10
THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA
www.kalatas.com.au | Volume 6 Number 2 | NOVEMBER 2015
OPINION
P’s
of peace: How to Edd
make our communities safer
Remembering
Tributes flowed for Edd Aragon who died in his
sleep last month.
Ang Kalatas remembers this great artist who
was one of the contributors to AK for many
years. We are forever grateful to his art, his
cartoons, his quips and for his simply being a
good friend, a good man to the community and
to many of us in the media circle.
Edd was a caricaturist and had worked for
many publications in the Philippines and in
Australia such as the Sydney Morning Herald.
Edd, isa kang dakilang Pinoy.
Maraming, maraming salamat sa iyo.
A Shrine to Edd. A portrait of Edd hangs at the ‘Bahay Kubo’ created by artist Alwin
Reamillo. This Bahay Kubo was on display at the Sculpture by the Sea art festival at
the Bondi Beach. Photo: Facebook
HUMMING IN MY UNIVERSE
A primal urge
W
e have art
in order not
to die of the
truth.—
Friedrich
Nietzsche
If you are an artist,
you may have wondered
often what the meaning or
purpose of your life and craft
are all about.
I still often wonder this,
even if I have been an artist
for almost all of my life.
When I look at
engineers or architects, I can
see tangible structures that
validate their usefulness in
the world. I see doctors and
nurses healing people, and
I know their work comes to
good. I have the same view
of plumbers, carpenters,
chefs, bakers, street
cleaners, garbage collectors
and law-enforcement
personnel.
They all work and deal
with physically tangible
things, and we see their
effects on people’s lives. It
can be empirically proven
that they make life bet ter for
ADOBO
others.
But what about
poets, musicians, painters,
sculptors and other
artists? What is it that we
contribute? Do we make
life better for people and
society?
I always felt that being
an artist was an urge, a
compulsion to create. In
the early years, I had no
concerns about helping
people or even thinking
of my work in any larger
context except pure selfexpression. I merely wanted
to sing and write songs,
nothing more.
There was no great
desire to change the world
or anything of the sort.
It was during martial
law when I suddenly had
a change of paradigm. It
was a time when the very
reason for being an artist —
that is, to express oneself
— was threatened with
illegal detention and the
suspension of human rights.
Something in me found this
revolting. As a free spirit, I
was being forced to limit the
way I could express myself.
Imagination and expression
were fettered. It was like we
were living in a no-fly zone.
To me, Imelda’s mantra
of “the true, the good and
the beautiful” was about
limiting directions and
horizons where artists can
go. It was all pretty words to
hide the suppression and
repression that was martial
law. We could only create
pretty things that did not
upset anyone or raise any
important issues in society.
During that time,
I also saw some of my
great teachers, people
who opened my mind,
locked up in jail. I read
about Pablo Picasso and
other artists who stood up
against the dictatorships in
their own nations. Charlie
Chaplin used his persona
to make a film called The
Great Dictator in which he
ridiculed and railed against
Adolf Hitler.
Those times of
repression were a defining
moment for me. I felt
turmoil inside. It was a
clash between being an
artist and avoiding trouble
or expressing feely what I
wanted to say. I could not
continue being oblivious
to the society I lived in. I had
to be honest and choose
whether I was a free artist,
or I was not. I chose to be a
free one.
That was when I learned
to pay attention not just to
the style of music I created,
but also to the content of
my songs.
It was both scary and
exhilarating to freely speak
one’s mind against the
dictatorship that was a
threatening presence to
everyone. But I had already
awakened to the larger
meaning of what expressing
art was all about. There was
no turning back.
To this day, when I find
myself swimming against
the tide as I express my
opinions, I still feel scared.
But an urge is an urge, and
an itch must be scratched.
An artist must express. It is a
primal urge.
The world speaks to
everyone. Others may not
notice it, or simply opt
to keep the dialogue to
themselves. But an artist
must, on some level, talk
about his conversation
with the universe. He must
talk about what he finds
meaningful in the world
so that he may share this
with others.
