The Gumamela Is Still Red

Tales From the Front #12

by Joven Obrero

In whatever season The gumamela will grow and Bloom throughout the land The long years shall not fade The redness of its petals Nor efface the lushness of its leaves the gumamela is still red I am delighted and honored to write this foreword to Joven Obrero's The Gumamela Is Still Red, the sequel to her Warriors, Poets and Friends. These two books of poetry reflect the revolutionary struggle of the people for national and social liberation in Mindanao and the outstanding participation of the author, especially in educational and cultural work. I appreciate Obrero's use of the gumamela as the metaphor for the revolutionary struggle of the people. It is a plant with large vibrant red flowers that grows abundantly on the mountains, hills and plains of the Philippines. This key metaphor indicates the keen poetic imagination of the author who grasps what is meaningful and beautiful …. The current book of poems of Obrero deserves to be read by all Filipino patriots and revolutionaries and by all foreign friends in solidarity with them. She is an excellent poet with the noblest sense of revolutionary vision and mission. Her poems are finely crafted to express in concrete terms and natural imagery the heroism, hard struggle, sacrifices and aspirations of the communist cadres, Red fighters and the masses. --Jose Ma. Sison

179 pages, Paperback

Published November 18, 2021

Reviews

[juice · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love our ppls rev

[ernst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thematisch ähnlich breit, vielleicht sogar noch etwas weiter aufgestellt als das vorherige Buch von Obero. Dabei deutlicher als zusammenhängendes Buch in der Umsetzung. Man bekommt einen facettenreichen Eindruck in das Leben einer zeitgenössischen Revolutionärin, speziell einer im fortgeschrittenen Alter. Daher spielt hier auch verstärkt das Thema des Alterns, die Differenz der Generation und auch die Auswirkungen der neuen Medien und Medientechnik hinein. Die Weitherzigkeit der Autorin berührt besonders.