The Spirit of Bayanihan

Bayanihan (Bi-yan-e-han) is a Tagalog word used in the Filipino culture to describe a spirit of co-operation in a local community. It is a word used when a village joins together to help move a bamboo house from one area to another or join together in times of crisis – it is called the spirit of Bayanihan.

Below is a poem written at the turn of year 2020-21 following the first lockdown. It was plugging into the hope for a better year and the importance of the community spirit which emerged in that year.

But this is not the new year, that is over a month ago. But I believe poems written for one context can be re-appropriated and ‘speak into’ another. I would like to use this poem to say something else. It comes off the back of Mark Carney’s historic speech at the end of the Davos conference. He was a warning that our world has changed. While we seemingly slept or looked the other way a new kind of soft fascism has infected our world. Those who carry responsibility of high office and service now legitimise hatred, suspicion, threats, lawlessness, greed and violence. Lets name it – it is of course Donald Trump, but it is also plenty of other leaders who are inspired and encouraged by his sinfulness.

This wickedness most surely calls for me and you and our children to remind our leaders and each other that this is not the human way at our best. How more urgently we need to step out and witness to kindness, gentleness and the safeguarding of the vulnerable. Together we need to rekindle the spirit of Bayanihan. To move away from this ‘infected land’. In our own little corner of the world and in our shared spaces let us come together in that spirit and face down the darkness and move on – we can do this as long as we eat, laugh, dance together and have our children and our old folk teaching us – we can do this.

Bayanihan

We’ve been stuck inside this year for too long.
The air once filled with spring blossom is stale
and the land surrounding the year is barren.
We need to move this house to another year.

Death still rattles the outside door.
Fear and loneliness have found a way in
and seem at home feet up on the sofa.
We must move this house to another year.

Call the neighbours, call the women and men.
Send for the children and let us cook food
and we shall tell stories of a better place.
For we can move this house to another year.

Let the strong gather round and we shall lift.
Together we will lift this house and we
shall carry it to a fresh and clean land.
We shall move this house to another year.

And in this moving let us celebrate
between us the spirit of Bayanihan.
For we have already known this spirit
in the kindness and service of this dark year.

So we shall lift, we shall move.
One day in our new year we shall sing songs.
Some will dance and together we shall feast.
For the time of Bayanihan is now.