Ever wondered what the ancient Filipino script Baybayin looks like and how it can connect you to your roots?
This August 15, the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai will hold a Baybayin calligraphy workshop as part of this year’s Buwan ng Wika celebration.
The event, titled Katha, aims to introduce participants to the pre-Spanish script of the Filipinos, a writing system now under threat of extinction. It will feature Mr. Gino Banola, a Baybayin calligrapher and Filipino martial artist, and will commence at 1:30 PM.
The workshop is part of the Consulate’s year-long Labindalawa campaign, which celebrates Filipino culture and heritage in the UAE. The Consulate said the workshop provides a space where “artistry meets advocacy” for language preservation.
“By practicing Baybayin, participants engage in a form of cultural stewardship, keeping alive the visual identity of a script that once connected communities and now stands as a symbol for the safeguarding of all Philippine tongues under threat,” the Consulate said.
The workshop emphasizes that language is not only spoken, but it also lives in written form, where symbols and shapes carry the memories, identity, and history of a people.
