script everyday

‣ Creates art

‣ Community participation

‣ Community leadership

‣ Conducts lectures

‣ Runs workshops

‣ Has a business

‣ Writes booksCommercial Value

Value Circle

Value

Creating

CommunicatingExchanging

Delivering

Our job as culture bearers is to provide VALUE

to endangered writing systems

Cosmetic

AdvocateEducational

Practitioner

Value

Value

Art as a Promotional Tool

Revival Issues

Cultural Business

Nationalism at the expense of regional

culture

National Script Act of 2011

Bisaya

Ilokano Kapampangan

Tagalog ???

Filipino

No StandardsBecause there are no standards, it can be confusing when trying to

write, read or learn it. !!

How do we support the spelling of foreign words?!!

Who’s qualified to propose these standards? Is it the actual practitioners? Academia? Do we even entertain non-Filipinos?!

!Do we have 2 versions of our writing system?!

Who will teach it to the students? !Who will teach the teachers? !Who will create the material?

Teachers

There are some Filipinos living in the Philippines that simply don’t like Fil-Ams, Fil-Cans, non-Filipino, etc. The feeling is that they are not “true” Filipinos” because of language, culture and geographical location.

Philippine Born vs Diaspora

How much will it cost to change signs, systems, create books, train…

Economic Cost

“You can’t manage what you can’t measure” - Peter Drucker, Management Consultant.

Lack of quantifiable data

Living Scripts

Lack of full-time advocates

Practicality

Religion

Errors

slmSalamat

Connect with me

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Instagram.com/Baybayininfo@baybayin.com