BRIDGES presents

Katie

Old Women  Pass Reasons

Banga
Palay

About the story
by Edessa Ramos
Alamat is an experience that transcends time and bridges distance. Back to the legends of the sun, the moon, the earth, and the origin of the tribe. The story of the Cordillera people in northern Philippines, and a young girl’s journey to self-discovery.
It begins with the story of  Gabriela, a Swiss-Filipino teenager from Zürich. She carries the burden of being different from the others.  Through old photos and books from her dead grandparents, Gabriela discovers parts of her past.   She describes her feelings this way:
“I have no photographs, no books, no memories left to me of my past, but… I remember having a grandmother.  Her skin shone like silk, like the underside of leaves in spring. Her hair, like a river that flows into the deep dark sea that was her eyes. And her voice. Her voice whispered lovingly to me, in a language I do not understand.  But I knew she was telling me stories, legends perhaps, from a land I have never seen.”
BRIDGES is proud to present this original excerpt, written by Edessa Ramos, which takes off from the original script written by Rody Vera in 1992.

 

Alamat

“Ich habe keine Fotos, keine Bücher, kein Gedächtnis meiner Vergangenheit, aber... ich erinnere mich an meine Grossmutter. Ihre Haut schien wie Seide, wie die Unterseite der Blätter im Frühling. Ihre Haare waren wie der Fluss, der tief ins Meer fliesst... ins Meer ihrer Augen. Und ihre Stimme. Ihre Stimme flüsterte mir liebevoll zu, in einer Sprache, die ich nicht kenne. Aber ich weiss, dass sie mir Geschichten erzählte. Vielleicht Legenden. Aus einem Land, das ich nie gesehen habe.

”Ein Erlebnis, das die Zeit und die Entfernung überbrückt. Zurück zu den Legenden der Sonne, des Mondes, der Erde und den Wurzeln des Stammes. Die Geschichte von den Leuten der nordphilippinischen Bergkette der Cordilleras. Und die Reise eines jungen Mädchens ihr Selbst zu entdecken.
Hilarius About the musician and his original score
Hilarius Dauag is an established musician and composer. He studied jazz and ethno music at the UP Conservatory of Music. He played together with well-known musicians in the Philippines, such as Asin (ethno-rock), Freddie Aguilar, Ram Lopez and more. In Europe, he performed Street Music at the Basler Stadtheater played for the Basler Jugendtheater (“Der Schatten”), worked in the Basler Gamelan Orchestra, played on radio with Claude Salmony for DRS 3, broadcasted live through Radio Suisse Romande, and performed with Erard and Paco Ye (“Farafina”). His music is included in the following albums/CDs: ”Mandala” and “Mystical Music: 1001 Way” together with Tobias Huber. His original composition may also be heard in KLM’s inflight music entertainment. His solo recordings include “Green Ship in a Blue Sea).
His original musical scoring of Alamat is inspired by his own Cordillera heritage (Ibanag), combined with influences from other indigenous cultures in the Philippines, as well as Africa. His percussion instruments– flute, bamboo instruments, wooden xylophone, and gong – are all self-made in his Atelier in Basel.
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