Waking Up Civil Society Through the Arts

The first encounter between the Cebu Volunteers Perlas for President and some of the most respected Cebu artists on Wednesday (March 5, 2010) was a mind-stirring and heart-warming (heart-tugging) revelation about the life of artists in this part of the country.

Artists expressed feelings of repression. Not that they are prevented by anything like Martial Law from expressing their thoughts and feelings. What constrains them is that their art cannot sustain even their mundane needs. How can it then buy them the tools needed to hone their craft? Many have to hold regular jobs like call center jobs and other available means of living, making them fall short of the demands of their jealous muses.

Budoy’s experience was revealing. From Samar, he came to Cebu to train and be a visual artist. Since he found that this art form could not sustain his needs, he shifted to another art form. As Junior Kilat he rose in the local music scene. Still, he needed media exposure in Manila to hit it big. This came to him courtesy of a stay in the Pinoy Big Brother house. With it, he became public property. Unfortunately, the public had a different appreciation of the image they wanted him to project. Budoy had to find new options.

Who shall support the artists?

Is it the government? Zarah Smith, a popular musician and song writer pointed out that some countries like Switzerland support their artists, to the extent of allocating funds for them to share their art with other peoples of the world.

But how can a political administration give consideration for the special needs of artists when it cannot deliver basic services to the majority of its people? How can a political leadership provide a nurturing environment to artists when during its watch there was a considerable rise in number of journalists and media practitioners killed?

Is it business? As an event organizer, Fil acts as bridge between the artist and the business client. Forging a contract between these two is not easy. Artists value their sense of identity. For some of them to sing the songs they did not write goes against their principle. On the other hand, business puts premium on earnings on any given transaction. It is important to business sponsors that their chosen artist can bring in the patronage avalanche for the company’s products or services.

Is it civil society? Paolo Varela, a radio/TV host who is apparently a witness to the struggles of artists said, “culture of this society is not ready for their art.”

Why is this so, when culture (and art with it) gives identity and builds values and moral fiber of society?

Unfortunately our identity is still chained to our colonial frame of mind. This loss of identity became worse with the destruction of democratic structures and institutions during the regime of President Marcos. (The military was politicized; civil service was bloated by patronage, the control of the economy in the hands of few.) Moreover, with the Arroyo’s administration’s desensitization of our national psyche to corruption, violence and abuses, we are demolished at the core. There seems little left of true ideals and time-honored values.

According to Becky Smith, head of the Information Section of the Cebu Volunteers Perlas for President, “ this situation pushed Nicanor Perlas to run for the highest political office.” If the current callousness is allowed to prevail, a point will be reached when our society will lose its soul. After this, it will be difficult to restore our sense of spirituality or regain our capability for the sublime.

A President can trigger social transformation. According to Nicanor Perlas, “culture is an exciting dimension of Philippine excellence that has yet to be fully mobilized for national development.“ It is people constituting institutions. When people change their mindset and their values, collectively they can change institutions and work towards obtaining their aspirations. For us the Cebu Volunteers of the Perlas for President campaign, the election is just the beginning. We are in this for the long haul.

What will the artists contribute to this social transformation?

Music artists, who have risen in their craft, like Zarah Smith and Cattski Espina, believe that the artist must “do it himself,” pull away from frustration and low esteem, focus on creating quality work and a distinct identity -- an authentic voice. Cattski Espina and other artists have formed a cooperative for mutual support. On process is the promotion of song writing in Bisaya and enabling artists to produce their own songs.

Cebu is now known for excellence in reggae. G.K. Gonzales, reggae musician, culled from his experience in Hawaii, “ we artists have to start with ourselves, we have to have a sense of community by helping each other and we have to also become part of a larger society.”

Teresa Ruelas, who heads the Secretariat of Perlas Cebu articulated one realization, “This campaign is a bit like the artists’ experience of being marginalized because we are not mainstream, traditional, popular. Together, starting with ourselves, we are to awaken civil society. How do we do that?”

There was so much to think about, several proposals and suggestions and a number of concerns but the meeting had to come to an end. As a meeting ender, Becky shared a beautiful lesson drawn from her experience working with the Cebu Volunteers of Perlas for President, “if the intention is clear, the mechanism will appear.“

For me, the evening still offered another beautiful perspective. Budoy shared with us his social development project. He is making furniture from industrial wastes with the idle kids in an upland neighborhood. Certainly, he shall enrich the community with his visual art, which , being his first love, shall enrich his soul as well.

Shall this -- the coming together of one's true purpose and art and applying it in service of something bigger than oneself -- might this be one way of awakening and enriching civil society? In this conversation between the Cebu Artists and the Cebu Volunteers for Nicanor Perlas, we realized we had come together to live the question.