Queridas ni Jose Rizal: Love and Sex in Philippine History

Whoever said history is boring? 

It is NOT--  especially if your teacher is the great Rizal historian, Mr. Ambeth Ocampo. I attended an interesting seminar of his at Ayala Museum last Saturday, September 11, 2011 entitled "Queridas ni Jose Rizal: Love and Sex in Philippine History." So, what's it all about? Precisely what the title says; about his queridas. 

Now, you may be thinking of querida as a bad thing. After all, in Filipino culture, querida is usually attributed to qualities of being a 'kabit' or 'mistress.' This is not true though because that is not the authentic description of the Spanish word 'querida.' It simply means lover or beloved so more or less, the seminar explored the women whom Rizal had a relationship with and other chismis about him. 

Let's start with the juicy chismis. Supposedly, there are two rumors that are quite widespread about him even though I have not personally heard of it prior to the seminar. The first rumor is that Jose Rizal is the father of Hitler. When Mr. Ambeth Ocampo first mentioned that, my face was literally like this: (=|). I mean, seriously? The rumor started because of the character "Maria Clara" in the novel Noli Me Tangere. Some people have speculated that he named this character this way as acknowledgment of Hitler's mother whose name is Clara. Sounds unreliable and totally cuckoo right? That's what I thought at first also, but you know, it's not entirely impossible since Rizal DID travel a lot back then so he might have encountered Hitler's mother along the way. But, Mr. Ocampo explained that this malicious rumor could not have been true since he traced Rizal's itinerary back in the time of Clara's conception of Hitler. At that time, Rizal was somewhere in London while Hitler's mother, Clara, was working at a hotel in Austria. 

The second rumor is even more disturbing-- they say that Jose Rizal is Jack the Ripper. If I was left speechless with the first rumor, my expression for this one is this: (0.0). Again, I was left screaming (well, in my mind anyway) SERIOUSLY???  The rumor started because Rizal was somewhere in London at that time. To those who do not know who Jack the Ripper is, he is a notorious killer of prostitutes around the White Chapel area using a scalpel. Thus, their suspects at that time were doctors and people who had knowledge of medical procedures, which is both applicable to Dr. Jose Rizal. Therefore, this rumor's not entirely baseless. To strengthen this rumor, they found Dr. Jose Rizal's notebook as a medical student and inside, there were illustrations of women whose breasts are cut off-- something that the sadistic Jack the Ripper could have and would have done to his victims. I can't remember what he said to disprove the rumor that Jose Rizal is Jack the Ripper, but I remember two funny anecdotes from this discussion. First, one of his students said that people have not seen the most obvious clue that Jose Rizal is Jack the Ripper. The student said that we just have to look at Jose Rizal's initials. JR for Jack the Ripper! HAHA! That was a very witty student. Another funny anecdote is that aside from the illustration of the woman-whose-breasts-are-cut-off-and-sewn-together-again in Rizal's notebook, he also drew a LOT of penises. 0_0 Rizal, why do you have a fixation on the phallus?!

So, moving on to the main discussion, Rizal had around 12 or 13 confirmed queridas whereas we were only taught that he had around 6 during History classes. Surprising isn't it? Well, it seems that the history being taught to us is not so accurate since a lot of details which could smear the reputation of our national hero has been expunged. It's sad that our history is being edited, but I guess, I see the authorities' POV also since our hero should be reputable and all that jazz. Because of this, I'm glad that I was able to attend this seminar so that I could learn of some slivers of truth!

So, what were my most important learnings from the queridas of Jose Rizal? First, he's a real heart breaker. He promised Segunda Katigbak that he would bring her to Calamba (which could be an indirect marriage proposal), but he turned around at the last second, leaving Segunda to her fate as the future bride of her uncle. Second, he was not married to Leonora Rivera because they are cousins, which is incest. Third, he spent nights with prostitutes.  Yes, Rizal is a man who sometimes gives in to temptations. In fact, some of his queridas could have been prostitutes like my next point. Fourth, O- Sei- san, his Japanese girlfriend,could possibly not have belonged to a 'reputable' Samurai family. In short, she could also have been a prostitute since no lady from a 'reputable' family would be walking around in a park, picking up strange men (Ocampo, 2011). Fifth, Josephine Bracken could have been molested by her stepfather. Her stepfather could have been going blind because of Syphilis and not of cataract. They may not have had sexual contact so "Peter," the stillborn son of Josephin Bracken, could possibly not have been Jose Rizal's son. So there. These are my most important learnings. The other women, I don't remember anymore other than "Orang," "Neli" and the "Butterfly Lady." They were not serious relationships anyway. 

