Lost culture

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BY ANGELICA LOUISE PFLEIDER
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Thursday, March 22, 2018
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ONE OF the most underrated Disney cartoons for me is “Atlantis: The Lost Empire.”

Sure, it doesn’t have a “Let It Go” and there are no handsome princes, but the story itself is what gives this movie its magic.

Museum cartographer Milo Thatch has always been obsessed with finding the lost city of Atlantis. He is then gifted with the “Shepherd’s Journal”, the key to unlocking the secrets of the lost empire.

He teams up with the explorers who found the journal and they go on a death-defying adventure.

When they finally reach Atlantis they find a civilization that is surviving but its culture is dying. Milo helps them learn about their culture from the teachings of the “Shepherd’s Journal” and saves them from the greed of his fellow explorers.

One of the key points in this movie is the fact that it had to take an outsider to teach the people about their culture. They didn’t even know how to read Atlantian until Milo came along. All of it was because they didn’t take the initiative to keep their culture alive.

It reminds me of what is going on here in the Philippines. Though we are not separated from the outside world we choose to be influenced by other cultures. If you look around you can see Filipinos mimicking every other culture and taking their own for granted.

You could ask around, especially among the younger generations, about harana, bayanihan, eating kakanin – these are all alien things to them.

Ask them, however, what the latest Hollywood or K-pop trends are and you can be sure to get a 10-page essay. They are Filipinos only by name, but when it comes to their qualities and values, they are no better than tourists.

Sometimes it really does take outsiders to give us a wake-up call. Those who provide aid here awaken our sense of bayanihan. Countries that used to look up to us with regards to rice production are now teaching us our own methods.

Foreign filmmakers take the initiative to go to the most isolated parts of the country to feature the dying cultures of some of our tribes. Luckily, they then inspire some of the rare local advocates to do the same.

It’s a sad fact. At least there’s a silver lining; some Filipinos still strive to keep our culture alive. It’s nice because the youth are also active with these endeavors.

I believe that as long as there are people who still care to preserve our culture it will never be truly lost. The life of a culture depends on the initiative of its people. (angelica.panaynews@gmail.com/PN)
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