Akdang Pinoy 2024: The Instagram community fostering a love for Philippine literature
MANILA, Philippines – Calling all bookworms! If you’re looking to discover some literary gems from Filipino authors or want to find a community that loves Philippine literature, you’re in luck because Akdang Pinoy 2024 has exactly what you’re looking for.
Akdang Pinoy 2024 is a reading challenge organized by book-based content creators or bookstagrammers Kathryn Leonorio and Saimon Perez, known in the online book community as Kat and Sai.
“It’s a year-long project where the goal is to read Filipino books in equal amounts as international books,” said Leonorio. She began the project in early 2024 and was joined by Perez to grow the project’s community.
For the month of August, Akdang Pinoy released reading prompts for a month-long read-a-thon to celebrate Buwan ng Wika. Leonorio explained that this was done in order “to highlight and promote Filipino literature as well as Filipino authors and publishers.”
“It’s more engaging because it’s something they look forward to for an entire month,” said Perez.
Participants of the reading challenge took to Instagram to share their prompt-inspired reads and their experiences with Filipino literature.
Aside from their reading challenge, Akdang Pinoy featured independent Filipino publishers and authors on their social media platforms.
“We reach out to authors whose books we personally enjoyed,” Perez shared.
Their featured authors include Sudden Superstar and Huế City writer Claire Betita De Guzman, Bayan ng mga Bangkay and Ang Nawawala writer Chuckberry J. Pascual, and Project 17 and Ascension writer Eliza Victoria.
They also asked other members of the bookstagram community about their top Filipino-authored recommendations.
The community impact
Leonorio has been part of the online book community since 2014 and Perez since 2018, and both have expressed their gratitude to the community for supporting Akdang Pinoy.
Leonorio said that the best part of hosting the project has been “when people say they appreciate more Filipino literature because of [it].”
“This whole project wouldn’t be sustainable if not for the support of the book community,” said Perez. He shared that the success and growth of the project is credited to the participation and work of the community’s members.
Why read books in Filipino?
When asked why it is important for people to read books in Filipino languages and dialects, Leonorio said, “It’s really a very wonderful experience reading a book written in your mother tongue, written in the language you’re well-versed in.”
“Mayroong mga (There are) Tagalog words and Tagalog phrases and sentences that we cannot fully or genuinely translate to other languages,” she explained. “Mas naiintidihan ko siya (I understand it better), personally, as a reader.”
Perez added that the experience of reading literature in one’s own language goes beyond just the reading experience.
“Filipino as a mother tongue and as a language is critical sa paghubog mo (to how you’re shaped) as a person,” he said.
If you really dig into Philippine literature, sobrang daming (there are so many) gems,” Leonorio said.
Looking for your next read
When looking for Filipino books to read, Leonorio and Perez suggested that readers explore book-based spaces on social media and utilize the technology at their disposal to find the perfect fit for them. “The internet is currently the easiest and most accessible resource,” said Perez.
“Try to follow creators outside your comfort zone,” Leonorio suggested. “Look for your niche.”
They also encouraged readers to attend events such as the Philippine Book Festival where books from Filipino authors and publishers are given the center stage.
If you’re ready to dive into the world of Filipino literature, here are some of Leonorio and Perez’s recommendations on where to start:
Ang Bangin sa Ilalim ng Ating mga Paa by Ronaldo Vivo Jr.
Janus Silang by Edgar Calabia Samar
Desaparesidos by Lualhati Bautista
Tabi Po by Mervin Malonzo
Maharlika by Rexy Dorado and John Ray
– Rappler.com