So, other than these facts, I also learned other more surprising stories. One of these is that  Juan Luna killed his wife and mother-in-law. Our history says that it's an accident, a crime passionel, (french term for crimes of passion, which was accepted by the judge as a valid reason to say that a person is not guilty of killing a lover) but police reports back in that time show that it could have been intentional. What happened anyway? Juan and his wife had a violent fight. The wife and mother-in-law locked themselves inside a bathroom to avoid the enraged Juan Luna. Reportedly, Juan Luna "shot the door knob to open the door and accidentally hit his wife AND mother- in- law." This is where the strangeness comes in. Why were both dead when he only fired once? Also, if he 'accidentally' shot his wife and mother-in-law, it should have hit them at the back or somewhere else, but nooo~ The bullets hit them at the back of the head. Is this an accident or not? You decide. Our history's distorted anyway. Another interesting fact I learned from this seminar is that Jose Rizal's sister wiped 12 handkerchiefs in Jose Rizal's blood puddle after his execution and these 12 are missing save for one whose descendant's yaya washed it off. ARGH HER! She just ruined the DNA of Jose Rizal! 

SEE! This seminar's so awesome! The rumors are not dismissed so easily even though they're strange! Anyway, I'm sorry if my thoughts are not so organized. It's like I have 'flight of ideas,' but I'm assuring you that I DO NOT HAVE that psychotic symptom. It's just that I found the seminar so awesome that I can't stop gushing about it! Anyway, I hope to attend another of his seminar this coming November 19, which explores the reason why Jose Rizal did not settle down and get married. Mr. Ambeth Ocampo left a clue: Jose Rizal may be in love with his mother and might be having some problems with his Oedipal complex conflict. Interesting, right? =D 

Book Review 7: Zipporah, Wife of Moses

Book Title: Zipporah, Wife of Moses

Author: Mark Halter 

Price: P165.00 (National Bookstore, Hardbound for Sale)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Number of Pages:  270

Personal Rating: 7/10 

Reading Difficulty: Medium (3/5)

Book Summary (Inside book cover)

In the time of the Pharaoh, a tiny infant is rescued from the banks of the Red Sea. She is named Zipporah, "the little bird." Although she is a Cushite by birth-- one of the black people of the lands to the south-- she is taken in by Jethro, high priest and sage of the Midianites. Jethro adores his adopted daughter, and she is an honored member of his family. But the blackness of Zipporah's skin sets her apart and will decide her future: she is an outsider, and the men of her adopted tribe will not want her as a wife.

But when she becomes a young woman, Zipporah's destiny changes forever. While drawing water at a well one day, she meets a handsome young man, a stranger. Like her, he is an outsider, a foreigner. His name is Moses. A Hebrew raised in the house of the Pharaoh, Moses is a fugitive, forced to flee his homeland of Egypt after murdering one of the Pharaoh's cruel overseers. Zipporah knows almost immediately that this man will be the husband and partner she never thought she would have.

At first Moses wants nothing more than a peaceful life with the Midianites. He is content in his role as Zipporah's lover and the honorary son of Jethro the sage. But Zipporah refuses to let Moses forget his past or turn away from what she believes to be his true destiny. Although he is the love of her life and the father of her children, Zipporah won't marry Moses until he agrees to return to Egypt to free his people. When God reveals himself to Moses in the burning bush, his words echo Zipporah's, and Moses returns to Egypt with Zipporah by his side. A passionate lover and a generous, thoughtful wife, Zipporah becomes the guiding force in Moses' struggle. With the help of her powerful father, she teaches the rebellious young man about the rule of law and the force of justice. Because of Zipporah-- the outsider, the black- skinned woman-- Moses becomes a defender of the oppressed and the liberator of the enslaved. 

