#Pananaw 2014: Oral History for the next generation

Yesterday, I had the privilege of being part of ANAK’s Pananaw 2014 Youth Forum. In conjunction with the United Way, the forum consisted of 17 high school students from Daniel McIntyre and Sisler High School. The participants ranged in grade level from 9 to 12, but all shared in a common heritage as Filipino-Canadians. 15 students were born in the Philippines with the vast majority of them arriving before the age of 13. 2 students were born in Canada. The forum was conducted in both Tagalog and English. The purpose of the workshop was for ANAK to gather direction for future programming and develop policy papers with this new generation in mind. The workshops included discussions in education, employment, immigration, politics (civic engagement), family, and oral history. I was excited to have the opportunity to introduce and (in a very, abbreviated way) train young people in oral history. This blog post will elaborate on this experience.

For the last few years, the Manila to Manitoba exhibit has gained new life as a published book (so far, one volume of five) and the revisited exhibit presently at the United Way building. It was exciting to bring this forward to the young people at yesterday’s forum. The workshop began with the questions: What is “oral history”? What is “history”? What is the difference? The students (as witty as they were) concluded that “oral history” is based on tradition and is passed on through stories. “History” they argued is formalized and written. So, I asked, what is the Manila to Manitoba Exhibit – oral history or history? It is based on interviews or the oral tradition, but it is written and formalized in a museum. Does this make the exhibit “oral history” or “history”? They were stumped.

I asked the students to ponder who exactly writes the history we learn. After extensive discussions on the community and (multicultural) education in earlier workshops, the students concluded that oral history was the best way to gather the history of Winnipeg’s Filipino-Canadians given that the community’s history is recent and “we” are the real scholars and subjects of the topic. This was the perfect introduction for them to understand why it is important to preserve our present history.

In pairs, I had the students interview each other based on a number of “Filipino-Canadian” artifacts they were to choose from. Not quite sure how to grasp the task, the students were then advised that they were writing for an audience in the future, 100 years from now. How would they describe Filipino-Canadians today? The artifacts included a Globe SIM card instruction booklet, Original Pilipino Music VHS Karaoke, papaya skin whitening soap, Filipino candies, Filipino snacks, a 35mm film camera, an airmail envelope, facebook/twitter/BBM icons, Pilipino Express news magazine, and Canada Olympic mittens.

What resulted from the interviews was a range of answers. Many took the literal route and took the time to describe the item in varying detail. I could feel my age show when I had to describe what a “VHS tape” was to students. I try to forget that this group of young people never owned a VHS or tape player in their lifetime.  Some students analyzed the items’ social context. The Papaya skin whitening soap for example was described as something Filipinos use because of an admiration for “white people.” On the other hand, one student described the Filipino candies on a personal level as something that sparks memories of their grandparents when they were growing up in the Philippines. To wrap up the workshop, I had each group present their “museum” to some guests from the “future”. It was a humorous way to see how their descriptions could be used or scrutinized by later generations.

All in all, my greatest joy came from hearing that the students that history is something they can “do”. They look forward to exploring their own personal histories more.  Yay!

Honouring A Pioneer

Oral history book features Dr. Jose Belmonte

REVIEW
Published in Pilipino Express (September 1-15, 2012)

WINNIPEG – When Dr. Jose Belmonte came to Canada in November 1956 the Filipino immigrant population was so small that the government had no record of their number. He started his new life as a young medical intern in Sudbury, Ontario but he would later settle in Winnipeg where he took a job as an anaesthesiologist at Victoria Hospital in 1962. Fifty years later, Dr. Belmonte’s experience as one of the earliest Filipino-Canadians is featured in the new book entitled From Manila to Manitoba: Filipino-Canadian Oral History Series Volume 1, Winnipeg’s Health Professionals (c.1950-1970) by Darlyne Bautista.

Three years in the making, the book is the first in a series of five to come from the oral history project of the youth group Aksyon Ng Ating Kabataan (ANAK), which began documenting the experiences of ordinary Filipino-Canadians in 2009 through recorded interviews. Twenty-five of those interviews were featured in the exhibit From Manila to Manitoba at the Manitoba Museum in 2010.

Not just a biography

While first-generation Filipino-Canadians will certainly enjoy reading about Dr. Belmonte’s memories in the book, it is no “mere biography,” as stated in the introduction. There is also plenty of background information to aid all readers in understanding the circumstances that converged – both in the Philippines and in Canada – to bring Dr. Belmonte and so many other Filipinos to this country.

 

“I wanted to show how comprehensive oral histories can be – as opposed to the popular understanding of oral history as biography, Bautista told Pilipino Express.”

 

To that end, Belmonte’s selected anecdotes and comments serve as introductions to deeper examinations of such varied topics as the history of the elite class in the Philippines, the padrino culture of patrons and clients in Philippine society and politics, and even the birth of Canada’s public health care system.

