In an actual started-from-the-bottom-now-we’re-here
moment, TINTA has risen from barely
being a blimp on the literary radar to rubbing elbows with Cebu’s literary
greats. It has grown to become more than just a student-run organization; it’s
become a movement.
Born out of The Reading, an intimate gathering of TINTA members to talk about
pieces they were working on or things they had been reading, TINTA decided it
wanted a way to expand that and make the event more accessible to people. And
thus, Basabalak was born.
Then called Poetry Nights, the Basabalak was
held on the ground of Handuraw Events Café and TINTA had partnered up with The
Nomads, a social media literary group. It wasn’t the best place to have the
event because it was loud and disruptive to people who were just there to dine;
it felt like shoving poetry down people’s throats.
And sometimes poetry is hard to swallow so
TINTA took its first step to taking the lit scene to another level: it moved
the event to the second floor of the Cafe, which was more isolated and cozy. It
would be where all the subsequent Basabalaks would be held.
It was the place where the Cebu lit scene
would be changed for good. The March Basabalak found TINTA opening its doors to
the likes of Merlie Alunan, Daryll Delgado, John Barrios, and Noel Tuazon.
TINTA would then be rubbing elbows with more of Cebu’s established writers when
it partnered up with BATHALAD
(Bathalan-ong Halad sa Dagang) in July. At that point, it would be
well-acquainted with writers such as Jeremiah Bondoc, Josua Cabrera and Anthony
Kintanar. In the next months, Basabalaks would also be graced by balakeros
Adonis Durado and Butch Bandillo.
Basabalak is a place where poets of all
ages and backgrounds could come together for a night of literary sharing. It
created a space which was safe that anyone could come up to the stage, grab the
mic and perform to their heart’s content, whether this was a balak (as basabalak suggests), another
creative piece of writing, or a song, anyone was welcome to step up. Basabalak
created an atmosphere in which all forms of art are celebrated and every artist
is given a voice.
Basabalak is that constant you’ve always
dreamed of – it is something to look forward to every month. It might not be
that text you were waiting to get, but it’s so much sweeter than that, some
would even call it therapeutic. A night to release all that is trapped in you
just waiting to come out; a night of healing through words and good company.
This month will see TINTA celebrating its first
year anniversary of Basabalak on the 27th of February. To be a part of this life-changing journey and
see TINTA grow even more, feel free to come up to Handuraw’s second floor and bring
the whole team with you!
***
This article for #TINTANews is written by Astrid Ilano.
