From WhirledView
A Look at World Politics & Most Everything Else
Bloggers:
Patricia Kushlis, international affairs specialist in Europe, Asia, the US, politics, public diplomacy and national security.
Cheryl Rofer, chemist; international environmental projects, nuclear and strategic issues.
Patricia Lee Sharpe, communications specialist with 22 years in the U.S. foreign service in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Bill Stewart, former Foreign Service officer and Time Magazine bureau chief; Vietnam, India and the Middle East.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
Inang Bayan’s New Clothes – A Book Review Essay
By Patricia H. Kushlis
Shhh. This delightful children’s book may – or may not - be off-limits to Americans. So let’s pretend you didn’t hear about it from me. But it’s a best seller in the Philippines.
I first learned about Inang Bayan’s New Clothes from one of the few informative articles I’ve come across of late in State the State Department’s in-house magazine so I sent out feelers to see if I could obtain a copy.
Don’t ask how I got it but I did.
That’s best kept part of my “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy – because of an outdated law known as Smith-Mundt that restricts Americans’ access to learning what our taxpayers’ dollars are supporting overseas. Thanks to the Internet, however, you can at least see American Ambassador Kristie Kenney on the US Embassy’s webpage reading from the book to a group of Filipino girls in 2006 when it first appeared. It then took over a year for the story to appear in State – but better late than never.
Suffice it to say that I’ll bet you never dreamed that US government money would help finance a story about two Filipino girls – Feliza and Nurhana, one Christian and the other Muslim – who live in Mindanao, work in a dress shop after school and despite their families’ religious differences are best of friends.
The purpose of this book is to promote inter-communal understanding – and it is clearly aimed at Filipino girls. It is full of pretty clothes, lovely pictures, and paper dolls to dress. In so doing, it shows the multi-ethnic heritage of Filipinos and it also depicts how it is possible – two girls at a time - to play a part in overcoming the devastating religious cleavage that has bedeviled the southern-most part of the archipelago for years. The name "Inang Bayan" means the Philippine Motherland or Spirit. It dates back - at least - to the early 1900s. Inang Bayan is also known as the "first muse" of Philippine poets.
In short, this little paperback book with cut-outable inserts is a winner.
Its authors – Tony Perez and Agnes Caballa - are veteran Filipino public diplomacy staff at the US Embassy in Manila and its illustrator is Frances Alcaraz, a illustrator and Ateneo de Manila University professor. Perez is an award-winning author in his own right and Caballa is a television script writer, lyricist and stage director, as well as co-editor of the magazine Muslim Life in the Philippines. The book was published by Anvil, a major Filipino publishing house, and its publication and production was financed by the U.S. government. Inang Bayan’s New Clothes is, apparently, still in print – or perhaps back in print because it is so popular. But don't expect to find it on Amazon. The text is in both Cebuano (the language of Mindanao) and English.
Now you might ask why the US government would invest in a children’s book of this sort. It’s not, after all, about promoting the US image abroad. But in the event you’ve forgotten, in 2002 the US sent a small number of troops to the Philippines to help the Philippine armed forces cope with Mindanao-based Muslim insurgents including those with ties to Al Qaeda. As far as I can tell, the insurgents as well as Philippine and US troops are still there and the government’s long-standing insurgency problem has yet to be resolved for numerous reasons.
Yet Inang Bayan’s New Clothes is, at the very least, a tiny – delightful - step in the right direction.
Posted by PHK on Wednesday, 25 June 2008 at 03:00 PM
Anvil Publishing Inc., childrens books, Frances Alcaraz, Inang Bayan's New Clothes, Tony Perez, US Embassy Manila
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Comments
U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney looks like a smart winner in those photos where she's shown reading to young Filipino children. Even the most strident anti-American faultfinder will find it hard taking issue with this kind of diplomacy. I haven't read the book, but I'd say that Tony Perez and Agnes Caballa are probably the best pair of imaginative minds in Manila who can write a story of communal conflict in a colorful and floriated setting. Think about efficient and sensible use of American dollars: Blackwater versus "Inang Bayan's New Clothes."
Posted by: Alex Calata Thursday, 26 June 2008 at 03:12 PM
The humanitarian side is welcomed. The real problem with US foreign policy relates in part to the "aid" and now it is given. For every dollar spent, the US gets far more in return with regard to how the "aid" is tied. But - true to say - this kind of diplomacy does symbolically soften the blow to the recipient country.
Posted by: Courtenay Barnett Thursday, 26 June 2008 at 04:45 PM
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My leather-bound "Ichabod Crane" journal and brass-ferrule dip pen with peacock feathers on top of my "Virginia Woolfe" writing tablet, replete with ink holder, vintage ink bottle--and rose cyclamen ink! The tablet was especially created for me by antique dealer and restorer Gerry Esposo, father of Lady, a former college student of mine.
2006 Book-Signing at Tiendesitas, Pasig City, sponsored by Anvil Publishing, Inc. Photo by fellow-writer and colleague Boy Martin. My writing "paraphernalia," as Boy calls them, from Left to Right: portable neo-classical mahogany campaign desk organizer with miniature drawers and shelves; paraffin oil lamp; silver seal ring; goose-feather quill pen; brass Italian monogram seal; tin box of sealing wax sticks, Sailor ink bottle with orange fountain pen ink; and portable campaign writing box; all on top of my green satin gypsy tablecloth embroidered with gold stars. I bring my own cloth because co-sponsors are alarmed whenever I spill sealing wax and fountain pen ink.
In this photo I am signing a book for Boy, wearing my signature antique "vampire" bat ring with a black star sapphire from Khabul. A fan is reading a volume from my Sitio Catacutan Series in the background. Yes, I do wear glasses when I read, write, and paint, but I can manage without distance glasses.
After signing this book Boy and I had a long conversation about our country's current political and economic situation, and how the efforts of our classmates Emman Lacaba, Bill Begg, and company, who were tortured and killed during the early martial law years, seem to have come to naught.
In this photo I am signing a book for Boy, wearing my signature antique "vampire" bat ring with a black star sapphire from Khabul. A fan is reading a volume from my Sitio Catacutan Series in the background. Yes, I do wear glasses when I read, write, and paint, but I can manage without distance glasses.
After signing this book Boy and I had a long conversation about our country's current political and economic situation, and how the efforts of our classmates Emman Lacaba, Bill Begg, and company, who were tortured and killed during the early martial law years, seem to have come to naught.
