Why you can't write goodFilipino science fiction

By dom cimafranca villageidiotsavant.com

(ha. Gotcha.)

(of course you can]

(it's just harder than you think]

(here's why]

what comes to mind when you think about Science fiction?

What kind of stories?

What kind of characters?

What makes a science fiction story 'filipino?'

-because a filipino wrote it?

-because it has filipino characters?

-because it is set in the philippines?

-because it displays filipino sensibilities?

What makes a science fiction story 'filipino?'

-because a filipino wrote it?

-because it has filipino characters?

-because it is set in the philippines?

-because it displays filipino sensibilities?

“ f i l ip ino-ness ”

A brief history of science fiction

Point 1: science fiction wasfounded on a mass market looking for quick thrills andeasy entertainment

(pssst. That's not a bad thing.)

Point 2: science fiction is rooted mainly in americansensibilities

That's slightly more problematic...

What are american sensibilities?

1. frontier mentality

2. self-improvement

3. efficiency through technology

4. capitalism

5. independence

6. equality?

So why is this a problem?

1. frontier mentality

2. self-improvement

3. efficiency through technology

4. capitalism

5. independence

6. equality?

COLONIZER!

1. frontier mentality

2. self-improvement

3. efficiency through technology

4. capitalism

5. independence

6. equality?

How 'bout these?Are these F i l ip ino sens ib i l i t i es?

What are filipino sensibilities?

1. relationships

2. loyalty

3. cheerfulness

4. industry

5. ingenuity

6. providence

1. relationships

2. loyalty

3. cheerfulness

4. industry

5. ingenuity

6. providence

“kapwa tao”

“utang na loob”

“Pagkamasayahin”

“masipag”

“mapanlikha”

“mapanalig sa diyos”

( Ingenu i ty != innovat ion)

By the way...

1. relationships

2. loyalty

3. cheerfulness

4. industry

5. ingenuity

6. providence

“kapwa tao”

“utang na loob”

“Pagkamasayahin”

“masipag”

“mapanlikha”

Our va lu es are inward- looking . . . .

A c comodat ion and cooperat ioninstead of confrontat ion andconquest

. . . and that runs counter to “sc i en c e f i c t ion ”as we understand i t . . .

. . . i s th is why we prefer to wri t e fantasy?

. . .b e cause we take prefer to Take refuge in an Imag ined past?

Reclaiming (and re-shaping) the future

Science fiction is important becauseIt allows us to imagine the futureAnd our place in it

To imagine is to shape the future...

To imagine is to shape the future...

...else we be shaped by it

To imagine is to shape the future...

...else we be shaped by it

(will our sensibilities survive the coming generations?)

(if they don't, how does that affect our Filipino-ness?)

But darnit! We can win!(and it's our culture and values which will save us)

Europe will implode Because of graying populations (as will japan)

America faces social fracture (widening gapbetween rich and poor]

Chinese ascendancy, but stalled by Graying population

Escalating trade war bet. u.s. And china

Continued Unrest in arab countries, spillingOver to europe and southeast asia

A picture of the near future...

Where and how does the Filipino fit in all of this?

...and of a farther future...

Global warming

Fossil fuel depletion

Asteroid mining

Extended lifespans (100+ years]

Genetically modified organisms

Pandemics / Zombie outbreak?

Where and how does the Filipino fit in all of this?

...and farther still...

Interstellar travel?

First contact?

singularity?

Will there still be a recognizable Filipino-ness?What will happen to our communities?

(toldja it was hard]

A couple more things

“Ma instream” vs . “genre ”

“Ma instream” vs . “genre ”

FantasyScience fictionHorrorRomanceCrime / MysteryAlternate History...

realism

“Ma instream” vs . “genre ”

FantasyScience fictionHorrorRomanceCrime / MysteryAlternate History...

realism

(psst...we have a much longer history)

What 's the appea l of genre?

To the reader?

To the writ er?

To the publ isher?

What is the appeal of fantasy?

“Fairy tales say that apples were golden only to refresh the forgotten moment when we found that they were green. They make rivers run with wine only to make us remember, for one wild moment, that they run with water.” ― G.K. Chesterton

Fantasy is c lose ly t i ed with ident i ty .

With fantasy we can re imag ine and re invent ourse lv es .

Thanks for listening

This work by Dominique Gerald M. Cimafranca is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Philippines License.

This presentation uses:

* Airstrip Font by Vic Fieger

* A Hundred Miles by Kimberly Geswein

Why you can't write goodFilipino science fiction

By dom cimafranca villageidiotsavant.com