THE Big Brother phenomenon continues unabated on Philippine television. The act is relentless. We thought we had seen it all but no, surprises and more enervation appear to be waiting in the wings. The whole show, seen on ABS-CBN, is like a bad intro to existentialism, this time without the intellect that goes with such philosophical preoccupation. But maybe this is indeed what that line between the two tramps in Waiting for Godot means: nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful.

Summer is the time for circumcision. If we are to believe Big Brother, then they followed the dictate of the seasons: one of the participants went through this rite of passage. Our blogsphere, true to its postmodern form, proves it can carry more. Discussions about the values of circumcision went around from the clinical to the sociopsychological. For awhile, I was indubitably proud of my discipline, anthropology, for we were all anthropologists then scanning the landscape for the wisdom and use and meaning of an act that cuts a skin off man’s most vital organ (and obviously it’s not the brain). Discussions went on because another resident of the Big Brother home, they said, did not want to be circumcised. You think Philippine TV would sink from the weight of this discussion? Nah. The show is still going on. Relentless, as I said. If you think the kids on the show are irritating enough, you have to watch it some more and catch the parents demonstrate how, sometimes, it is really logical to blame fathers and mothers for the little brats they spawn.

I can think of many theories to explain the metaphor of managed voyeurism like Pinoy Big Brother, but allow me this silence. Gut feel tells me a show like this, where social control or its equivalent comes in the form of strategically placed cameras and mirrors, is not really for us. We do not have, as it is, a clear distinction between the private and the public, between display and hide. Having a program that plays on this social neurosis is a celebration of dementia rather than a move to healing. I mean that.

Summer has a way of healing through arts. And the healing can be about a medium that can talk about both the constructive and destructive forces in our community—cinema. Nick Deocampo, one of our premier documentarists and whose approach to documentary has been subverting and obverting, has announced the opening of a Center for New Cinema (CNC), a new center for the study, production and promotion of cinema. Initiating the activities in the center is The Documentary Workshop, which started in April 21 and will go on until May 2. The documentary form is one that has remained vastly unexplored in this region, and it is the strength of CNC that it has Nick Deocampo crafting a syllabus that takes a serious look at the history, theory and practice of documentary filmmaking. Trained in Paris and New York through a French government fellowship and a Fulbright Scholarship, Deocampo’s track record as a documentary filmmaker and film teacher assures an enriching workshop experience. The CNC is at Unit 601, Sterten Place Condominium, 116 Maginhawa Street, UP Teacher’s Village-East, Quezon City (near the BayanTel building along Maginhawa Street).

In the area of language and culture, the Japan Foundation Manila (JFM) is holding the 7th Nihongo Teachers’ Forum on May 16 and 17. The activity is part of the organization’s aim to form a learning community of Philippine-based Japanese-language teachers. Aside from the skills development expected out of the program, JFM sees also other ends to this means: the enhancement of mutual understanding through the promotion of cultural exchange. The two-day event will be composed of speech/lecture and report/research presentation. It is expected also that in the two days, the Japanese-language teachers will find the opportunity to create a network among them. Specialists of Japanese-language education and specialists of Japanese pop culture from both Japan and the Philippines will share their knowledge on the theme. The first day will see four resource persons: Nanae Kumano of The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute in Kansai; Koji Hanawa of the Jetro Manila Office; Prof. Rudyard Pesimo of Ateneo de Naga University; and Charmaine Cordoviz, a popular animé translator/voice talent. Their topic will be on the current situation of Japanese pop culture in the Philippines, with Kumano focusing on the application of animé and manga in the field of Japanese-language education.

The second day will start with a workshop on how to use animé within a Japanese-language class, a session to be facilitated by Kumano. This session will be followed by a practical report on teaching materials with J-Pop as the theme, presentations from local enthusiasts of Japanese pop culture, and reports from several Japan Foundation Japanese Language Institute, Urawa teacher-training grantees. There will also be a networking session in the afternoon on the topic of “How to Include Japanese Culture, Specifically Japanese Pop Culture, in Japanese Language Lessons.”

Application for the first day is open to anybody interested in the aforementioned topics, while application for the second day is open to Philippine-based Nihongo teachers only. The deadline for the submission of the duly accomplished registration form is on May 8, with the participation subject to screening. Confirmation of participation will be given on May 13. Applicants are requested to call for confirmation. For clarifications on this teachers’ forum, and for details on other cultural projects/events and grant programs, visit the JFM web site at http://www.jfmo.org.ph/, or contact The Japan Foundation Manila on 12th Floor, Pacific Star Building, Makati Avenue, Makati City (811-61-55, fax 811-61-53, cejaquino@jfmo.org.ph).

The forum will be held at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica, Philippines) Auditorium, 40th Floor, Yuchengco Tower, RCBC Plaza, 6819 Ayala Avenue, Makati City.

***Last Tuesday, in my article about the komedya, I ascribed the monthlong Komedya Festival to the UP College of Fine Arts. The event was under the auspices of the College of Arts & Letter. Apologies to the two colleges.

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