The Media Co-op

WIKA: an Intergenerational Dialogue on Language, Assimilation, and Colonialism of the Philippines

By Mildred German Two Filipino-Canadian journalists from different generations share a dialogue on the Pilipino Language, one of the official languages of the Philippines. In addition, this dialogue highlights topics on the Colonialism of the Philippines by Spain that resulted to loss of identity and culture including language. This dialogue also coincides with the Philippine National Language Month, which is every August. Ted Alcuitas, publisher and editor of PhilippinesCanadianNews.com, the first and only online newspaper linking the Filipino communities across Canada, discusses with fellow young journalist his knowledge and experiences on the assimilation and language barriers in Canada, the Pilipino language, and the many dialects the Philippines has. Forced migration that resulted to Filipinos diaspora to over 150 countries has also resulted to loss of Filipino identity, culture, and language for many overseas Filipinos, and their children suffer the most on this Philippines indigenous language gaps. In Canada, there are new initiatives to learn Pilipino. One example is the Filipino-Canadian community’s push of Pilipino language as a curriculum has been passed. The latest census figures show the Pilipino language is the second most common mother tongue in Winnipeg. Statistics Canada reports Pilipino is the first language of 35,620 people in Winnipeg census, and Pilipino is the fastest growing language in Canada with native Pilipino speakers increase between 2006 and 2011. The recent announcement that indigenous scripts Baybayin’s resurgence in the Philippine education system remains a far yet platform for communication. Baybayin has almost disappeared due to the English brought by the US colonialism of the Philippines, and Tagalog has been the major dialect used as declared in 1937 proclamation that Tagalog is the platform and basis for and as the Philippine national languages. In a statement on South China Morning Post, Virgilio Almario, Chairman of Government Commissions on Language and Culture, said it was important to walk the line between losing scripts to extinction and being practical about usage. “We need to balance this carefully. We need Filipino as a bridge language but we should also appreciate the languages of all communities,” Almario said. Baybayin is an ancient pre-colonial written scriptures prior to the Philippines became Philippines under the colonial rule of Spain. Baybayin has 17 indigenous script used in the Philippines before Spanish colonization.

Dominion Podcast 04 Solitary Confinement

On this episode, we talked about the use of long-term solitary confinement in Canadian prisons. We heard from Debra Parkes (Chair of Feminist Legal Studies at the Allard School of Law) about the history of solitary confinement in Canada, Alex (Federal Prison Chaplain) about what currently goes on in Quebec prisons, and Bobby Lee Worm (former inmate, plaintiff) about her experience of being held in solitary confinement for over 3 years.

Dominion Podcast 03 Enbridge's Line 9 Pipeline

On this episode we focused on Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline, approved last year to carry bitumen from the Tar Sands. We spoke with Myeengun Henry (COTTFN Band Councillor) about the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation's Supreme Court case, Richard Kuprewicz (President of Accufacts) about the independent assessment he was hired to write, and Vanessa Gray (Aamjiwnaang Solidarity) about the direct actions that shut down the pipeline last year. Show Notes: https://goo.gl/snZvF4

Dominion Podcast 02 Migrant Detention

On this episode, we focused on the Canadian Government's practice of indefinitely detaining migrants without charge. We spoke with Syed Hussan (End Immigration Detention Network) about the hunger strike by migrant detainees in Ontario, Rosalind Wong (Solidarity Across Borders) about the history of migrant detention in Canada, and a woman who wishes to remain anonymous about her experience of being detained at the Laval Immigration Holding Centre.

Dominion Podcast 01 The Ring of Fire: Ontario's Tar Sands

For this first episode, we talked about the Ring of Fire, a massive mineral belt and mining project often described as Ontario's Tar Sands. The companies behind the project, located 400km northeast of Thunder Bay, have been pushing for access to the territories of nine separate Indigenous communities. We spoke with Paul Rickard (producer of the Ring of Fire miniseries for APTN), Wayne Moonias (Band Council Chief of Neskantaga First Nation), and Jen Wabano (Founder of the Omeshkegowuk Women's Water Council).