For Immediate Release
September 25, 2008
Contact: Riya Ortiz, 347.525.6727, ugnayan.nynj@gmail.com
New York City – On Saturday, September 27, local Filipino musicians and youth will come together to reclaim a piece of the Philippines’ history of resistance through poetry and music.
The event will commemorate US-backed dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law on September 21, 1972, and kick off a season of cultural work towards the building of a vibrant, progressive Filipino youth culture here in the US.
The event is organized by local Filipino youth organization Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Linking the Children of the Motherland).
In recognizing that cultural resistance had an important place in the Filipino people’s struggle against Martial Law, Ugnayan seeks to revive this culture of struggle locally. Reclaiming a culture of struggle, according to Ugnayan, means not only learning about Filipino history but also recognizing that the struggle continues.
“Even now, in the Philippines, standing up for affordable education or a decent wage can put your life at risk,” says Chevy Evangelista, an immigrant youth Ugnayan organizer. As President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visits the United Nations this week, Ugnayan members and allies will speak out against the political killings that continue under her presidency. Human rights organization Karapatan has recorded 910 victims of extrajudicial killings and 195 victims of enforced disappearances.
“As a Filipino in the US, knowing my history, our collective history, helps me to see how I’m connected to Filipinos in the Philippines today. We’re all part of the same struggle for justice,” says Melissa Gibson, a second-generation young Filipina and Ugnayan organizer.
The fall season of cultural work in the spirit of collective history and resistance will culminate in a larger event, RECLAIM: (Re)Affirming Our Culture of Resistance, Vol. 3, on October 25, in HK Lounge, Hells Kitchen, New York City. First held in 2003 & 2006, RECLAIM will once again fuse poetry, hiphop, rock & visual art that reflects the collective stories of the Filipino youth and our community in the Philippines & in the US.
This Saturday’s pre-RECLAIM 3 fundraising event will continue the tradition of celebrating the collective history, power and strength of the Filipino American youth through art and culture. The event will feature spoken word artist Ana Liza Caballes, singer/emcee Taiyo Na, emcee ML, hiphop group New York’s Finest Pinoyz, rock bands The Happy Analogues and The Kuwagos, and more.
Pre-RECLAIM 3 will take place Saturday, September 27 from 7pm-12am at Terraza Café, 40-19 Gleane St, Elmhurst, Queens (7 train to 82nd St.). Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door. All ages are welcome, and 21 years and older to drink.
