Buhay Bakwit
Artwork and Entrepreneurship as Tools of Agency Reclamation for Marawi City’s Internally Displaced People Six Years after the Siege
"Buhay Bakwit" is an internally displaced people (IDP) driven exhibit. “Buhay Bakwit” literally means the life of the displaced, with “bakwit” being an indigenous term for "the displaced" from the Mindanao area, particularly through armed conflict or forced displacement. The exhibit consisted of speeches, films, spoken word poetry, and artwork.
​
This project had the primary goal of bridging the two networks that I have established through my work in the Philippines for the last eight years. I wanted to bridge the grassroots work being done for internally displaced people with the connections I have made in the upper echelons of the Philippine government to increase awareness about the plight of the IDPs in Marawi City.
​
The project combines the tools of Critical Refugee Studies and Human Rights Studies.
“The communities in Marawi City have faced 6 years of insecurity and anxiety after the siege. Many of those in the temporary shelters face difficulty in their daily life, in the cleanliness of their shelters, and with water. Their shelters are deteriorating. Most importantly, 100,000 IDPs still do not know when they will return to their homes...This is why the exhibit is exemplary because it is a platform that can sustain our advocacies and create noise for our plea to the state and towards a dignified return of internally displaced people.”
​
- Mikhaela Dimpas (IDEALS Inc., Project Manager)
“Our knowledge of how to create these products have been inherited from generation to generation until we have reached this moment. These products have been the symbol of the culture and artistry of Marawi City and Lanao Del Sur”​
​
- Mohammed Rayyan (IDP Partner)
“The products that we brought are handicrafts that represent us Maranao people from Marawi as artisans. We hope from these products and handicrafts that we convey the hopes of our people that we can put an end to our displacement”
​
- Esmael (IDP Partner)
Exhibit Gallery
