Pamana Ng Paglaban (A History of Resistance): Language, History & the Art of Baybayin

What's on?

In partnership with Think+DO Tank, Anakbayan Sydney and Reesecore take over 40 Harris Street, Fairfield, on November 22nd for 'Pamana Ng Paglaban (A History of Resistance): Language, History & the Art of Baybayin', This workshop extends on Anakbayan Sydney’s first primer on Baybayin, a pre-colonial language system of the Philippines. In this participatory workshop we will:

• Learn about the history and cultural significance of Baybayin and it's role in the resistance

• Create our own personalised Baybayin script font with a chance to use said font for a take-home zine or print

More specifically, Anakbayan members Josh Hernandez and Reese Claro (author of ‘From Baybayin to Abakada’) will discuss the history of Baybayin, reading and writing in Baybayin, and the ancestral knowledge that language reveals to us about the cultural identity of the Philippines. In keeping Baybayin alive, they will communicate the importance of preserving Indigenous cultures and languages as resistance against the colonial and imperial tactics to subjugate the culture of the masses.

All levels of proficiency in both Baybayin and Tagalog are welcome, including beginners or first-timers. No prior knowledge of the Filipino language is required, just an eagerness to learn and an earnest curiosity about Baybayin and Filipino culture. Come as you are!

Refreshments will be provided by Anakbayan Sydney's Community Kitchen.

What is Baybayin?

Baybayin is the pre-colonial writing system for Tagalog, one of the national languages of the Philippines, that has disappeared from common use due to Spanish colonisation and American intervention. It was mainly carved onto palm leaves and bamboo to write poetry, personal notes, and messages. It must be noted that Baybayin is only one of the many the pre-colonial scripts that exists due to the vast array of languages and dialects found within the archipelago.

Who is Anakbayan, Reesecore and Josh Hernandez?

Anakbayan Sydney is the comprehensive national-democratic mass organisation of Filipino youth on the unceded lands of the Gadigal and Dharug peoples. We are committed to building the National Democratic Movement by arousing, organising, and mobilising Filipino youth. We expand our base through political education, cultural and welfare activities, strengthening alliances and solidarity campaigns, and campaigns that link local struggles in so-called Australia to the fight for genuine freedom and democracy in our homeland.

Reese Claro (Reesecore) is a Western-Sydney based interdisciplinary designer, zine-maker, writer, and photographer with a heart for storytelling. They’re interested in how different creative mediums can be used to share not only their own stories but the voice of their own community as well. Reese likens their creative practice to an orange: by sharing parts of themself, they hope to bring sweetness to other people’s day. And as always: an orange is sweeter when it’s shared. 

Their debut publication, From Baybayin to Abakada is multilayered zine written, researched and designed by Reese and published by Illographo Press. In this zine, they wove childhood memories from growing up in the Philippines, personal anecdotes as a first-generation migrant in Australia, and historical documents to illustrate the impact of colonisation on the culture, vernacular, and way of life of the Filipino people and diaspora. It is currently catalogued by the National Library of Australia and the State Library of NSW as part of their national collections and can be viewed digitally.

Josh Hernandez is a Tagalog Filipino born and raised on Dharug Ngurra who has always been interested in history, culture, language, and geography. In the last few years, they have refocused those interests onto their own heritage, guided by the philosophy that “ang dî marunong lumingón sa pinanggalingan ay dî makararatíng sa paroroonan”. Josh is fortunate to be fluent in Tagalog, and is fascinated by the art which manifests in translation, poetry, music, and writing – including baybayin! Playing with these has been Josh’s way of reconnecting with ancestors and grappling with the legacy of colonisation, dispossession, and migration that so many of us share here in modern “Australia”. They look forward to meeting others of the same spirit. (Oh yes, Josh is also trying to complete a PhD at UNSW.)

Funding for this project has been provided by the NSW Government through Multicultural NSW.