We’ve seen it time and time again.
Artists and cultural icons who talk the talk but rarely walk it. Who run off at the mouth so much they spew nothing but hot air. The quintessential tortured artist, producing works behind the closed shutters of an ivory tower, cut off from the rest of our mundane existence. Because the sublime doesn’t need a reality check any more than a king needs to step off his throne, right? Right.
Which is why, to put it in not so many words, National Artist for Literature Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera is the man. Precisely because he not only leaves the ivory tower — he destroys it. Here is a man who has no qualms about throwing his lot in with the toiling multitude; the farmers and overseas workers, the victims of enforced disappearances and government killings, the students and activists. Here is a man who, in the spirit of Rizal’s Noli and El Fili, writes with all the fervor and passion of one whose art echoes the cries of the oppressed — be it in poetry for the victims of Hacienda Luisita, or in verse decrying the corruption of a false president.
Last April 11 marked the 80th birthday of the tireless Ka Bien (as he is fondly called by comrades, colleague, and admirers), and to celebrate the milestone, a surprise party of sorts was held for him last Sunday, April 15, in UP Diliman. Spearheaded by the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (which is currently chaired by Ka Bien himself), the celebration featured a grand multimedia production on Ka Bien’s life and works, coupled with tribute performances by various groups such as Dulaang UP, Kontra-Gapi, Artists Incorporated, Tangahalang Pilipino, The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, UP Singing Ambassadors, Los Indios Bravos, and Ciudad Pilipino. Ka Bien was also honored with a reading of his poems by representatives from the various sectoral groups, which included Satur Ocampo of MAKABAYAN People’s Coalition, Marie Hilao Enriquez of KARAPATAN, Vencer Crisostomo of AnakBayan, Nanay Mameng Deonida of Anakpawis Partylist, and Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers Partylist.
Despite the scorching heat, hundreds of students, fellow artists, and friends gathered as early as 3 p.m. on the steps of Palma Hall, eagerly waiting for Ka Bien to arrive. And when he finally walked up the steps followed by screaming fans in true rock star fashion, I couldn’t help but cheer and chant his name with all the rest as well.
Is it any wonder that a lot of his admirers come from the youth? Bien Lumbera may be an octogenarian, but he remains as steadfast in his ideals as from when he was still a young instructor at the Ateneo. Age tends to dull idealism, bringing with it a desire for the practical, biting-hard truths of reality; an inclination to give in to bourgeois guilt with the acceptance that there’s really nothing that can be done for change in this lifetime. Not so with Ka Bien. His reach extends far beyond the four walls of a classroom, because the streets are his classroom.
Even more so than his activism, Ka Bien is known for his unfaltering commitment to the Filipinization of our culture, and to a genuine national and nationalist literature. A stance that has not wavered since his return from graduate studies in the US, since his imprisonment during martial law, and since his being awarded the title of National Artist. And as of last Sunday, after being crowned with a laurel wreath made of metal in the footsteps of Francisco Balagtas, Ka Bien can add another title to his belt — that of “Artist of the People.”
But you already knew that.
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Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera is an icon of the country’s arts and culture community and was proclaimed a National Artist for Literature in 2006. He is also a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts.