It’s the second year that we are observing the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples which began in 2005 and will end in 2015. Despite the UN’s recognition that IPs have serious concerns that need to be addressed, the mainstream media continue to ignore IPs in their coverage of the news. Even here in the Philippines, IPs are generally written about in a stereotypical, romanticized manner. (Read more about it here).
(Tourists pose with elderly Igorots in front of the Baguio Botanical Garden. Are we also partly to blame that lowlanders and the media stereotype us as poor and ignorant? More on this in my next post.)
In 2003, the UNESCO sponsored the International Forum on Local Cultural Expression and Communication and they came out with a document entitled “Giving New Voice to Endangered Cultures.”
One of the most revealing statements in that document is that “…(I)ndigenous people produce very little media about themselves.” Next, it poses the question: “How do indigenous voices and cultural systems become more widely available?”
Media student or not, we all agree that information is power. And information is media’s main product. Just imagine your day without tuning to the radio, watching TV or surfing the net. Unimaginable, di ba? But because media owners are more concerned about profit than anything, then it’s high time that we IPs produce our own media products. Thank God for the Internet, it has created another space, free (loosely speaking) at that, that encourages discussion and social networking. It's another thing that we have Marky Cielo to give a face to the Igorots as a people. Thank you, Marky, for proudly admitting that you are an IP:-)
It’s encouraging to see VCDs of Cordi musicians being sold in selected shops in Baguio. Even if the singers usually wear cowboy hats and boots, their music has rhythm and rhyme that’s uniquely Cordi. Knowledge of new technology is definitely a must for us if we intend to bring our voices to a larger audience.
I’ll be sharing some of my articles here about people and places in Cordi as an attempt to produce IP content. I think I’ve been bitten by the blog bug. Hahaha!
One of the most revealing statements in that document is that “…(I)ndigenous people produce very little media about themselves.” Next, it poses the question: “How do indigenous voices and cultural systems become more widely available?”
Media student or not, we all agree that information is power. And information is media’s main product. Just imagine your day without tuning to the radio, watching TV or surfing the net. Unimaginable, di ba? But because media owners are more concerned about profit than anything, then it’s high time that we IPs produce our own media products. Thank God for the Internet, it has created another space, free (loosely speaking) at that, that encourages discussion and social networking. It's another thing that we have Marky Cielo to give a face to the Igorots as a people. Thank you, Marky, for proudly admitting that you are an IP:-)
It’s encouraging to see VCDs of Cordi musicians being sold in selected shops in Baguio. Even if the singers usually wear cowboy hats and boots, their music has rhythm and rhyme that’s uniquely Cordi. Knowledge of new technology is definitely a must for us if we intend to bring our voices to a larger audience.
I’ll be sharing some of my articles here about people and places in Cordi as an attempt to produce IP content. I think I’ve been bitten by the blog bug. Hahaha!
2 comments:
Hi Bugan,
Yay! Another Igorot bitten by the blog bug :-) Welcome to the blogosphere. Mas marami tayo, mas masaya. You're right, blogs are a good way of challenging the stereotypes that mainstream media helps propagate.
Looking forward to more IP content from your blog :-)
Hi! Thanks for dropping by. Oo nga, mas masaya na mas marami tayong magbigay ng perspective tungkol sa Cordi.
All the best!
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