Third Zone by Boboy Yonzon
Third Zone

Let me hear and watch you say

Nov 15, 2021, 4:40 AM
Boboy Yonzon

Boboy Yonzon

Columnist

I GREW in a home with strong emphasis on the visual arts, the smell of linseed oil still a strong reminder of those days.

My first face-to-face encounter with literature or, more precisely, oral literature was in the home of an ex-girlfriend whose one branch of family are Bulakenos.

I was fascinated, rather than struck, by the mannerisms of her grandfather, blind grandmother, English-phobic aunt, and even her artistic mother who would take their own corners of the house to “recite” their days-in-a-life – sometimes, in humor; other times in horror.

I was so captivated that I adopted these “characters” in the first ever television drama that I wrote. With their soliloquys and dialogues expanding.

I was not able to use their favorite poems, though. They were for mature audiences.

Tata: “Si Maria Kondende/Nagtinda ng gabe/Nang walang bumili/Umupo sa isang tabi/Nagkamot ng kwe-kwe (pekpek).

Ina: Hulaan mo nga! “Nang inilibing ay buhay. Nang inihaon ay patay.” Was she hinting on what I was doing to her daughter?

No doubt, lovers of oral literature will surely get richer materials in the coming “Performatura: Peformance Literature Festival” at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) on November 22, 23, and 24.

Lumped together as “orature” are poetry readings, storytelling, theatrical shows, dance dramas, musical presentations, and even spoken word competitions.

With the pandemic still in our midst, all these will be online, which brings to fore how technology has made us all connected, while at the same time separated.

Vim Nadera, the festival director, says that “amidst the crisis, CCP remains unaffected in fulfilling its vision and mission of bringing our country’s rich history and heritage, especially in the various fields of literature, performance as well as performing arts.”

CCP says that The Performatura (Pandemic Edition) is a proof that no virus can prevent artists and cultural workers, and culture bearers as well, from gathering together.

“Such a literary fiesta, empowers individuals and communities to use their inner voices and inventiveness, tangible and intangible, to shout out to the world that creativity, still and all, humanizes.

Thus, CCP says, Performatura 2021 is more than just an art festival, it is a ritual for cultural wellness and well-being.

Orature is a term coined by Ugandan linguist Pio Zirimu who wanted to raise (itals mine) literature to written literature.

I do not know if I got it right, is oral literature inferior compared to written literature?

This harks us back to that threshold in human history when sages warned us about the perils of writing.

That committing thoughts with ink into paper would destroy the capacity of people to express themselves fully though the spoken words.

Socarates, for instance, believed that rather than exercising our brains to recall information, writing encourages us to rely on external texts.

That is why Socrates never wrote down any of his teachings.

The philosophers lectured that instead of understanding something and internalizing it, those reliant on the written content do not need to remember them. They just pull out texts and read from them.

That is a common complaint of teachers about today’s students. They do not even write anymore. They just take photos of lectures on boards or, worse, cut and paste from the Internet.

Most of the things they “know” are lodged in external hard drives, namely worldwide web.

But I digress. Let us go back to Performatura 2021.

On November 22, Performatura will pay tribute to Huseng Batute, the nom de plume of the poet Jose Corazon de Jesus who will be marking his 125th birthday.

There will be musical numbers and balagtasan.

Balagtasan, for those who have forgotten, is a form of fascinating debate done in verse.

Now that I think about it, I was probably influenced by my former girlfriend’s Bulakeno family when I had organized and sponsored several Balagtasan competitions in Baliuag.

On November 23, CCP will have a whole day of paean to Bagong Bonifacio or new heroes, with particular mention of medical front liners who lost their lives.

There will be book launches, storytelling, poetry readings, and musical performances.

The day will be capped by the presentation of S.I.P.A. International Performance Art Festival with Filipino and foreign artists.

The last day, November 24, is Araw ng mga Aklat at Akdang Bayan. A significant activity of that day is the inauguration of the Book Nook by the National Book Development Board.

This aims to set up centers in areas where it difficult or almost impossible to access libraries or Internets.

Perhaps NBDB should adopt a counter-intuitive approach. It should bring not just libraries but wonderful reading experiences in places where people congregate, namely malls and parks.

Literature, oral or otherwise, can make people into intelligent voters.


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