Familiarize yourself with Baybayin using artful flashcards

Learning a language takes practice and, in addition to speaking fluently, it's a must to invest in orthography, too. For those struggling with the pre-colonial Filipino script Baybayin, artist and educator Christian Cabuay's latest creation is just the thing you need.

The Baybayin Flashcards is fully-funded in Kickstarter and with it, Cabuay hopes to inspire more people to help preserve the writing system by making memorizing them easier.

Each set contains 18 cards, including 14 consonants, 3 vowels, and 1 information card.

Photo courtesy of Christian Cabuay

The funding for the project has exceeded his goal, which allows Cabuay to donate sets to different schools and organizations. Aside from this, he will also be making the cards available for free online.

"I believe there must be free resources to learn anything," Cabuay told GMA News Online in a brief email exchange. "Because of the success, I'll be releasing a free extended version that can be used on mobile and web."

Cabuay has been in promoting Baybayin in lectures at the Stanford University, University of California - Berkeley, San Francisco State University, University of California - Davis, Sonoma State, University of the Philippines, National Anthropology Museum of Madrid, and the San Francisco Philippine Consulate as far back as 2012.

In 2014, he developed an "Ancient Philippine script web translator," which also received full funding from Kickstarter pledges.

Cabuay is dedicated to helping people, especially Filipinos, understand the value of Baybayin. He told GMA News Online, "It goes beyond Baybayin. Look at our other cultural practices. They're endangered or taken over by foreigners. There are more non-Filipino practitioners of Kali than Filipinos."

"Why does Apo Whang Od have to tattoo non-Kalinga and break protocol such as food offerings and earning the batuk? It's because they're in poverty because we don't see value in our culture and culture bearers. When there is no value, it's superficial for pogi points," he explained.

Asked how important is this script in bringing intangible culture closer to people, Cabuay mused, "When someone goes to a hardware store and asks for a drill, they don't really want a drill. They need a hole. When someone dives into their culture, the tangible form doesn't really matter. It's where your heart and mind are. It's filling a hole and addressing a pain somewhere."

"If it doesn't, pogi points lang 'yan and that's OK as well, to a certain extent. It can lead to a deeper understanding. Those entering culture via a cosmetic stage (as most of us have) can eventually lead to becoming an advocate and/or practitioner," he continued.

After the flashcards, Cabuay will be focusing on his documentary "Sulat ng Malansang Isda" and an online school. He is also looking to put up a website to help cultural artists and educators run crowdfunding campaigns.

For updates, visit the Baybayin Facebook page. —ALG, GMA News