PICTURING MARAWI Photo Exhibit by Mylah Reyes Roque at SM Supermalls from June to August
Saturday, June 08, 2019
The green Bato Ali mosque on Marawi’s Gomisa Avenue is a heartbreaking reminder of the fierce battles the military fought to stop supporters of Islamic State (Isis) from carving out a caliphate in the Philippines.
The dome, minaret and walls are pockmarked by bullets, shrapnel and gaping holes punched out by bombs. One of the largest allows sunlight to enter the basement underneath the mosque, where militants were once holed up with hostages including a Catholic priest.
Centered between the serene shores of Lake Lanao and the mouth of Agus River, and amidst hills, valleys and mountains, nestles the city of Marawi. For millennia and even beyond, Marawi is the heart of Lanao.
But today, the once bustling city center lies eerily empty and abandoned. Its entire landscape of colorful buildings has now become rubble and ruin. This is the Marawi we now see after the Maute Group—a locally-led terrorist cell affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL)—went on a terrorist rampage in the city on May 23, 2017. As their international cohorts continue to do in other cities in the Islamic world, they brought mayhem and destruction in their wake.
In those five months, the Meranaws experienced the horror of living outside their homeland as “bakwits” (refugees). It was an unsavory reversal of roles, as Marawi has always stood as a place of refuge for others in the Bangsamoro. It was even a haven for the people of Cagayan de Oro during World War 2.
In 2017, they watched in helpless terror as their city and their land shook in the tremors of war. The Marawi Siege exposed a change in the noble warrior character of the Meranaws this last century.
Revisit the tragic backstory of the Meranaws at SM's "Picturing Marawi Photo Exhibit" featuring the heart-tugging photos of the Marawi siege aftermath immortalized by former journalist Mylah Reyes Roque until June 11 at SM Megamall then off to another SM Mall branch until August 31.
Some of the key personalities during the ribbon cutting of Picturing Marawi Photo Exhibit
Mayor of Marawi City Majul Usman Gandamra
"The exhibit memorializes the tragedy in Marawi with the aim to engage mall goers and help them have a greater understanding of the conflict." said Jonjon San Agustin, SM Supermalls Senior Vice President for Marketing.
Ms. Mylah Reyes Roque
PICTURING MARAWI narrates the aftermath of human conflict through images of buildings, homes, and mosques that are deserte by the war but nevertheless speak of the community that used to make it alive. These are stories of siege fought in close quarters.
Check out some of the photos
Catch the photo exhibit in the following SM malls: Southmall (June 24 - 29), Sucat ( July 22 - 28), Rosario (August 5 - 11) and Telabastagan (August 25 - 31). This endeavor is in partnership with National Museum.
Marawi is a ghost town indeed but it is a reminder how resilient Filipinos are. Soon, we will see the dawning of the new MARAWI and the locals can finally go HOME again but until then, let's keep a keen eye and be on the lookout on how we can prevent this nightmare to happen again. In Shaa Allah.
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