We put up our first street posters here in Roxas City, Philippines. The street posters are a tribute to the typhoon Haiyan survivors, Ati Tribes and those living in poverty.
The Ati Tribe are the indigenous people in Panay, which is located in the Visayas. During the typhoon the families took shelter in the nearby cave in the mountains. They do not have clean water supply, no medical care, no proper roads up to their village and no electric power.
This is the first time this was ever done on Panay island. Main purpose is the create a connection and to shed some light between societies.
The ‘Ati Lady’ is from the Ati Tribe in Philippines, living in Mount Tag-ao, of Dumarao, Capiz. The Ati are a Negrito ethnic group in Panay, which is located in the Visayas. In the Philippines the Aetas or Aeta ancestors were the ‘aboriginals’ or the ‘first’ inhabitants of this Archipelago. They most probably arrived from Borneo 20-30,000 years ago.
There are 49 families living here in Mount Tag-ao, Capiz with no electric power and clean water. The parents used old torchlights and kerosene make shift bottles as their light source.
It was amazing to see the response of the locals in Roxas City, who stopped to see the posters, ask questions about who they were and take selfies. Among them were students who haven’t even seen the Ati tribes before. Their curiosity and interest was a point where many got to know more about their tribe people, and hopefully an awareness of the situation there.
I was happy with the results, as many connected with me over social media after seeing this posters on their streets, with some even making plans to visit the tribe village. So I hope to do more of this social projects in different countries where we can connect locals and tribes with art.
A Tribute To The Ati Tribe, Panay Philippines
