Dear Anansi,

I left out an amazing Latin author, Rizal. http://www.joserizal.ph/in01.html is a website devoted to him. I first became familiar with him when I visited family in the Philippines a couple of years ago.

From the site: Having traveled extensively in Europe, America and Asia, he mastered 22 languages. These include Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Malayan, Portuguese, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog, and other native dialects. A versatile genius, he was an architect, artists, businessman, cartoonist, educator, economist, ethnologist, scientific farmer, historian, inventor, journalist, linguist, musician, mythologist, nationalist, naturalist, novelist, opthalmic surgeon, poet, propagandist, psychologist, scientist, sculptor, sociologist, and theologian.
In March 1887, his daring book, NOLI ME TANGERE, a satirical novel exposing the arrogance and despotism of the Spanish clergy, was published in Berlin. [my comment: It is a wonderful book. He is a national hero, but Philippine Catholic schools forbid students to read it.] In 1890 he reprinted in Paris, Morga’s SUCCESSOS DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS with his annotations to prove that the Filipinos had a civilization worthy to be proud of even long before the Spaniards set foot on Philippine soil. On September 18, 1891, EL FILIBUSTERISMO, his second novel and a sequel to the NOLI and more revolutionary and tragic than the latter, was printed in Ghent.

When the Philippine Revolution started on August 26, 1896, his enemies enlisted witnesses that linked him with the revolt and these were never allowed to be confronted by him. In his prison cell, he wrote an untitled poem, now known as "Ultimo Adios" which is considered a masterpiece and a living document expressing not only the hero’s great love of country but also that of all Filipinos. After a mock trial, he was convicted of rebellion, sedition and of forming illegal association. In the cold morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal, a man whose 35 years of life had been packed with varied activities which proved that the Filipino has capacity to equal if not excel even those who treat him as a slave, was shot at Bagumbayan Field.

Dear davidf,

You wrote,

"In March 1887, his daring book, NOLI ME TANGERE, a satirical novel exposing the arrogance and despotism of the Spanish clergy, was published in Berlin. [my comment: It is a wonderful book. He is a national hero, but Philippine Catholic schools forbid students to read it.]"

However in my experience this was not quite correct. As a high school student in Davao City from 1973-75 in a Catholic/Military School I can relate that Rizal was very much front and centre in the curriculum, including NOLI ME TANGERE.

Unfortunately I was not as predisposed to learning languages as Jose but did manage to pick up most of the swear words available in Tagalog.

It was an interesting period in Mindanao as Muslim Separatist attacks were quite frequent. A number of people were killed just up the beach from us and armed assaults on the city's outskirts required school evacuations. Three separatists were executed by the mayor after one of these and as I recall the bodies were left in the town square for a number of days, certainly an eye-opener for a young Aussie lad straight from Darwin. Some months later the same mayor officiated at a civilian wedding at our house.

Besides being very Catholic (complete with pederast priest) the school was also an officer training facility for the students. I remember frequent memorial services being held for past students (some of whom I had known) who had lost their lives in the hostilities.

On reflection the military nature of the school may have seen a more complete study of Rizal's works being afforded to the students. This may have been at the expense of Shakespeare since I can not recall him being taught at all.

Dear csteele,

Happy to be wrong about student's access to Rizal. I had the info from a student in a Philippine Catholic school. Maybe it was restricted to his school.

Am off for a month including a boat trip on the Murray. Will rejoin then if not before. Will miss you all.

Davidf,

"A boat trip up the Murray". I am envious. I remember standing on the bank, under some shady trees on a crystalline Aussie morning and watching a boat makes its lazy way upriver. We were camping and had spent a night being kept awake by love-sick koalas and sandflies and how I envied a passenger sitting tranquilly on the deck reading a paper!

Avagudwun, mate. And thank you for this thread. I stumble through most of these threads in woeful ignorance, so it was really quite exciting to be able to have a discussion about something where I feel a little more comfortable about my facts.

Take it easy and have a wonderful time.

Thanks for the amazing link David. Have a wonderful trip.

And csteele, 1973-5 were also very interesting and turbulent years in my then neck of the woods in Suriname. Scary times with high school being evacuated and having to make it home safely on occasion. I became actutely aware of my skin colour then. Most unsettling.

The military man who instigated the notorious December Murders who became a selfstyled ruthless dictator for a while, was a perfectly nice man who taught my brother and I judo. One of the victims was a wonderful young vet who had a tv show (an earlier and young Dr Harry) with whom we had our 15 minutes of fame showing off one of our wild animals we nurtured to adulthood after being seperated from parent during mining exploration.

But I'm now very curious about Rizal. Thank goodness for Amazon.com and Biblio.com for used books.

Hi Anansi,

My memories of that time are now a little worn but I can not remember thinking ill of the Mayor, it was just the way things were done. However reading a little of the deaths and tortures of the December Murders in Suriname paints your judo teacher in a very dim light.

The decolonisation/independence of many of these countries are epic tales to which we are often ignorant. Not many Australians would know about the rearming by the allies of Japanese POWs to put down the independence movement in Indonesia. The plan was to stabilise the country until the Dutch could take control again.

The excesses of the Dutch are not remembered kindly by the Indonesians, was it the same case in Suriname?

My memories of teachings about Jose Rizal are centred around his final poem, written while awaiting execution. Even as a callow youth it had a noted influence and reviewing it 30 odd years later still evokes vivid pictures and sentiments;

“I'll go where there are no slaves, tyrants or hangmen
Where faith does not kill and where God alone does reign”

And;

“I die as I see tints on the sky b'gin to show
And at last announce the day, after a gloomy night;
If you need a hue to dye your matutinal glow,
Pour my blood and at the right moment spread it so,
And gild it with a reflection of your nascent light!”

Philippine sunrises were never the same thereafter.