Issue 26: BAWAL
This year our theme is BAWAL.
Bawal iyan. That is prohibited.
Bawal kang pumasok. You cannot enter.
Bawal ka dito. You are not allowed here.
In this world filled with taboos and expectations, our words and actions are compromised. From the time our parents forbade us from staying up late, to schools limiting knowledge in our textbooks, to our government denying us certain freedoms, our lives have been dictated by what we can and can’t do. When our voices are silenced and our movement suppressed, the call for resilience rings louder than ever.
Bawal demands obedience.
We wrestle with being acquiescent and with the uneasiness we feel when truths are withheld.
This internal struggle provides the opportunity
to question authority; to break rules,
to disrupt order, to upset the system
and to disturb the balance.
Bawal has the ability to empower us.
It inspires us to pick up that banned book and read about our untold hystory.
It liberates us from institutional restraints and allows us to surpass our perceived limitations.
Though we may fear what is prohibited, we are still drawn to its potential to spark change.
Because what are restrictions other than an opportunity to break free?
We invite you all to submit some of your own work and to encourage your colleagues, friends, and family to contribute to our twenty-sixth issue: BAWAL. Please be sure to read and follow our Submission Guidelines.
