In
my studies of Southeast Asian History, we have discussed the issue of “the view
from nowhere,” which is the trend in mainstream academia to strive for
objectivity and removing oneself from one’s writing. However, what is called
“objective” in reality is the Eurocentric White male perspective. This leads to
a silencing and invisibility of indigenous voices. Andresen’s article reflects
this idea in relation to the education of Filipinos on their own History: “[As]
Whites ‘we usually don’t think of ourselves as having a culture: we’re simply
right… dominant groups don’t hold perspectives they hold truths” (Andresen 71).
Through calling this perspective “objective,” the indigenous perspective is then
considered to be subjective and therefore inferior. Being white and American
becomes desirable.
I would have never realized how
deeply embedded into the Filipino identity this desire to emulate Americans is
without travelling to the Philippines. This issue becomes clear through the
large billboards lining the freeways of Manila, all of them featuring pictures
of Whites or pale Asians. And the difficulty of finding soap without whitening
to use in the shower. Or the thousands of McDonald’s, Coke ads, Hollywood style
movies, and radio stations playing American music. It all works towards
perpetuating a colonial mentality among Filipinos.
Kidlat
Tahimik’s installation at his lecture and film Perfumed Nightmare reflects this
theme. The Mickey Mouse Pope woodcarving symbolizes what Kidlat Tahimik refers
to as “500 years in the convent and 100 years in Hollywood.” This is the years
of Spanish and American colonization but also the fact that America never really
left the Philippines because it created an education system in the Philippines
which perpetuates this colonial mentality. Perfumed Nightmare shows this through
the character Kidlat’s obsession with America, Capitalism, Modernity, Science,
and beauty pageants. The beauty pageants are based on this sense of beauty which
glorifies more European features and skin tones. Science, Capitalism and
Modernity are associated with progress in the film. Kidlat meets the American
who hires him to work for his gum business which he hopes to sell in order to
buy a jean company: “First gum, then jeans, and then the army jeeps and jets.
That’s progress, my boy” (Tahimik) . In the end of the film,
Kidlat travels to Europe, where becomes disenchanted with modernity and decides
to return home. Rather than taking a plane, he “makes his own way” because he is
the “master of his of own vehicle” by using his breath to blow a chimney top up
into the air (Tahimik). Kidlat Tahimik focused a lot on this idea of being true
to your duende, one’s individual
spirit.
Rather
than create cheap Hollywood movies that continue this colonial mentality Kidlat
wishes to point tell the story of indigenous perspective. This is symbolized in
the installation with the bamboo camera focused at the indigenous goddess of the
wind rather than the Hollywood goddess of the wind, Marilyn Monroe. Through his
playing with words such as “indi-genius” for indigenous and “benevolent
assassination” for benevolent assimilation Kidlat Tahimik showed the way that
two ideas can be viewed from different perspectives. To Americans, the
indigenous people of the Philippines were uncivilized “little brown brother” who
America was burdened with bringing democracy and modernity to (Bose 260). To
Kidlat, indigenous people are intelligent and were assassinated culturally and
physically by the Americans. This differing understanding of history can be seen
in comparing Bose’s understanding of Baguio and the American view in Alcantara’s
article.
To
the Americans, Baguio was a place of potential wealth for the American in gold,
a retreat for soldiers from the heat of Manila, and a place to retreat to incase
of an insurrection (Alcantara 207). More importantly Baguio was a symbol of
American civilization, what America wanted to force onto the Philippines. It was
a place where affluent Filipinos would go to play bingo and to go to Camp John
Hay was a status symbol (Bose 262). In America’s perspective, Baguio is a place
that embodies the success of its civilizing mission. However, Bose sees it as a
place of resistance: “As with under the Spanish the cultural beliefs of the
indigenous tribes have been impervious to outside influences” (Bose 263). He
sees the continued superstitions, cults, folk heroes and traditional arts of
Baguio to be signs that there is still an invisible indigenous culture that
resisted colonialism: “My art is a means whereby I can gradually work towards
reinstating the importance of indigenous traditions in establishing a
contemporary worldview, cosmology, and in developing contemporary cultural
symbols” (Bose 267). Bose like Kidlat sees value in the indigenous viewpoint and
desires to challenge the mainstream understanding of History and culture in the
Philippines. Through showing that Filipino culture has something of value these
artists helps to decolonize the minds of Filipinos and give others a sense of
self worth.
Bibliography
Andresen, T. The
"Other" Students.
Alcantara, Baguio Between Wars
Bose, Baguio Graffiti
Tahimik, K.
(Director). Perfumed Nightmare [Motion
Picture].
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