Silent Odyssey: The Right to be Heard

the poster for the Silent Odyssey premier show

Stalking where sound is deafeningly silent
Drowns me into wonderful truths
I can no longer hold for myself
They persist to be.

-Miranamedina
( Silent Odyssey, 2008)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFUeGiYyH6I

The Right to Be Heard

Article 19. of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights(http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html) states:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

This article, written across nations and cultures in mind, includes the right to expression. Consequently, even those who cannot hear have the right to be heard. And this can be done through the use of sign language. This is my perspective as a viewer of the movie “Silent Odyssey”.

I was able to watch the premier screening of “Silent Odyssey” a documentary film by Miryad Visyon(Vision) in collaboration with the Philippine National Commission on Culture and the Arts(NCCA) and Lingap-Pangarap(Nurture a Dream) Foundation Inc. This was sponsored by the De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies(DLS-CSB SDEAS) and University of the Philippines Special Education Council(UP SEC). In 2006, Miranamedina’s debut advocacy film on marginalized sector, “Alyana” was shown in the same venue, the UP Film Institute. I reluctantly got involved in a short documentary film on environmental degradation sometime in 2002 so I have known this “ institute” as the way I first heard its name- “Film Centre”. I am going backward a bit.

Alyana, a two and a half hour documentary tackling “ autism”, their circumstances and related issues made me cry. While watching, I ”placed myself in the shoes” of Alyana who inspired the filmmaker to start doing such film and all the rest of the special children featured in the film along with their concerns. What struck me the most are the struggles, confusion, “ups and downs” of the parents who were given the chance to take care of such special children and what they learned along the way or how it changed their perspectives. Most importantly, the movie showed that “ autism” is a “leveler” so to speak- it happens to any parent regardless of their economic or social status and finding out lessons born of such circumstances.

I was raised in an egalitarian and inclusive environment so I had no problems in dealing with these children considered as “others” by many. But still, “Alyana” has given me a comprehensive perspective about special children and “autism” in particular in just one sitting. Truly, visual arts films included have this very effective way of sending a message across.

I cried while watching “Alyana” so I was expecting another “serious” educational” movie. Well, “ Silent Odyssey” was different. It made me giggle and smile. I am not a film critic- I do not have the qualifications nor the experience to be one but I am expressing what do I reckon on how the film “ Silent Odyssey” has affected me in the scenes that I found very memourable.Thus, I am writing what I think and feel candidly about the movie as an average viewer.

The Movie

I like the intermingling of the entertainment and the educational value of “ Silent Odyssey” so in sum I find it very engaging. The movie successfully captured my attention in an instant because of the prologue with a girl performing alone, joining a group and they kept on dancing onstage building momentum. In the process it made expectant about what's more to come. After the prologue, it went on the “emphatising” part which I found useful. It’s about a mother being irate when her daughter arrives home late with a guy who does not speak so she insinuated about her relationship with such friend. But when she was convinced that the young guy is “deaf” she reacted differently. That scene practically captured many Filipinos’ attitude of treating the deaf as “ others” to the extent of putting them down. Growing up in a culture where telling someone tells another “Maganda ka sana kaya lang bingi” (You are supposed to be beautiful but you are hearing impaired”) when a normal hearing person cannot easily pick up what someone is telling her, I am guilty of using such sentence at times which implicates that the deaf are inferior over others just because they cannot hear. This has been a very familiar line or butt of jokes among Filipinos and in this case, “being beautiful” but deaf has become a liability.

The film goes on with the definitions which I appreciate much because being sourced from the Wikipedia making the words easier to understand. (I was concerned that definitions would come from medical books, thank goodness, they did not). Then it goes on with interviews with people and organisations considered as “authority” on the issue. I was amazed that the filmmaker was able to trace such primary sources from the Luzviminda group ( Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao representing the Philippines three major islands) , the missionaries of the Bible School for the Deaf, the Philippine School for the Deaf, various educational institutions in the Philippines and abroad and the very remarkable I should say was- the interview from Madrid where the president of the World Federation of the Deaf Congress Markku Jokinen has impeccably explained the issues and concerns of the deaf.

I was also surprised to find out how the Lamoiyan Corporation was able to give such “ deaf group” a chance in society by giving them "jobs." I say this employer is "for the books" for he has done it quietly sans the media attention like what other corporations of “social responsibility” would do. Even the “ GoNegosyo”( Go Business) which is gaining popularity in these hard times in the country( underscoring the feats of the deaf) was featured. There was a plethora of issues covered by this movie thus having 110 minutes in the total length quite reasonable. Yet I did not mind nor wished that the movie would end soon because as I have said, I found it very engaging.

Another remarkable about Silent Odyssey are the introductory shots very pleasing to the eyes- the beauty of Zamboanga shores, the majestic falls in Laguna, the acacia trees shot pretty much like an art film, the royal headdress of a woman turning prior to an interview with a communication authority (no less than the Chairman of the Speech Communication and Theatre Arts of the University of the Philippines herself Dr. Belen Calingacion) and the beauty of a painting turning out to be a work of the budding visual artist Fernando Escora(I asked around after the film showing because I got interested although I cannot afford to make art collections-well not yet!) are a feast at least to my eyes and probably to those who are art enthusiasts and appreciators like me.

