Jose Rizal and our National Museum

Browsing the internet, one formal definition of a museum is: a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, for the purposes of education, study, and enjoyment", as defined by the International Council of Museums.

There are a few points from the definition above that I would like to relate with my museum visit last July 2, 2008.

1. Revisiting the National Museum and the Rizal Museum is a like a stopover to a fairy tale museum. The objects and narratives give me an awkward feeling of amusement without a 100% belief—the same feeling whenever I read a fiction novel. But as I learned the intricacy of the relationship of museums to nation building, I came to realize the importance of knowing and ‘loving your own’. And part of embracing the realities of the past is the onset of education. According to My Pedagogic Creed, all education proceeds by the participation of the individual in the social consciousness of the race. By this definition, I would say that the early Filipinos during the time of colonialism are educated; whether they be illustrados (like JPRizal) or katipuneros (like ABonifacio) or indios (the Filipino masses as generalized by friars). These people are considered to be contributors of who Filipinos are right now; illustrados represent pursuit of excellence, katipuneros represent the love for country, the masses represent the power of unity. We are what we are right now because of our past.

2. The Rizal Museum is not just a showcase of how brilliant Rizal is in terms of almost everything. One thing I see during the visit is that while Rizal tried so much to use his gifts to uplift our nation his efforts seem in vain as our present situation worsens. He was fighting for the freedom of the many. Quoting from Liberalism and Social Action, “Freedom is not something that can be handed to men as a gift from outside, whether by old fashioned dynastic benevolent despotism or by new-fashioned dictatorship, whether of the proletarian or of the fascist order. It is something which can be had only as individuals participate in winning it…” For me, he was the best example of a free man during his time. Up until now, his works may be a source of inspiration for students like me to be better Filipinos.


*Picture Credits: Lino Almuenda (flickr)