“When your mind
is simply trapped by the
image out there so that you
never make the reference to
yourself, you have misread
the image,” wrote my idol,
Joseph Campbell. A shared
common experience for all
of us at times: we miss out or
fail to interpret the meaning
of events and things. This is
where visionaries, artists can
come in with their insights
on life and the world.
With artistic messaging
and style, the truth out there
becomes clear enough to
understand. An artist can
inspire and enlighten if he
chooses to. When art moves
people to action, it leads to
something tangible.
JIM PAREDES
is a multifaceted creative. He
sings, composes, writes articles and books, teaches at
the Ateneo De Manila University, designs and facilitates
workshops. He is a writer of books, a widely read
columnist for the Sunday Life section of Philippine Star,
and a well-known photographer.
(A Dose of Brown Opinion)
P’s of peace: How to make our communities safer
A
Opinion pieces
are all welcome.
Ang Kalatas does not
necessarily share the
views of the writers.
ustralia is
a peaceful
nation. Its
citizens are
among the
friendliest and most
peaceful people in the
world. Australians are
generally embracive of
multiculturalism.
However, certain
events elsewhere in the
world and closer to our
neighbourhood have
recently reverberated in
the heart of our peaceloving society, prompting
the government to warn
us to be more vigilant. Be
alert, not alarmed, it warns.
The spectre of terrorism
and violence has made
its presence felt. Our
communities now feel
that there may be real and
present danger lurking.
The shooting in
Martin’s Place a few
months back, and
in Parramatta more
recently, have become
wakeup calls. These
tragedies galvanised the
population in expressing
a sentiment of disgust
over the shootings. The
messages in social media,
the commentaries in
broadcast and print media,
and the spontaneous floral
offerings in those places
tinged with innocent
blood were testaments
to how Australians
were incensed by these
dastardly acts.
As members of the
community, we could
take a lesson or two from
these sad chapters in
our modern history that
changed our realities
and perceptions forever.
From these lessons, we
Ang Kalatas is published every first Saturday of the month circulated in
various parts of NSW. News articles, opinions, syndication and columnists do not necessarily reflect the views and opinion of the publisher
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could strengthen our
community’s defences
with measures and
strategies that can help
safeguard the members’
safety.
I have a few
suggestions. I call these the
P’s of peace.
Pitagan. Respect
begets respect. As we give
respect to other cultures
and personages, it is
hoped that so shall they
return that favour, and our
co-existence will be more
peaceful.
Pakikipagkapuwa at
pakikisama. Cooperation
and a positive community
spirit validate the
tenet calling for love of
neighbour. These can be
strengthened through
cultural exchanges,
multicultural fairs,
interfaith dialogues.
Pakikiisa. Unity creates
oneness of purpose
and therefore enhances
harmony acros s cultures.
This oneness can be
harnessed to advocate
peace.
Pang-unawa.
Understanding others and
respecting our differences
lead to a climate of
tolerance thereby avoiding
or minimising situations
that could create conflicts.
Pagbabantay at
pagmamatyag. Vigilance
is an important key to
MILLIE MARCIAL-PHILLIPS
Publisher/Managing Editor
TITUS FILIO
Editor
physical safety. Let us be
watchful and alert, and any
suspicious activity must be
reported to authorities so
they can take appropriate
action.
Pamamahayag.
Expressions of freedoms
and rights are encouraged
as we live in a democratic
society. However, such
expressions must be
within the ambit of what
is allowed under the
Constitution and other
laws of the land.
Some of these
measures are easier said
than done. But every bit
of genuine effort could go
a long way in calming and
reassuring our community.
It is important that
we reclaim the high
ground where proper
sense and sensibilities
reign. It is important for
the government to always
exercise its duty of care to
every citizen. Let us pray
that our communities
and institutions are
safeguarded and continue
to exist in a climate peace.
DANNY DINGLE
holds a degree in
Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, where he
became the The Sebastinian’s first editor-in-chief during
martial law. He was a Philippine government scholar
to the UP School of Economics and Harvard University,
Cambridge, MA, USA. He worked at the Department of
Budget and Management before migrating to Australia.
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