Bautista’s approach not only provides a series of brief history lessons but it also helps to clarify Belmonte’s story for readers who did not grow up in the Philippines. For instance, one could easily miss the full import of Belmonte’s comment, “but my dad never got involved in politics,” but to most Filipinos, the meaning is clear: being a “non-political” professional in the Philippines is a career killer and therefore emigration is an attractive option. The comment thus becomes the starting point for a chapter on politics and opportunity in post-war Philippines. This combination of reminiscences and historical research makes From Manila to Manitoba a valuable work that scholars will consult for decades to come.

Four more volumes in the series will be published but a definite timeline for their release has not yet been set. “I want to be sure I honour all of the informants properly,” said Bautista.

 

A second-generation Filipina-Canadian, Darlyne Bautista holds a BA (Honours) in History and International Development from the University of Winnipeg and an MA in Southeast Asian Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is also a school trustee in the Winnipeg School Division, Ward 3 and a founding member of ANAK.

 

From Manila to Manitoba Volume 1 featuring Dr. Jose Belmonte is available for order through the anakbooks.ca web site or by writing to info@anak.ca This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . All purchases through anakbooks.ca help to support ANAK programming.

Winnipeg’s Filipino-Canadian History in Print!

After a long summer of writing and researching, travels and community work, I return with an update on the continued progress of this oral history project.

ANAK Publishing Worker Co-operative will launch volume one of its five part series in Winter 2011/12. The series is aply titled From Manila to Manitoba. Each volume will offer an in-depth examination of the history of the Filipino-Canadian community decade by decade from 1959 to 2009. It will include oral histories, academic theories, portraits and historical images.

I thank you for your patience as it has taken some time for me to ensure that the depth and quality of research is equal to the love and respect this history it deserves! If you would like to pre-order your copy through ANAK Filipiniana and Books Social Enterprise, please contact info@anak.ca Proceeds from the sales of this series will support local educational programming.

NOSTALGIA PILI-PEG

People Power, Martial Law and Winnipeg

In 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law thereby enforcing an end to fundamental freedoms and rights enjoyed by Filipinos at home. For Filipinos in the diaspora, including those in Winnipeg, Marcos’ decree was a cause for worry as much as it was a call for action. The Filipino living outside the Philippines was, although out of reach physically, very much involved intellectually in the movement that would culminate as People Power in 1986. The tie between the Filipino and the Philippines; the Filipino-Canadian and Canada; and eventually Canada and the Philippines under Marcos were conceptualized by one and the same person through his/her multiple migrant identities. Events were organized, messages fowarded, and funds likely raised as a show of support miles away. Kalayaan Philippine News and Views, a community paper published by Ted Alcuitas, agitated rising anti-Marcos sentiment in Winnipeg. The paper later welcomed church official and key People Power proponent, Cardinal Jaime Sin to Winnipeg in a 1988 visit to the city under the Winnipeg Filipino Project. The push for Philippine Democracy from the diaspora appears to have been acknowledged by Cardinal Sin’s visit to Winnipeg. I will reserve the discussions shared in our Oral History interviews on this topic for the actual Manitoba Museum exhibit so do stay tuned!

I can go on forever about Martial Law and its implications to Filipinos living outside of the Philippines as an intro to what multitudes more can be said about People Power and Philippine politics, but I leave that for you to learn and discover. Instead, listen to Mr. Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino, the foremost opponent to Marcos and later celebrated martyr of Philippine democracy, speak as a vocal exile in the diaspora in this American interview on the 700 Club.

Source: (top) Winnipeg Free Press (25 February 1986); (middle) Kalayaan Vol.5, No.1 (January 1988); (bottom)tscacbnasia You Tube channel (uploaded 23 Dec 2008)

NOSTALGIA PILI-PEG

From 500 to over 30,000: Migrating to and Staying in Winnipeg

I am sure there are many well-known assumptions Winnipegers might have about Filipino migration to Winnipeg. There are, of course, the obvious ones like Filipinos migrate to Canada to leave a ‘Third-World’ country, seek a ‘better life’ and secure the future of their children. As true as these assumptions may be about many Filipino-Canadians today, one would have to wonder if such reasoning was always the case. After all, the community was first established by a number of young, often single, well-to-do group of educated, worldly professionals.

Take the attached 1968 Winnipeg Free Press article for example. In Carmen-Litta Magnus’ article “Filipinos Adjust to Winnipeg Life” (Winnipeg Free Press, 7 December 1968). She describes a growing community of 500 Filipinos represented largely (she claims 90 percent) by professionals. At the time, 170 Filipina women had just arrived in the city as Canada Manpower recruits to work in the then bustling garment industry. The photo of the man happens to be of Dr. Basilio N. Bautista, then president of the Kayumanggi Philippine Association, and a post-doctoral student training in plastic surgery at Winnipeg General Hospital and Children’s Hospital. He explains that the community has grown because “[m]any come because of the academic advantages and others for adventure. We are an adventurous people.” An interesting viewpoint that is quite the opposite of what most assume today.

