The Internet is loving Alamat’s ‘Kasmala’ MV that spoke against colonial miseducation and exploitation
Released in July 15 2021, P-pop boy group Alamat’s ‘Kasmala’ is receiving newfound appreciation on the Internet
Apart from the lyrics being sung in the different Filipino languages, the music video is pretty much reclaiming the narrative from colonizers and racism and we are all here for it
In recent days, P-pop has been receiving well-deserved attention not only locally, but on the international level as well. It is without a doubt that Filipinos are not ones to shy away from singing, dancing, rapping, and even doing all those things at once. With the rise of P-pop, it is not deniable that Alamat has set its advocacy and agenda in stone.
The 6-piece P-pop group has been actively pursuing its mission to bring back songs sung in the Filipino languages to the mainstream media. Besides being a wordplay on the Filipino word ‘malakas’, the music video for ‘Kasmala’, brings light to the 1904 Philippine Exposition at St. Louis World’s Fair.
Some of Alamat’s fans called the Magiliw found some references in the MV that Filipino historian and culture bearer Kirby Araullo also verified in a YouTube video!
Human Zoo and Dog Eating Tribe
The first scene of the music video sees Alamat’s leader Taneo tied up while wearing traditional indigenous clothing. It is a direct reference to the 1914 image of an Indigenous Igorot girl at a human zoo in Coney Island, New York.
Shortly following the intro, a poster of the members that reads ‘Philippine Exposition World’s Fair St Louis 1904′ appears.
Former member Gami also represents the tabloid headlines during the fair that referred to the Indigenous tribes as ‘Dog Eaters’. To earn money off the Filipinos they portrayed the Indigenous people as savages and dubbed them as the ‘lost tribe’ that needed Uncle Sam and the U.S. to be civilized.
White supremacy disguised in science
Alamat’s member Mo, who is half African-American, represents the white colonialist and imperialist logic of “brown and black people being closer to apes” through a scene where he is seen standing in front of a wall that shows the evolution of man.
The Miseducation of the Filipino
Another scene features Alamat member R-ji representing how the Americans used miseducation as their way of colonizing the Philippines further by pushing the agenda of Uncle Sam’s ‘benevolence.’
The Filipino’s first bath
Alamat member Alas getting scrubbed was another direct reference to the political caricature of McKinley scrubbing an Indigenous Filipino child titled The Filipino’s First Bath. The cartoon and magazine cover basically used religion to justify colonization.
Los Filipinos tailoring
According to the historian Kirby Araullo, Filipino-Americans were actually very dapper. This was represented in through Tomas getting ready and former member Valfer getting measured at Los Filipinos Tailoring which was a real shop.
Anti-miscegenation law
Arguably one of the most fascinating scenes of the video was when they broke the ‘Absolutely no Filipinos allowed sign’, which back in the day was a real sign that was in Stockton, California. The anti-miscegenation law was put in place so Filipino men would not be able to have relationships with white women.
Since releasing ‘Kasmala’, Alamat has continued to push its mission of incorporating Filipino tradition and culture in its music and videos, and here’s hoping more Filipino acts do the same!
The post <b> The Internet is loving Alamat’s ‘Kasmala’ MV that spoke against colonial miseducation and exploitation </b> appeared first on WE THE PVBLIC.
Source: we the pvblic
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