Arts | The state of affairs of Filipino literature

Angelo and Mookie Lacuesta

Writer Angelo Lacuesta and poet Mookie Lacuesta discussed the state of affairs of Filipino literature yesterday during a talk included in the 5th Macau Literary Festival and held at the Old Court Building.
According to Mookie, the origins of the country’s literature are associated with its colonial history. English was already used in the Philippines as a medium of instruction in private schools in the 1900’s during the period of American colonialism, with a wide array of English reading materials available, which helped Filipinos adapt to the language.
“There is a very strong nationalistic sense of preserving what’s our own background and not having any kind of colonial influence or presence. At the same time, America has proven to be our strongest ally,” she said.
Angelo Lacuesta said that the story of the Filipinos is a story of the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), mentioning the 25,000 to 30,000 OFWs in Macau.
“Who writes their stories? That’s where the problem lies because there is such a great divide in our literature where English is a language of the middle and upper classes, while Filipino [Tagalog] is the language of the OFW.”
The session also debated the case of José Rizal’s novel, “Noli Me Tángere,” which was originally written in Spanish. The novel, written during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines to further expose the biases of the ruling government, precipitated Rizal’s trips to Hong Kong and Macau in 1888. Staff reporter