A language’s worth: August as commemorative month for the Philippine national language

lb. In the 1930s, Tagalog started being promoted as the Philippines’ national language, which today bears the name ‘Filipino’. In order to consolidate this status, the month of August was defined in 1997 as ‘Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa’ – the commemorative month for the national language. On 4 August 2022, the Philippine Consulate in Frankfurt invited … Read more

Litprom promotes Philippine novels

ah. They come on a platter: eleven novels and graphic novels. Recent publications. The National Book Development Board of the Philippines has commissioned the German organization Litprom to beat the advertising drum. The brochure itself is worth reading. “In most novels, nature plays an active, decisive and threatening role, but it also entails a deep … Read more

Old Ghosts Don’t Die – Aswang & Co. arrive in Europe with Mo Schneyder’s Gothic Novel

lb. Despite the aggressive christianization by the Spanish, many elements from Philippine mythology have survived. Roman Catholic rituals are ubiquitously married with indigenous customs and the pre-Christian god Bathala is even commonly invoked in the everyday expression “Bahala na” (approximative translation: que sera sera). Traditional mythology has always been a leitmotif in Philippine pop culture … Read more

“Common Diversities” gives young Filipin@s from German-speaking regions a voice

lb. During the phase in which we transition from childhood to adulthood, we are exposed to various influences that have a lasting effect on us. The book Common Diversities for the first time provides an empirical and scientific exploration of how their youth affects 2nd- and 3rd-generation Filipin@s in particular. It is a collection of essays … Read more

Teresita V. Ramos and her Language Books – Not Forgotten

ah. Students of the language Filipino usually make good progress until they stumble over the complicated verb forms. Then it is time to unlearn what you understood as active-passive clauses and modes in Indo-European languages. A philosophical adventure begins. Different authors of language teaching materials have created different terminologies. With the terms “mode”, “focus”, “point … Read more

Of Children who Lose their Parents

Sheree Domingo’s Comic «Ferngespräch» tells about the Consequences of Migration lb. «Global care chain» describes the phenomenon when duties of familial care are shared across borders. Even back in 2016, The New Yorker wrote about women who leave their children in the care of their grandmothers in the Philippines in order to pursue jobs as nannies … Read more

The time when Filipinos were not allowed to be Americans

lb. Daniel Immerwahr’s «How to Hide an Empire» about questions of race in American Imperialism  The European soccer championship “UEFA EURO 2020” that was held in 2021 has once again spurred comparisons to ancient gladiator games. It also reignited discussions about the “Swissness” of certain members of the Swiss national team who lacked lip-synchronicity during … Read more