Category Archive for: kawomenan

radikalchick.lit

on Of Love and Other Lemons, v.1*

Making Lemonade

There is a romance that we like to imagine about writing, and especially the writing of a book. And while my rebellious self would like to tell you that this was not the case for Of Love and Other Lemons, that would be a lie. Certainly it came from a personal history of love and loss and sadness, complete with the high – if not OA – drama of buckets of tears. But the writing of this book didn’t happen while I was going through all those things.

Instead the writing happened when I was at the point of reckoning with the cards life had dealt me (naks high drama), and particularly when I was away from Manila. Distance allowed me to think of freedom, where Manila – the Philippines – felt oppressive, too small that I couldn’t even stretch. (more…)

kultura

#SpeakUp about the violence against the Pinay

(more…)

kultura

a quickie: prostitution ain’t witty

it was literature that taught me about the objectification of women. no, it was philippine literature that taught me about the oppression of the Filipina, the kind that objectifies her, makes her into nothing but image, nothing but stereotype. half-naked if not totally so. skin and leg and boobs and butt. image not voice. body not thought.

and just in case everyone thought this witty and funny, and thought nothing of the layers of this image we’ve used to sell a a government-sponsored international literature festival.

the red light district, is about prostitution, and carries with it the contingent oppressions of woman in this country. (more…)

komentaryo

click for project stitch!

Project Stitch puts the Filipino woman worker at the forefront of changing her own impoverished life and gives an entrepreneurial bent to the task of struggle. it will allow for women in poor communities in Manila to engage in sewing cooperatives, that will work toward a sustainable and just livelihood for women.

most important? i trust the women who are behind this project. i would trust them with my life, in fact.

Project Stitch is the only Filipina project in the top 9 finalists of Project Inspire 2012. click and vote so that Project Stitch can actually happen!  (more…)

kultura

Bid Bad Bayo

Lest Bayo think that a short three-sentence apology from its vice president is enough. Lest Bayo imagines that a flurry of memes is good publicity still.

Lest they are ready to milk the noise that has surrounded this “What’s your mix?” campaign for all its worth and spin it by having these five girls Jasmine, Ana, Nikita, Margo and Kharu talk about how Filipino they are, or how much they love that percentage of them that’s Pinay.

Lest Bayo thinks they don’t need to reassess and cancel this campaign altogether, because maybe it’s that long copy that’s the problem here. Lest they will take their sweet good time pulling those ads, given reports that they are taking all of it down.

The answer is no, Bayo. (more…)