The movie has made me think, laugh and smile a lot. I have a favourite scene among them all- the love story of a deaf couple. I was so touched I could not help but cry- silently. For one, I love the sea and this particular scene captured my unparalleled interest ( I sat on the aisle part I did not mind people passing by from the time to time while the show is ongoing but I got really annoyed when someone passed by while I was watching this part) because of the beautiful scenery which turned out to be somewhere in Palawan ( the paradise that I found since May 2007 where I want to grow old- if I will) whose seascapes and landscapes are truly exhilarating! I was so thrilled when the wife was asked what will she tell her husband before she or the husband dies. She answered ”I do not want to die first because I cannot imagine living without him”. And when she was asked if her story can be retold, what would she want to change to which she replied” I am happy the way it is, because even if we will meet again in heaven, I will still marry him”

Now I can be faulted for the words because I am unsure if I got them correctly although my close friends tease me that I always had this gift of "videographic memory". I was really thrilled I got myself mixed up over the lines from the happy wife. I enjoy such love stories of any kind, so if this is a documentary and hearing it directly from the person with tears of joy in her eyes while declaring such love and not from an actress then it is pretty much convincing. I was severely hit. I cried silently for joy because I am happy for them realising that that even people whom normal people consider inferior due to unavailability of expressing themselves through words were able to find that bliss in marriage because arguably- they gave themselves a chance and opted to make it work. I am unsure if I was able to capture the words in verbatim but in essence the wife was telling the interviewer that her husband means the world to her and she is happy- and that's what really matters. I was fully convinced because it shows in the glimmer of her eyes- pretty much like a lovestruck lass well, again- perhaps just like you and me at a time . If I am the filmmaker I would have put this scene towards the end because the deaf wife was talking about heaven on earth( because of such love felt from her husband) and there were some footprints prior to the shots in the building with arches towards the end for that romantic and happy ending. But filmmaking, just like writing, everyone's style is unique so i leave it to her.

The filmmaker has successfully put it differently by continuing with the educational stuff and advocating the use of Filipino Sign Language which is pretty much logical because this is for the Filipino people although the Speaking English sign language brought by the American missionaries were also useful. There were additional inputs about deaf issues and concerns which reminded me that in addition to a “happy ending true -to- life love story” I was watching an advocacy film with the purpose of bridging the gap between the hearing and the deaf. Towards the end, the filmmaker's appeal goes, “the deaf are just imperfect as you and me and they have the right to be heard.” And I completely agree. I then checked my own copy of UN’s Declaration of Human Rights to find this out. Yes, the deaf have also the right to be heard and expressing themselves, just like a hearing person (like me), makes them(as it has made me), feel very much better, and probably a lot happier.

My Personal Encounter

I arrived at the film centre prior to the showing of the film so I was amazed to find out “ deaf” people of such number. I have done few volunteer overseas works with the blind in the past but it is my first time to see the “ deaf” group. I can hardly understand how they communicate but I have seen it in the twinkle of their eyes- they are happy in their own silent world.

In hindsight, this experience has made me realise that- the happiest moments in my life are quiet ones. I am ecstatic when I first heard the tender and pure words “ I love you” over the telephone from my first nephew(whom the clan has waited and prayed to have for seven years) at age one but I can hardly explain the feeling when he first gave me his hugs and kisses the first time we met. I feel the comfort of my Dad’s soothing and loving words when things go wrong but I can smile and forget all my troubles when he runs his fingers to my wavy hair and I feel fully forgiven when he intentionally rubs my head and smiles afterwards at times when I am extremely naughty or headstrong. I am assured of my Mom’s unconditional love when she says ‘ I forgive you’ everytime I apologise for every mistake that I have committed that she cannot tolerate but giving me a tight hug without a word has made me feel very much better after each disagreement over issues and ideas. I am assured of my then boyfriend’s concern every time he says “take care “ but I feel that he is there for me by the way he looks at me amidst the throng of many people and how another then boyfriend's eyes can caress me even if he dances with somebody else in parties. When I meet an old friend, exchanging “hello, how are you? “ are not enough until we hug each other and laugh together just like the old times.

Moreover, the very unforgettable moments of kindness that stayed in my heart are from strangers. First was when a total stranger in a foreign land tapped my shoulder to give some tissue paper before getting off the tram because I was endlessly crying from the time I boarded the tram. Second, was another (then stranger) surprisingly tapped my shoulder around a couple of hours past midnight to say goodnight after a long, tiring and disappointing day in an island (this surprised me i never had the chance to respond to this kind gesture). Third, was when another ( then stranger) let me cry out in her shoulder over a very painful experience after a friendly altercation which i opted to forget. When I remember the faces of these people, i can’t help but smile- as their acts of kindness linger in my heart.

Helen Keller, herself a marginalized being, an excellent blind writer said “ The best things in life cannot be seen or touched, they are just felt in the heart”. In essence, words are not necessary to convey one’s feelings. One can be deaf or mute or blind or having those “ five senses” fully functional yet can be human enough because of the heart, where these feelings emanate and whether they are expressed through verbal or through non- verbal actions just like using sign language in the case of the deaf, message can be conveyed if they emanate from one’s heart, to another.

And I am joining Miranamedina in her “ Silent Odyssey” in my own silent way. After all, as the movie stressed towards the finale part, the deaf are as imperfect as I am and just like humans like me, they also have the right to be heard. And just like Odysseus, the Greek hero in Homer's epic poem and later shown in film “ The Odyssey”http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/odyssey/summary.html who has brought home wisdom- much more important than the spoils of war after a long adventure from the fall of Troy and undergoing ordeals (and surviving them in his ten years travel back to his kingdom Ithaca) watching the movie “ Silent Odyssey” has not only given me enough information an entertainment but most importantly, the desire to do my part of bridging the gap between the “hearing” and the “ deaf”.

And I wish the some realisations would happen to all who will be given the chance to join Miranamedina in the future screenings of her “Silent Odyssey. “ After all, the deaf have the right to be heard too- just like you and me.