Rizalizing the Future: Jose Rizal turns 150

This month marks Jose Rizal's Sesquicentennial (150th) birth anniversary, as he was born on June 19, 1861. To commemorate the occasion, and also the centennial of the Yuchengco Group of Companies, the Yuchengco Museum on June 3 will be having a pop culture exhibit entitled RIZALizing the Future.




I was one of the few lucky people who went on a walk-through the other night by the curator Jeannie Javelosa. She showed us the different items on display and shared stories on Rizal. The audience, consisting of people from the media as well as tweeps via the hashtag #rizaltweetup, as always, is amazed by story of Jose's lovelife (particularly to Leonor Rivera & Josephine Bracken), to which some have quipped as he as a true international man of mystery and truly a United Colors of Benetton type of guy, someone who made ladies from different races and different places fall for him or vice versa. But that is not just what the exhibit is all about.

The exhibit aims to show Rizal and how he has inspired industries, brands, movements and directions in whatever way that he did. The different memorabilia and artworks from different museums, private collections and even from Jose's descendants, tell a story about a man and how his thoughts and persona paved the way for true Filipino nationalism and patriotism. It also features a little video presentation involving an essay he wrote, entitled Filipinas Dentro de Cien Anos (The Philippines, a Century Hence).

In conjunction with the exhibit, which will last from June 3 to October 29, the Yuchengco Museum has also lined up different activities to complement everyone of what they know of our National Hero. A street party at the RCBC Plaza Courtyard just outside of the museum was held on July 3 to commemorate the opening of the exhibit. To know what are the upcoming events and activities of RIZALizing the Future and other future stuff on the Yuchengco Museum, you can check the website, "like" them on Facebook, or tweet them.

In the end, when you see and feel the experience, ask yourself this question: "Have we lived up to the vision our national hero set out for us?" Furthermore, ask yourself what can you do to fulfill the goals that can lead towards that vision. Share that story. Express it. That maybe is what he might ask us to do now.