Sponsor: Asian American / Asian Research Institute

Description:

In her CUNY FORUM essay, writer Vina Orden discusses quincentennial commemoration of the Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation across the Pacific to South America, through the Strait of Magellan, and across the Pacific to Guam and the Philippines. What exactly was being commemorated depended on who you asked. Here, Orden presents a critique of colonial Spanish and Filipino history, utilizing Filipino journalist, poet, and playwright Luis H. Francia’s play, “Black Henry,” as a radical work of imagination and jumping off point to deconstruct colonial history.

“Black Henry” explores the profound consequences of a clash of cultures, when in 1521 Ferdinand Magellan and three Spanish ships make landfall in the Philippines. His Malay slave, Enrique, acts as the go-between for the conquistadors and the islanders. However, Magellan’s disastrous attempt to colonize the islands not only complicates Enrique’s life but alters irrevocably the character and destiny of the archipelago. The production, which had a global virtual premiere in 2021, featured actors and artists from New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, and the Philippines.

Click here for more information.