Now with over 30,000 strong and growing, the Filipino-Canadian community in Winnipeg can credit the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program, Federal Family Reunification Program, Temporary Foreign Worker Program, births and an institutionalized labour export system in the Philippines to its growth. But, when you dig deep and see that the community has grown because people also stayed, settled and planted roots in the city (despite the harsh winters and everything else that bemoans Winnipeg), one may realize that there is an element of individual agency working as well. The community’s foundation in Winnipeg stands on the decisions of an adventurous number of Filipino voyageurs. Economic divide or not, the deeper reasons why the first few Filipinos chose to call Winnipeg home deserve to be explored.

NOSTALGIA PILI-PEG

PILIPINAS + WINNIPEG = PILI-PEG!

For the past few months we have had the honour of recording nearly 25 personal narratives representing the Filipino-Canadian experience in Winnipeg. The goal is to best represent each decade from 1960 to today. It has been an ambitious and important task that we take to heart as our responsibility for future generations. This blog is meant to share in our excitement as we delve into the lesser-known past of Winnipeg’s largest immigrant community. Join us! Share your thoughts photos and memories!

History appears to be repeating itself yet again for the growing Filipino-Canadian community.

If you flip through to page A12 of today’s Winnipeg Free Press you’ll be welcomed by the heading “Filipino nurses find life sweet in rural RHAs” along with a proud photo of 20 kababayan nurse-recruits at a ceremony in their honour at the Manitoba Legislative Assembly. Looking back to 1960, the Free Press was pleased to also announce “Filipino Nurses Study Hospital Trends Here” in the Items of Social and Personal Interest Section (p.12). There’s a happy photo of Purification de la Cruz and Estrella Dayrit complete in nurse uniform at work at the Misericordia General Hospital.

Healthcare has and continues to link many Filipino immigrant professionals to Winnipeg. Today, there is a reported nursing surplus in the Philippines with more nurses than jobs available. Perhaps one can go farther to say that international wage discrepancies, institutionalized labour export systems, and limited employment at home has driven an established culture of out-migration to the bounties of rural Manitoba. According to Minister Theresa Oswald, over the last decade 2,000 nursing positions have opened with vacancies largely in rural areas (L. Kusch Winnipeg Free Press (December 4, 2009) p.A12). The pull for Filipino recruits specifically is an intriguing one. One I admit we will need to research more thoroughly for the upcoming exhibit.

Back in 1960, Winnipegers did not have to travel too far for Filipino nurse-recruits. Rather, there were already a number of them living, studying, and/or working next door in the United States. For the 9 Filipinas (Augustina Berry, Jovita Liban, Rebecca Carino, Bienvinida Neis, Estrella Dayrit, Purificacion de la Cruz, Vicenta Tolosa, Cora Laigo, Fe Viloria) who arrived at Winnipeg’s Misericordia General Hospital in 1960, they had already gained clinical experience as exchange visitors in Chicago; Rochester, Minnestota; Philadelphia; and Hamilton, Ohio. The ease of movement for Filipino scholars and professionals to travel to the United States attests to the Philippines’ colonial history as a former colony of the United States. Canada became the next stop for a number of these pensionados where the demand for healthcare professionals also appeared until the late 1970s. The healthcare resurgence for Filipino recruits reappeared again in the 1990s and today.

Photo credits: (top) David Lipnowski / Winnipeg Free Press, 2009; (bottom) Winnipeg Free Press, 1960

CALL FOR ARTISTS, ARTEFACTS

December 2, 2009

We want to include the community in creating this milestone exhibit. We need to capture the memories of our community from 1960 and beyond. So contact us with your artwork, photos, nostalgia and it may be featured as part of the:

1) Main Exhibition
– Portraying a decade by decade snapshot of the Filipino-Canadian community in Winnipeg to compliment written research and oral histories
– Examples may include photos of first arrival to Winnipeg, workplace, Winnipeg scenery, Filipino-Canadian community events (ie. fiestas, sports, church, folklorama, performances, strikes, business, rallies, holidays)

2) Interpretation of the Filipino-Canadian community’s future
– Live artistic interpretation of the hopes, dreams, aspiration of Filipino-Canadian youth will be the capstone centre piece of the exhibit
– Priority will be given to works/samples with originality and meaningful content; we encourage artists to research the concept of Filipino-Canadian identity and branch away from mainstream imagery (ie. flags, palm trees, planes, faces)

If your peice is chosen, you will be recognized as an artistic contributor and possibly featured in promotions and published materials.