Unit 13 - Kulturang Popular (Popular Culture)

INTRO:

Kulturang Popular
Popular Culture

Many Filipinos and Filipino Americans have been connecting with each other for generations through their artists. But hardly any of these connections are disseminated for public consumption. As a result, much of Filipino Americans’ lives are left out of equations that involve Filipinos in the Philippines and Filipinos in the U.S. or Canada. Artists like Carlos Villa, Manuel Ocampo, Luisa Peñaranda, Johanna Poethig, and others have been etching out their visions and views, as well as writers like Carlos Bulosan, Bienvenido Santos, Ceres Alabado, Shirley Ancheta, and NVM Gonzalez about the Filipino communities in the U.S. and Canada. But it took many, many years, a generation perhaps, to let the public and, may I say, mostly youthful Filipinos, realize that our arts have always sustained us, have always helped us in struggles, always kept us close as a family, always articulated, in the midst of whatever chaos, our vision and views of the world as well as others and ourselves.

The following lessons will acquaint you with some Filipino and Filipino American artists that more people, Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike, should know about.

Many of these “youthful Filipinos”, as well as others, along with, or perhaps because of, today’s technologies, found themselves in the channels of hip hop culture, spoken word, and film making. Many Filipino Americans, along with youth in general are drawn into the world of performance and filmmaking. Digitals are getting more and more affordable to create.

Do not be satisfied with the sources provided here. For the most updated materials and sources on the internet, it is best to type the names and topics yourself. Part of Art’s lesson is “the more you look/listen, the more you learn.” 

- Oscar Peñaranda