A woman ahead of her time, Zipporah leaps from the pages of this remarkable novel. Bold, independent, and a true survivor, she is a captivating heroine, and her world of desserts, temples, and ancient wonders is a fitting backdrop to an epic tale.

Personal thoughts

I read this book upon the recommendation of my cousin. Seeing that I was too immersed in reading historical novels based in Europe, I decided to have a go at this to have a 'breath of fresh air.' By doing that, I learned a great deal about Moses and the other characters that revolved around him, especially his great wife, Zipporah the Cushite.

As we all know, Moses is the adopted son of a pharaoh who eventually killed an Egyptian overseer, forcing him to go to another place. Zipporah enters the picture in this scene as described in the book summary above. Both of them are immediately drawn towards one another, which is the start of their great, but tumultuous love story where I learned a lot of things from. 

First of all, I learned that Zipporah is one of the greatest influences in Moses' life in terms of him finding enough courage to do God's will. Without her coaxing, Moses wouldn't have gone back to Egypt to fulfill his role. Second, I've seen that there are theories that Queen Hatshepsut could be the Egyptian pharaoh who took Moses out of the water and became his mother. This shocked me the most since I've read some books about Hatshepsut and I never suspected that she could be the mother of Moses; all of this is just speculation of course since the name of Moses' mother was not really mentioned. It's just that, it never crossed my mind that historical facts that I'm aware of can really coincide with the biblical plot. The third learning that I garnered from this book is that Moses really made big sacrifices to do his duty, which was really heartbreaking. This is a spoiler so you can skip the last sentence if you want... I'm just saddened by the fact that Moses' two sons died of a stampede caused by his own people and that Zipporah was murdered leaving him all alone. To add salt to his injury, his two siblings were depicted as power- hungry individuals in this book so Moses really died as a lonely man...

So as you can see, I did have several learnings from this book which  I really appreciate. Other than that though, I also have a certain appreciation for this book because it was good at echoing the personality of each of the characters involved especially Zipporah. You wouldn't have guessed that the author was male when you see how he delved into the feelings of Zipporah.! Mark Halter's writing style definitely deserves an applause... This is one of those rare books where the reader can readily assume the character of the protagonist! He was really consistent in terms of putting into writing what Zipporah could have been thinking and feeling at that time... And, he did it effortlessly unlike other writers who try too hard! So, would I recommend this book? Yes, but only to those interested in stories like these otherwise, you might get bored easily.

 

Favorite Excerpts

Words also become stones if you throw them too hard.-- Jethro

A man who has killed another man can lie to conceal his sin. But a man who confesses his murder without anyone asking him-- why would he lie? His confession prove he has a strong sense of justice that won't allow him to lie.-- Jethro

Nobody knows doe certain what dreams tell us. They come to us at night and there is something dark about them. But they can also be as blinding as the brightest sunlight. The wise men says, 'Live your dream in sleep, but do not let your life become a sleep.'-- Jethro

The moment I saw her, may your god strike me dead if I lie, my one hope was to have her become the woman I spend my days and nights with. Whenever she looks at me, I feel confident. When she's by my side, not even the iciest of winds give me gooseflesh. As soon as she's far from me, I feel cold and weak. My sleep is filled with nightmares, so I spend my nights with my eyes open, thinking about her-- Moses

There are always many reasons not to do what we fear. Often they seem like wise reasons. But anything bred by fear is always evil.-- Zipporah

Why assert today what may prove false tomorrow? Life is made of time and so is love.-- Jethro

Ehye asher ehye. I am that I am.-- Yahweh

Anxiety is making you unjust, and injustice heals no wounds.-- Yokeved

Freedom is like water at the bottom of the well. We must learn to bring it out into the light of the day, and then we must learn to drink it.-- Moses

Who though will remember Zipporah, the black woman, the Cushite? Who will remember what she accomplished? Who will speak her name? May this book serve as her humble tomb.-- Mark Halter, book author