Featured Organization
DAKILA
The Philippines
DAKILA, an art and artist collective based in the Philippines, is a civil society organization committed to building movements towards social transformation. Working at the forefront of human rights advocacy and campaigns for democracy in the Philippines, DAKILA’s members include artists, activists, development workers, educators, communicators, organizers, designers, students, creative entrepreneurs and professionals who are committed to creative activism and campaigning for social change. Having established local collectives in numerous cities throughout the Philippines, DAKILA encourages its members to engage innovatively with platforms for human rights advocacy and creative activism.
The underlying philosophy of DAKILA’s operations are inherent in its name, which draws on a Filipino word that means ‘noble’ and ‘greatness.’ DAKILA seeks to nurture the spirit of heroism which exists in each and every person in the hopes of directing it towards movements of social justice and change.
DAKILA cultivates one's innate heroism, organizes communities of heroes, and creatively fosters social involvement by building the capacity of individuals to be part of the movement for change and developing strategic actions for advocacy campaigns.
DAKILA was founded in 2005 by multi-award-winning writer, journalist, musician and pop culture icon Lourd de Veyra; singer-songwriter Noel Cabangon; theater and film actor Ronnie Lazaro; Buhawi Meneses, bassist of the iconic rock group Parokya ni Edgar; visual artist and communication strategist Micheline Rama; youth leader and climate advocate Stephanie Tan; feminist-activist Leni Velasco; and the late actor-comedian Tado.
DAKILA’s expertise lies in creative campaigns, communications and movement building. The collective is particularly interested in building a narrative change approach to foster social change - employing creative resistance, radical empathy, and disruptive kindness in its initiatives to combat the dehumanizing and abusive tactics of the Filipino authorities, where activists and journalists frequently face threats and attacks, and President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs” has led to thousands of extrajudicial killings since 2016. In June 2020, the OHCHR published a report detailing “numerous systematic human rights violations” in the Philippines, among them the killing of 208 human rights defenders and activists since 2015, as well as “persistent impunity” and “formidable barriers to accessing justice.”
DAKILA’s past initiatives have included campaigns against the use of public funds by public officials in the Philippines, human trafficking and online sexual exploitation and abuse of children. They have also partnered with international organizations, including campaigns on climate justice with Oxfam; children’s rights with Save the Children; monitoring of human rights violations in the elections with LENTE; promotion of democratic governance with the United Nations Development Programme; and rights for people with disabilities with The Asia Foundation.
One of DAKILA’s most interesting initiatives is the establishment of the Active Vista Center and the Active Vista International Human Rights Festival. The first edition of the film festival was organized in December 2008 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Under the theme of “Cinema with a Conscience,” the festival brought together filmmakers, civil society, government, business, academics and students to discuss the power of cinema not only to entertain but to educate. Through DAKILA’s efforts, the film festival has now evolved into a creative arts festival with human rights and social justice at its core. The festival also includes a comprehensive workshop which features panels and discussions with human rights and cultural practitioners from across East and Southeast Asia. The festival has served as a platform for solidarity across movements in the Philippines working on human rights and democracy.
In addition to the film festival, the Active Vista Centre also launched a groundbreaking alternative learning program, Ibang Klase – which integrates human rights education into the school curriculum, mobilizes artists' involvement in social formation through its online show, and engages youth leaders through its Heroes Hub Youth Fellowship.
Active Vista has been utilising the arts, media, and popular culture as part of its alternative education efforts for the youth - such as organizing film screenings in schools, traveling roadshows in communities, and digital activism training.
DAKILA is actively involved in advocacy on the promotion of human rights, with a particular focus on state-sponsored killings, press freedom, freedom of expression, shrinking civic spaces, disinformation, and authoritarianism. The collective applies the narrative change approach to social change and integrates hope-based communications in its messaging.
DAKILA recently lent its powerful support to Cebu-based artist and activist Bambi Beltran, who had been charged by the authorities in response to a Facebook post that was critical of the city’s management of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Beltran was charged with cyber libel and violating several public health regulations.Being a DAKILA member, Beltran received the complete support of both DAKILA as well as its associated network of civil society organizations.
As a collective, DAKILA continues to experiment and push the boundaries of what creative activism can achieve. It continues to support the efforts of artist-activists in the Philippines and embodies the idea that creativity is a powerful tool for advocacy and communication.
By Manojna Yeluri, January 2022.