A reading of Father Joy Suson's Kultura

Jose D. Suzon who is known as “Father Joy” is a singer, songwriter, and Catholic ex-priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pagadian. “Kultura” is one of his popular hits played on local radio stations around 2008. It emphasizes the great role that culture plays in the life of an individual. Here are its lyrics.

Kultura
by Father Joy Suson
 
Kabahin kini sa kalibutan
Dili bulag sa kasaysayan
Kini ang agianan sa kinabuhi
Sa matag-usa kini ginamithi
 
Mao kini ang akong namat-an
Mao kini ang nasaksihan
Ako kining unungan ug pakamatyan
Hangtod sa katapusan sa kasaysayan
 
Koro:
Kultura akong kinabuhi
Giyahan mo ako sa pagpakabuhi
Kultura akong magtutudlo
Paglaom sa matag gutlo
 
Walay makabulag gikan sa kiliran
Kay naay katungod moturok sa kalibutan
Walay makaputol sa lig-ong punuan
Kay ang gamot dulot na man sa kahiladman

Ang matag-usa adunay kaugalingong kultura
Sa kalibutan kini nagkadaiya
Pagtinahuray, pagsinaligay ang gikinahanglan
Alang sa kalinaw ug kalingkawasan
 
<Koro>

In a personal talk, Mr. Suzon revealed that the song was written in 1997 in Zamboanga City when he, together with about twenty other theology students, attended Silsilah, a program advocating intercultural and interreligious dialogue, as it is customary for seminarians to be exposed to different communities in preparation for their ministry. It may be inferred that, written by a student, these words resonate with the kind of idealism that young people generally hold when nearing the end of a training, the Silsilah in this case and the songwriter’s theological studies in general.

On the other hand, these are not just anybody’s words. The song is written in the first person, which leads us to think of it as an exclamation of the writer’s personal conviction in the Catholic ideal of harmony and ecumenism. In any case, these words, embodied in the tune of the popular rock of the time, articulate a youthful hope in the reconciliation of faiths, ideologies, and cultures, especially in the Philippine south where conflicts, usually involving armed groups like the MNLF, the MILF, and the NDF, have happened.

The song opens with a powerful description of culture as a part of the world, not detached from history and as the agianan sa kinabuhi. Culture is a reality, and it is through the eyes of culture that we view and have conception of reality. Therefore, to each, it is a cause, a reason for living, and a reason to live. This is echoed in the second stanza which now becomes more personal (Mao kini ang akong namat-an / Mao kini ang nasaksihan), ending with the persona’s resolution to stand and die for it.

This last remark is not to reinforce the prejudiced notion of some cultural elements that theirs, over others’, is the only legitimate way to be practiced in the land; this is only to ascribe primacy of one’s culture in one’s life. This becomes clear in the last lines of the song which mentions respect and trust* as the things needed to attain peace and freedom. Meanwhile, we can’t help but sing with the singer in the beautifully resonating lines of the chorus.

Kultura akong kinabuhi Giyahan mo ako sa pagpakabuhi Kultura akong magtutudlo Paglaom sa matag gutlo

As a local of Mindanao, Mr. Suzon must have had a deep concern with the events in his native place which, as do other places in the country, boasts an assemblage of diversity when it comes to faith and way of life. Clearly, the song reinforces the social aspect of priesthood, that of looking after the flock that they may be one. It is a celebration as much as a declaration of reverence for an essential element of life and the universe.

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*Pagsinaligay is more appropriately translated as “interdependence.”

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This essay was first posted on Facebook in 2020.

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Listen to Father Joy Suson's Kultura.